Support
Frequently asked questions about the Spacetime watchface.
What devices are supported?
Spacetime requires Wear OS 4 or later. It has been tested on Pixel Watch 4 and should work on other Wear OS 4+ devices including Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and newer.
Why are the planets in the wrong position?
The watchface shows elongation—the angular distance from the Sun as seen from Earth—not absolute position in the zodiac. This is how the original astrolabe worked. The planet's position on the ring tells you when it's visible (evening sky, morning sky, or all night).
Why is the Moon in the wrong position?
Same reason as the planets—it shows elongation from the Sun. The Moon moves about 13° per day, so it laps the Sun every ~29.5 days (the synodic month). Its position tells you the lunar phase and when it's visible.
Why do the constellations look mirrored?
The star map shows the sky as if looking from outside the celestial sphere, the same convention used by celestial globes and traditional astrolabes. This matches the Earth map, which also looks from above (outside). If you imagine holding a celestial globe, this is how the stars appear on its surface.
Is this astronomically accurate?
Yes, to within about 1-2° for planets. The positions are calculated from orbital elements, not looked up from a table. Saturn's ring tilt, moon phases, and stellar positions are all calculated for the current moment.
Why can't I see the horizon circle?
The horizon circle and grid lines are optional features, disabled by default for a cleaner look. Enable them in the watchface settings on your phone's Wear OS app.
Why is the Sun always at the top?
This is a Sun-centered astrolabe. Everything rotates relative to the Sun, which stays fixed at the 12 o'clock position (solar noon). This makes it easy to judge when planets are visible—left of the Sun means evening, right means morning, opposite means all night.
What does the hour hand/compass show?
The hour hand doubles as a compass. The red segment points north, the white segment points south. They meet at your latitude. The hand is overlaid on your timezone's meridian on the Earth map.
Why does the Earth rotate counter-clockwise?
Because that's how Earth actually rotates when viewed from above the North Pole. The map keeps solar noon at the top, so your location sweeps under the Sun as the day passes.
What's shown in the star map mode?
The Milky Way band, Andromeda galaxy (as a small fuzzy dot), Sagittarius A* (the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy), and approximately 1,600 stars from the HYG database. The stars rotate with sidereal time.
Why are Saturn's rings so thin in 2025?
Saturn's rings are currently edge-on as seen from Earth. The ring tilt varies over Saturn's ~29.5 year orbit. The watchface calculates the current tilt—in 2025, the rings appear as a thin line.
How do I toggle between Earth and star map?
Tap the watchface to cycle through display modes. You can also configure the default mode in the watchface settings.
The watchface seems to drain my battery quickly.
The watchface uses ambient mode (simplified display when not actively looking) to conserve battery. If you're still experiencing issues, try disabling optional features like the grid lines and horizon circle.
Can I get a refund?
Google Play handles all purchases and refunds. You can request a refund through the Play Store within their refund window.
Still have questions?
If your question isn't answered above, feel free to reach out.
support@spacetime.watch