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 suitable for the 30°-40° latitude zone (southern half of the US, North Africa, Middle East, etc.). There are editions for the following latitude zones: 50°-60°, 40°-50°, 30°-40°, 20°-30°, and the Southern Hemisphere. There are also pocket-sized versions available for the same latitude zones.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24663 in Books
• Published on: 1998-01-01
• Original language: English
• 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. --Jack Horkheimer

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 southern part of the sky). The Night Sky was specially designed to overcome this problem: two maps divide the sky into north-facing and south-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

A useful tool- convenient; practical; durable.
A rotating starfinder like this one (often referred to as a "Planisphere") effectively shows how the night sky looks at any given time on any night of the year. For instance, if it's 10 p.m. on April 30th, just line up April 30th on the outer wheel with 10 p.m. on the inner wheel. The starfinder will thus display the position and orientation of the constellations that are visible to you at that time. As time passes, celestial objects "drift" from east to west due to the Earth's rotation. Occasional adjustment (rotating the planisphere's inner wheel to keep up with passing time) will sustain an accurate representation. As with any night-time observing aid, it should be viewed with red light.

Planispheres are generally manufactured in incremental versions to accommodate various bandwidths of latitudes from which to use them. For northern latitudes they are most commonly offered in 20/30; 30/40; and 40/50-degree versions. The Night Sky "30-40" matches latitudes from 30 to 40 degrees North, i.e.: - the mid-southern United States. You should select the one that brackets your particular latitude.

Classic boundaries of the constellations are highlighted with lines connecting principal stars down to 5th magnitude. A few of the more significant celestial objects are represent as well, i.e.: - M31. Right Ascension and Declination scales are provided. The front side shows the sky as you face north. Turning the planisphere over (from front to back) shows the sky as it looks facing south - and without distortion.

A good starfinder is a useful tool, and Chandler's Night Sky planisphere has become my personal favorite. It makes for a good learning device as well, and is the planisphere of choice for Terrence Dickinson ("The Backyard Astronomer's Guide"). It is plastic coated, weatherproof, and very durable. Mine has suffered some clumsy mishaps on a concrete observing pad and endured countless hundreds of dew-polluted evenings, but still looks and functions quite well.

Whatever the venue - binocular, telescope, or just plain naked-eye stargazing, I highly recommend Chandler's Night Sky planisphere. I believe it to be the best choice available.

Star gazing
Superb product. The prduct is made of sturdy material(plastic?) not like the cardboard one I owned in the past. I love the clear plastic cover which can keep the dew and my fingerprints at bay. The chart itself, in addition, to the constellations locates Messier objects and nebulae.
This is great item to take on a camping trips or just stash in the glove compartment for impromptu stops to see the stars.

Make sure you buy the chart that is at or near the latitude where you live. The USA runs from 30-50 degrees latitude. So if you live at or south of New York and Denver then get the 30-40. If much above that, get the 40-50 degree latitude

Best In The Night Sky
After much careful comparing I found this Plainesphere to be the best one out there. Has a back side which is actually useful. I bought 2 as Christmas gifts and were enthusiastically received. Highly recommended.
By the way - also get a Red LED flashlight to go with these to preserve night vision. Amazon has a great small one at a good price.