Star Atlas - Suggestions

[Sirius Starwatcher]

Hi everyone, looking to buy a star atlas, I've already got turn right at Orion, but looking for something to take in the garden. Sky and telescope pocket sky atlas gets a good write up . At the moment it's on a famous book website for £ 45.00 plus !!

The Cambridge star atlas also gets a good write up at a modest £ 22.0. Can anyone advise as to which would be the better buy. As I have a massive wish list for kit I don't want to blow all my budget on a star atlas. But if S&T is that good I would have to go for it. Even if I have to wait for it to be despatched from the USA.

Thanks all

[Bizibilder]

I simply downloaded one and printed / laminated it.  More or less free apart from a few laminating pouches.  Even these can be dispensed with - just use paper and when it gets damp or too messy with scribbled notes - simply reprint it.

Taki's star atlas or the TriAtlas project spring to mind but there are quite a few more out there - Google is your friend!

[DirkSteele]

The pocket Sky Atlas is an excellent choice.  You can purchase it directly from Sky and Telescope shop in the US at $19.95 +P&P though you may have to pay import duty and VAT when it arrives in the UK so the price differential may not be that great.  http://www.shopatsky.com/product/Pocket-Sky-Atlas/best-sellers

If you have a smart phone / tablet, consider one of the versions of Sky Safari.  The basic is a couple of pounds and the pro version (which I have, but is a bit of over kill) is around £27.

[Floater]

The 'used' option on that famous book site does not necessarily mean someone else has had the book before you. Click on that option (£22, or so) and have a look. I did and got a new spiral bound copy for around that figure.

By the way, not sure where you'll end up if you turn right at Orion instead of left ... :-)

[Sirius Starwatcher]

The 'used' option on that famous book site does not necessarily mean someone else has had the book before you. Click on that option (£22, or so) and have a look. I did and got a new spiral bound copy for around that figure.

By the way, not sure where you'll end up if you turn right at Orion instead of left ... :-)

Point taken Floater may try that and see where it leads many thanks Garry

[RT65CB-SWL]

Norton's Star Atlas. I have the last three hardback editions.

[RCG]

I have played with quite a few atlases, over the years, and I think "Deep Sky Hunter Star Atlas" is the best I have seen. It is downloadable, and much easier to read than the Tri-Atlas, as the charts are larger, and they are much less cluttered.

Stars go to 10.2 and other objects go to 14.0.

I put mine in two Itoya "art portfolios" which hold everything down to -40 Dec., which is fine for my location, and would be for the UK, also.

The do it yourself atlases have the advantage, as stated above, that all you have to do is print out a replacement, if one or more individual charts get damaged, and you can scribble on them to your heart's content.

[LukeSkywatcher]

This one fits into your pocket also: The image is almost to scale.

[ronin]

The pocket Sky Atlas is an excellent choice.  You can purchase it directly from Sky and Telescope shop in the US at $19.95 +P&P though you may have to pay import duty and VAT when it arrives in the UK so the price differential may not be that great.  http://www.shopatsky.com/product/Pocket-Sky-Atlas/best-sellers

If you have a smart phone / tablet, consider one of the versions of Sky Safari.  The basic is a couple of pounds and the pro version (which I have, but is a bit of over kill) is around £27.

I do not know of anyone that has purchased a bokk but aren't books 0% rated for VAT ?

Agreed not a lot anyway.

[Captain Harlock]

Are there many differences between the 2006 and the 2013 editions of the Sky and telescope pocket sky atlas ?

There seem to be many offers for the 2006 edition below the £20 mark.

[Stridor]

Hi everyone, looking to buy a star atlas, I've already got turn right at Orion, but looking for something to take in the garden. Sky and telescope pocket sky atlas gets a good write up . At the moment it's on a famous book website for £ 45.00 plus !!

The Cambridge star atlas also gets a good write up at a modest £ 22.0. Can anyone advise as to which would be the better buy. As I have a massive wish list for kit I don't want to blow all my budget on a star atlas. But if S&T is that good I would have to go for it. Even if I have to wait for it to be despatched from the USA.

Thanks all

Wow, the `S & T star atlas ` has gone up in price hasn`t it...............I paid less than £12.00 from the `famous book website` only 9 months ago!!   

[ronl]

The Cambridge Star Atlas is very good and S&T is also very good I have both,

I bought mine from here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Cambridge-Star-Atlas-by-Wil-Tirion-Spiral-bound-ISBN-9780521173636-/261557478451?pt=Non_Fiction&hash=item3ce60a6433 less than half price and

nothing wrong with it except is has a stamp mark inside which says damaged, it's

not , that way it well worth getting both, you won't be disappointed. 

And here is S&T pocket sky atlas much cheaper than most

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B006DUZHZE/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_new_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=new&sr=8-2&qid=1409249204, well worth a look.

[Astro Imp]

This one fits into your pocket also: The image is almost to scale.

Gem Stars is a  great little book, was my first purchase after my scope.

[Captain Harlock]

Wow, the `S & T star atlas ` has gone up in price hasn`t it...............I paid less than £12.00 from the `famous book website` only 9 months ago!!   

So I suppose that in this case, one might wait until they replenish their stock

[jabeoo1]

 The Observer's Sky Atlas With 50 Star Charts Covering the Entire Sky by Erich Karkoschka is excellent.

[Charic]

Sirius Starwatcher.......If I can read a book or a Star atlas in the garden, then my conditions are not dark enough for visual observations. If you can read by street-light, or red light, then maybe your conditions are still too bright for visual observations?

I'm only viewing the constellations in a circle around Polaris that encompasses Ursa Major, due to the limitations of my observatory, but Polaris is just about (feels like ) in my Zenith (directly overhead).  I study the charts prior to getting my eyes dark adjusted, then just go out and see what I can find. Its difficult with the Street-lights here to capture many DSO's, but easier when viewed from a darker site.

That said, I have printed out my own Star charts in the past using the Freeware program, Stellarium. And as for Books, I'm building quite a collection now, and in all honesty, how many different things can you write about the same subject, be-it the Moon or Jupiter. A book is a book, but I did buy another book this last Weekend. It's the DK Nature Guide, Stars and Planets, "The World In Your Hand". This book covers The Night Sky, Tools and Techniques, The Solar System, The Stars and Beyond, your Monthly Sky Guide and the Constellations. Not bad for 352 pages and £9.99. Solely for reading when the rains come you know?

[kirkster501]

I use S+T Pocket star atlas and the Cambridge Star Atlas as many on here do.  I've taken them everywhere with me, they are plenty good enough for my modest knowledge.

[Ruud]

My best printed atlas is Sky Atlas 2000.0 by Wil Tirion. I wish I had it as a PDF, so that I could print parts of it. The charts are too large for convenient use outdoors.

But it's a really good atlas!