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

Scagell, Robin

4.45

22 ratings by Goodreads

9781770851429: Night Sky Atlas: The Moon, Planets, Stars and Deep Sky Objects

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1770851429 ISBN 13: 9781770851429

Publisher: Firefly Books, 2012

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Praise for the previous edition: :
An ideal portable reference for backyard astronomers. This atlas combines clear, accurate star maps with reliable and informative text.
--The Lunar and Planetary information Bulletin

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. Its format and features provide for years of use:

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
Star maps are drawn with black stars on a white background, making space for penciled-in 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 photorealistic 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 include:

40 large-scale constellation charts
A full set of seasonal charts
Maps of the Moon and the planets
Deep sky maps identifying double stars, nebula and more
A comprehensive index.

Night Sky Atlas is the ideal portable reference for backyard astronomers.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

Robin Scagell is an author, consultant and broadcaster, and the vice president of the Society for Popular Astronomy. In 2007 he received the Arthur Clarke Award for Space Reporting, and in 2001 an asteroid was named after him. His other books include Stargazing with a Telescope and Stargazing with Binoculars.

Wil Tirion has been an uranographer (star-map maker) since 1977, when he created his first set of star maps, later published by the British Astronomical Association. He has since contributed maps to numerous books and atlases. He is a recipient of the Dr. J. van der Bilt Prize awarded to weather and astronomy amateurs and in 1993 the International Astronomical Union named an asteroid after him.

Introduction

This star atlas is for anyone who wants to learn the night sky, anywhere in the world. You need no prior knowledge -- just add your own enthusiasm. Using a combination of maps of different scales and methods of plotting, you can discover the appearance of the stars wherever and whenever you observe.

A special feature of this atlas is realistic views of the constellations that match as closely as possible what you actually see in the sky, with no labels or grid lines to clutter the page. Facing each one is a conventional map of the same area that you can use to identify the stars and constellations.

Having found your way among the stars, you will want to study the other objects -- the Sun, Moon and planets and the much more distant nebulae, star clusters and galaxies. The most interesting constellations are described in detail, with illustrations that show the objects of interest in a variety of ways, from drawings that match accurately what you can see through a small telescope to images taken through large telescopes, including the Hubble Space Telescope. Notes give you the basics of observational methods and help you to find and observe the objects, whether you have the simplest telescope or an up-to-the-minute computerized model.

A special website, www.stargazing.org.uk, accompanies this atlas to provide regularly updated links to sites giving further information and planetary positions, so you can always keep up-to-date. With this information, the Night Sky Atlas can be your astronomical companion for years to come.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.