Help choosing a good star atlas

[wolfpaw]

I've got a birthday coming up shortly and a star atlas is in the pipeline. I've narrowed it down to three possibilities but, living far from civilisation, I'm not in the position to go into a bookshop and have a look in advance.

The three candidates are:

The Cambridge Star Atlas (4th Edition)

Sky and Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas

Norton's Star Atlas

I've read pros and cons about all three, some having more stars shown that others, some with a ring binder, some with more detail on the DSOs, some with mirror images of night sky i.e. the Cambridge Atlas (which, I don't think, are helpful to me as I have a Newtonian not a refractor.) The Norton seems to come with a load of other stuff as well as the sky charts, which I'm not sure is necessary.

I've got a 10'' Dob but, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what magnitude stars I can see with it or how this affects which atlas I should get.

Which one of these do people have and which would they recommend? At the moment I'm edging towards the Sky and Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas.

I've read positive reviews of the Sky Atlas 2000 but it seems to cost an absolute fortune. I've also visited website where I can download charts but I'd prefer to have them in one volume.

Many thanks!

[RichieP]

I don't have experience of the other two, but I can highly recommend the Sky and Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas. It's a very handy size in the field.

Regards

Richard

[NGC 1502]

I don't have experience of the other two, but I can highly recommend the Sky and Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas. It's a very handy size in the field.

Regards

Richard

Me too, nice and compact, I keep one in the lid of my eyepiece case.

The Cambridge star atlas does show a larger area of sky on each page, so maybe that would be good if you are just starting on observing, makes it easier to compare to the real sky.

The S&T pocket sky atlas has pages covering a smaller area of sky, a trade off for being so handy.

BTW, your 10" Dob will give a south up view, but not a mirror image.

The SkyAtlas 2000 does go to a fainter magnitude, but I'd go for one of the above, perhaps SA 2000 in a year or two.

Regards, Ed.

[wookie1965]

I have the sky and telescope pocket atlas which is brilliant but i also have Turn Left To Orion which has been invaluable in finding objects.

[wolfpaw]

Me too, nice and compact, I keep one in the lid of my eyepiece case.

The Cambridge star atlas does show a larger area of sky on each page, so maybe that would be good if you are just starting on observing, makes it easier to compare to the real sky.

The S&T pocket sky atlas has pages covering a smaller area of sky, a trade off for being so handy.

BTW, your 10" Dob will give a south up view, but not a mirror image.

The SkyAtlas 2000 does go to a fainter magnitude, but I'd go for one of the above, perhaps SA 2000 in a year or two.

Regards, Ed.

I think the Cambridge Star Atlas has mirror views which seem like a waste of space for my needs but I gather it has info on various DSO. The Norton is half price on Amazon at the moment! One of the more negative reviews on Amazon reckons the addition of stuff on astrophotography in the Norton is unnecessary. It's a shame but I would agree. I really want something relatively lightweight with good, detailed star charts.

I've got Turn Left at Orion so this will be my second object-finding book.

Is Sky Atlas 2000 out of print or something?

[Stridor]

I don't have experience of the other two, but I can highly recommend the Sky and Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas. It's a very handy size in the field.

Regards

Richard

Yes, I agree, this is an excellent handy guide/atlas.........buy it, you won`t regret it.

[Alien 13]

It would be the Nortons star atlas for me but im old and have allways had one.

Alan

[Beulah]

 Sky and Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas here. Tried some of the larger atlases for a while but they are unwieldy!

I 'modified' it a little by attaching several book ribbons onto the spiral ring spine - I usually select the targets before dark and book mark them for convenience when I am at the scope.

[L8-Nite]

I don't have the Cambridge atlas, but can comment on these.......

"Nortons Star Atlas and Referance Handbook" is more like a text book, and has a wealth of information. The charts show stars to 6th magnitude.

The "Pocket Sky Atlas" is a smaller working atlas version of Sky Atlas 2000 which is handy at the scope and for travel, with charts showing stars to 7th magnitude. 

The "Sky Atlas 2000.0" (2nd edition) along with its "Companion Guide" It has data, descriptions, coordinates, and lists all of the 2,700 nebula, star clusters, and galaxies shown in the sky atlas 2000 charts. Stars are shown to 8.5 magnitude. This atlas and guide are great, compliment each other, and could keep you occupied for a lifetime. 

Here are photos of the three mentioned, with soda can's and coffee cup to give you an idea of size.

In 1 & 2, from left to right are the Norton, the Pocket Sky, and Atlas 2000.0 

Photos 3 & 4 depict the larger atlas.

Hope this helps in your choice.

[NGC 1502]

I think the Cambridge Star Atlas has mirror views which seem like a waste of space for my needs but I gather it has info on various DSO. The Norton is half price on Amazon at the moment! One of the more negative reviews on Amazon reckons the addition of stuff on astrophotography in the Norton is unnecessary. It's a shame but I would agree. I really want something relatively lightweight with good, detailed star charts.

I've got Turn Left at Orion so this will be my second object-finding book.

Is Sky Atlas 2000 out of print or something?

My elderly version of Cambridge star atlas has standard 'correct' view maps, matches the real sky.   My late version Cambridge double star atlas has the same.

If you already have 'Turn Left'  then I'd get the S&T pocket alas.  I hardly ever use my SA 2000, but it's a good reference for occasional use for indoor planning. Would be good for observatory use if there's a work bench or table to use.

Regards, Ed.

[wolfpaw]

My elderly version of Cambridge star atlas has standard 'correct' view maps, matches the real sky.   My late version Cambridge double star atlas has the same.

