The Night Sky 30°-40° (Large; North Latitude)
by David S. Chandler
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Book Reviews of The Night Sky 30°-40° (Large; North Latitude)
Book Review: Frustrating to use, not for a beginner.
Summary: 3 Stars
This was my first planisphere.
After a few frustrating nights trying to use it, I bought the Guide to the Stars which I like very much.
I found myself constantly flipping this from side to side to figure out what objects I saw above me. As I flipped it I had to constantly turn to face north or south depending on which side I was looking at.
To give an example of how confusing this can be...
At the time I was viewing, 10:00PM, Dec 15, Orion's belt was on the right side of the chart, and on the back it was on the left. Also on the front Rigel was above the belt, on the back it was below the belt.
This is necessary because you face north when using the front and south when using the back. Each time I flipped the chart, I had to reorient myself to compare what I was seeing in the sky with what I was seeing on the chart.
It's accurate but can be very frustrating when trying to get a big picture.
The publisher claims using a two sided projection reduces sky distortion, that conventional planispheres severely distort the sky near the southern horizon. This may be an advantage if you have an unobstructed horizon and no sky glow.
Also this is relatively small, eight inches across. There is no extra information on it like there is with the "Guide to the Stars" planispheres. There is little in the way of explanation. For example the ecliptic is shown but not explained. Nor is the celestial equator explained.
I feel this could be a good tool for an experienced viewer who wants a compact and quick refresher on what he's looking at, but not for a beginner who wants to learn the sky.
Book Review: Extremely Helpful for Amateurs
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought the Night Sky planisphere to use during a college astronomy class. Astronomy had always been a small side hobby of mine and I was super excited for the class, and consequently over-prepared. I didn't necessarily need the planisphere but it did give me an edge during night viewings. I'm very glad I bought it, though, as it's been extremely helpful for me as an amateur.
The Night Sky planisphere is made of very durable, quality plastic. The wheel is covered by clear plastic to help prevent dirt clogging up the works. It also comes in a pliable plastic case that can be reused for safe storage. It's clear and easy to read, and made to be use with a red light during night viewings.
It is missing a few major sites, none of which immediately spring to mind, but it's probably for the best as to reduce clutter on the map. I bought Sky & Telescope magazine's Pocket Sky Atlas along with the Night Sky for extra detail. I almost always use them together. Either I'll use the Night Sky to find an interesting area of stars above me and look up the details of it in the Sky Atlas, or I'll browse the Sky Atlas for interesting features and use the Night Sky to actually find it above me.
I would recommend this to others interested in astronomy. :)
Book Review: New Astronomer's Best Friend
Summary: 5 Stars
As an astronomy enthusiast for over 40 years, and now an astronomy professor, I'm often asked "How do I know what I'm looking at?" or "How do I find constellations like the Big Dipper or Orion?" The answer for every beginner is to use a good planisphere - a rotating star map that shows you what the stars and constellations look like from your location at any time of night, any night of the year. The rotating star map - the planisphere - does this easily and without any effort. If you can tell time, and you know what day it is - you can use this product easily! Everyone from children as young as 7 years old to college students find this to be a user friendly way to learn the sky.
Chandler's planisphere is a step above most others because it has very little distortion - the shapes of constellations on the map are the same as they appear when you see them in the sky (very important for new or younger astronomers!) The Chandler map is also rugged enough to withstand years of use - I have classroom models that have been in use for 10 years and more.
Be sure to get the right version for where you live! The 30-40 degree model covers northern Mexico through the central USA. Northern US and Canada will need the 40-50 degree version.
Book Review: Two-sided Planisphere
Summary: 5 Stars
I have used the "The Night Sky" Two-sided Planisphere (by David Chandler) for about 15 years now. It's always made stargazing a lot of fun. Some years, I'll just get it out for one, really-serious night of stargazing. Because I forget a lot, it always re-enlightens me as to the positions of stars and constellations at various times of the year. A few winter objects that I never forget: Orion (dragging brightest star, Sirius, behind it), Taurus, and then Pleiades ... and up in the northern part of the sky: The Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, and The Little Dipper (which ends in Polaris); most people don't know that The Little Dipper can only be seen well on the clearest of nights ... and oftentimes they confuse Pleiades (the flock of birds) with it.
I feel that David Chandler's blue device deserves a lot of credit for the enthusiasm I have felt for the stars and constellations.
I hang "The Night Sky" on the wall (on a nail) in the darkest room of my house; that way it'll never age ... and it'll always be there whenever I'm re-bitten by the astronomy bug.
Here's a more detailed explanation and product description at the author's website: (...)
Book Review: Large Planispere for N. latitude 30-40degree
Summary: 4 Stars
Item seems to be reasonably precise on constellation location. And it's covered with see-thru clear plastic which protects from dirts, dust, and fingerprints or so. With its notched shape, it's easy to rotate. These are good points for this.
However, I have noticed that there's no mark for famous nebulae such as M1(crab nebula which should be in the constellation Taurus), M16(Eagle nebulae in constellation Serpens Cauda; this is where the famous iconic picture, Pillars of Creation, was taken by Hubble ST), and M57(Ring nebulae in Lyra). All these were missing in the planisphere.
I saw some other Messier objects like m5 m13 m8 but those important/famous ones were not there. The only reason I could think of not being there is that thoses were less bright ones compare to others on it.
Overall, it's not too bad , yet, with a little more detailed information on it(I saw empty area which could be used for adding more info), this planisphere could have been execellent one.
Isaac