Product Description

The Night Sky is a rotating star finder (planisphere) that allows the user to recognize the constellations for any time of night, any day of the year. The sky appears to rotate (due to the rotation and orbital motion of the earth), so to be successful recognizing the constellations a beginner needs to know which stars are above the horizon at any time.

This is the full-sized version of The Night Sky most suitable for Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa and South America. We have versions for the following latitude zones: 50°-60°, 40°-50°, 30°-40°, 20°-30°, and the Southern Hemisphere. We also have pocket-sized versions available for the same latitude zones.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50192 in Books
• Published on: 1998-01-01
• Binding: Map
• 2 pages

Review
Chandler's planisphere is the finest available. -- Terence Dickinson, astronomy textbook author, in SkyNews Magazine --Terence Dickinson

I think The Night Sky is the finest and easiest to use star finding aid in existence. -- Jack Horkheimer, TV's "Star Hustler"

I think The Night Sky is the finest and easiest to use star finding aid in existence. --Jack Horkheimer, TV's Star Hustle

Most aficionados now prefer David Chandler's The Night Sky wheel. -- J.T. Westways Magazine --Westways Magazine

From the Publisher
The Night Sky comes in two sizes: Large (8 inch diameter) and Small (5 inch diameter). The large size is best for learning the constellations. The small size is best as a pocket reference to tell you what constellations are up if you are already reasonably familiar with the constellations. In each size the charts are available for different latitude zones.

To find the correct size and latitude zone, use the following ISBN numbers in your Amazon.com search:

The Night Sky 50°-60° (Large), 1891938088 (Small), 1891938096

The Night Sky 40°-50° (Large), 0961320745 (Small), 1891938010

The Night Sky 30°-40° (Large), 0961320753 (Small), 1891938029

The Night Sky 20°-30° (Large), 0961320761 (Small), 1891938037

The Night Sky Southern Hemisphere (Large), 0961320737 (Small), 1891938002

From the Author
Most planispheres attempt to represent the whole dome of the sky on one flat map, creating severe distortion near the outer edges of the map (the sky near the northern horizon). The Night Sky was specially designed to overcome this problem: two maps divide the sky into south-facing and north-facing views, which are shown on the front and back sides of the chart. When you turn around, simply turn the chart over. This design feature eliminates over 90% of the distortion found in conventional one-sided planispheres.

Other features of The Night Sky were designed with observers in mind:

--Dark stars on a white background make the map easier to read at night with a dim (or preferably red filtered) flashlight. (Under red light the dark blue of the chart becomes a velvety black.)

--The maps are computer-plotted for accuracy and show stars down to a consistent brightness cut-off. What you see on the chart is what is really there.

--The constellation figures emphasize simple patterns connecting the brightest stars, making the constellations easy to recognize and remember.

--The pocket version has fewer stars and omits some of the less conspicuous constellations to minimize clutter and maintain readability.

--The Night Sky comes in a protective vinyl pouch and the chart has plastic outer surfaces for dew resistance.

Customer Reviews

Southern Hemisphere product !
Almost all such products are designed for the Northern Hemisphere, as this is where most amateur astronomers are. But here is a planisphere for the Southern Hemisphere which I have found to be very useful indeed. It is large, uncluttered and easy to read using a red flashlight.

Hard to find reference for Southern Sky
If you have the chance to travel in equatorial Africa, as I just did this spring and summer, you'll want to check out the different constellations visible from the Southern Hemisphere. What you'll find is that a planisphere (which is light, easy to pack and can be simple to use) for that area is incredibly hard to find.

This one is decent sized and easy to read in good to fair light, but when it is quite dark, like on the Serengeti at night, you'll need a red light to maintain your night vision. If you are from the Northern Hemisphere you can find tons of planisphere for a wide variety of latitudes, but if you travel to the south, snap this gem up & pack in in your bag. The skies are clearer and stars brighter so you can really enjoy them and easily pick out great constellations like the Southern Cross.

Great product, very portable
So usefull and easy to use. The information is limited but the good thing is that you don't have to carry a PC or heavy books. Just take this Night Sky material and you'll have the basic information you need.