Night Sky Atlas: The Moon, Planets, Stars and Deep Sky Objects

Philip's Astronomy

by Robin Scagell, Wil Tirion (Illustrator)

A practical guide to binocular and small telescope observing. Night Sky Atlas combines clear, accurate star maps with reliable and informative text. This is a highly practical atlas for beginning sky gazers using binoculars or a small telescope. Sturdy binding makes it suitable for outdoor use. Cover flaps can be used as page-markers. The sewn binding allows the atlas to be opened flat. The star maps are drawn with black stars on a white background, allowing observers to pencil in their own observations. The high quality paper can withstand repeated use of an eraser. The book begins by presenting the whole sky in a series of six maps, showing stars down to magnitude 5.5 -- all visible with binoculars or a small telescope. Opposite each map is a photo-realistic image that shows how the same portion of sky looks to the naked eye, allowing less-experienced observers to quickly find specific objects of interest. The maps can be used for planning observations, navigating from one part of the sky to another and for a quick reference guide. Other features A comprehensive index provides the location of information for all the night sky objects and features covered in the atlas. The Night Sky Atlas is the ideal portable reference for backyard astronomers.

Genres: Astronomy, Science

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am "starstruck" after reading this excellent guide! No pedantic, self-absorbed author's shpeal to the ivory tower set, this very practical guide to the night sky will have you gleefully jumping in your car to the nearest telescope store!

[Aprilleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the name, this book isn’t all star charts. In fact, only one chapter really had what the title led me to expect, and the description plays specifically to that assumption without mentioning how little of the book is actually star charts. Other chapters discuss equipment (binoculars, telescopes, mounts, etc.), the constellations, and observing the moon, the sun, the planets, and a variety of deep-sky objects (stars, nebulae, galaxies, etc.). The chapter on equipments does a decent job explaining the different telescope types, although it skips over some of the details you’ll want to know about later. The chapter on the constellations includes a small star chart of each constellation and a list of the more interesting objects you’ll find in them. The information about the sun is rather sparse and doesn’t even scratch the surface, but at least what it includes is heavy on safety. The photographs and other illustrations are well-chosen, but I do think, given the limited number of full-size maps, the book would be more useful in a smaller format with a different layout for the maps.