If you already have 'Turn Left'  then I'd get the S&T pocket alas.  I hardly ever use my SA 2000, but it's a good reference for occasional use for indoor planning. Would be good for observatory use if there's a work bench or table to use.

Regards, Ed.

The Sky Atlas 2000 looks like a wonderful resource. It is massive though, isn't it (thanks for the comparative photos, Mike). I can imagine looking at it on the kitchen table more easily than when I'm out in the dark. It's so expensive that I'm going to skip it as an option anyway.

The 4th edition of the Cambridge atlas definitely has mirror reversed charts for star diagonals as well as the normal ones. One aspect of the Cambridge atlas I quite like is that is has a data page opposite each chart with information on the various DSOs that can be seen. There are some page examples here:

https://www.astronomics.com/the-cambridge-star-atlas-4th-edition_p12247.aspx

[Guest]

Just got the Kindle version of S@N for £6

[Guest]

Just got the Kindle version of S@N for £6

for S@T read S&T.  Brain isn't what it used to be

[Fatrick]

I downloaded the TriAtlas (http://www.uv.es/jrtorres/triatlas.html) maps and laminated the pages and ring binded them up. Im still a complete novice, but they work well and I'm more than happy with it. Plus it has the added advantage of being free (except for the cost of the laminating pouches)

[Charic]

wolfpaw........Hi,     What about using the freeware Stellarium. I know its not a Book, but Stellarium I would have thought has more options, and is always up to date. You can tweak the program to match your surroundings, and telescope set-up, and even print your own Star maps, check Eyepieces and loads more.

Its just a thought. go grab it, Its FREE.

[sheldondave]

Hi,

Rather than laminate a copy of the Triatlas you could use an Exacompta binder with the clear plastic pockets, which allows use in the field, and may be a bit cheaper. You can get the binders in various sizes on Amazon or your local Stationary shop, they work well for me, and TriAtas is a very good free Atlas. You could also get the CnebularX program (also free from the same site), and print your own custom charts for your nights at the telescope, the A4 prints also fit in the above binders. Its an option.

[NGC 1502]

The Sky Atlas 2000 looks like a wonderful resource. It is massive though, isn't it (thanks for the comparative photos, Mike). I can imagine looking at it on the kitchen table more easily than when I'm out in the dark. It's so expensive that I'm going to skip it as an option anyway.

The 4th edition of the Cambridge atlas definitely has mirror reversed charts for star diagonals as well as the normal ones. One aspect of the Cambridge atlas I quite like is that is has a data page opposite each chart with information on the various DSOs that can be seen. There are some page examples here:

https://www.astronomics.com/the-cambridge-star-atlas-4th-edition_p12247.aspx

Apologies, didn't realise that later Cambridge atlases had mirror reversed charts as well as standard ones, that's a really useful feature.

Regards, Ed.

Edit - having read the link, it mentions a mirror image moon map, but not mirror image star charts.......but a nice atlas that goes deep enough for many of us, most of the time 

[NGC 1502]

Hi,

Rather than laminate a copy of the Triatlas you could use an Exacompta binder with the clear plastic pockets, which allows use in the field, and may be a bit cheaper. You can get the binders in various sizes on Amazon or your local Stationary shop, they work well for me, and TriAtas is a very good free Atlas. You could also get the CnebularX program (also free from the same site), and print your own custom charts for your nights at the telescope, the A4 prints also fit in the above binders. Its an option.

Hi Sheldondave, looks like your first post, and you're already contributing to SGL 

A warm welcome, Ed.

[wolfpaw]

Apologies, didn't realise that later Cambridge atlases had mirror reversed charts as well as standard ones, that's a really useful feature.

Regards, Ed.

Edit - having read the link, it mentions a mirror image moon map, but not mirror image star charts.......but a nice atlas that goes deep enough for many of us, most of the time 

Ah, yes. My apologies. It's just the moon charts that seem to be mirror-reversed.

It seems the S&T Pocket Atlas shows a lot more DSOs than the Cambridge Star Atlas e.g.  the Herschel 400. That might well swing it. One other issue I've come across with the Cambridge Star Atlas is that it shows the galaxies in red which, using a red torch at night, apparently makes them almost impossible to see. I like the size of it though. It seems slightly larger than the S&T Pocket Atlas. I only ever observe from the garden and about a 15 second walk from the house.

I do have the Stellarium program and it's excellent, and I guess I could print out my own charts too, but for now I've settled on getting a ready-made atlas as I'm still in the early stages of observing.

[cotterless45]

Pocket Sky Atlas. Because I use it when observing, I covered each page including edges with self adhesive clear vinyl. Handy floor clear vinyl covering rolls from £ shop,

Nick.

[BritAngler]

+1 for Norton's Star Atlas. That and Turn Left at Orion will set you up for a long time.

[RoysSkies]

You should also try

Night Sky Observers Guide volumes 1 and 2

they are a really excellent guide to the night sky

but would only suit someone with an 8" scope or bigger..

Cheers Roy

[TractionMan]

Another +1 for S&T Pocket Sky Atlas. Perfect size to be used by the telescope and it can withstand quite a lot of dew and moisture without falling apart.

[Wikiastro]

I'm on a very tight budget so I printed the deep sky atlas (link below), stuck them in some old poly pockets and used a few treasury tags to keep them in order. I've also sealed the pockets with a bit of Sellotape and write on them with a chinagraph pencil. I even printed the DSO images from the same site to help spot them too.

http://www.deepskywatch.com/deepsky-atlas.html

[RoysSkies]

Very nice charts... Just downloaded them myself, You can never have

enough charts.. Excellent detail and will be useful for those long night

when you just wanna go star hopping.

Cheers Roy