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Help me pick an Atlas...

Ccolvin968

By Ccolvin968
in Observing - Discussion

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Ccolvin968

Ccolvin968

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So I'm at a point where I'm stuck. I'm debating between Sky Atlas 2000 or Uranometria 2000. I have a 10" Dob and want the best bang for my buck. I'm fairly experienced but still a beginner if that makes sense... I have bagged a good portion of the Messier catalogue with a 5" scope. I don't want to spend money, have it last me a little while then upgrade to Uranometria a few years later. Is a 10" Dob too small to justify getting Uranometria 2000 or should I just get Sky Atlas 2000. I only have a small field guide that plots stars down to mag 6, but it makes it hard now that I can see mag 10 stars even on a less than perfect night. Any help or guidance is appreciated. Clear skies!

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paul mc c

paul mc c

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I have been doing astronomy for over 40 years now,and the easiest and handyest atlas i have owned is the Pocket sky atlas,i had the sky atlas 2000 and although it is excellent,i always reached for the former,for the money its excellent.

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niallk

niallk

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This is about as good as they get....there is a field version at around £140 dew proof, or SkySafari Pro for a mobile has a bit more info

http://www.bookdepository.com/Interstellarum-Deep-Sky-Atlas-Ronald-Stoyan/9781107503380

I've been saving, and took the plunge ordering the Field Edition this morning :) Looking fwd to it. I want to avoid using my mobile altogether when I go to a dark site.

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niallk

niallk

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I have this atlas. It is very good and I do not think you will be disappointed.

It came today - I think I'm going to really like it :)

Very intuitively organised. To-date I've used Stellarium/Sky Safari on my phone - great apps. What I really like is to be able to open up the nicely sized pages and browse an expanse of sky with such ease, with such detail - but meaningful detail that is kept to what's visible in a 12" scope (+ some additional select items requiring larger aperture).

I think this is going to be a joy to use when planning a session.

I haven't used at the scope yet, but I'm looking fwd to using this with a dim red light to avoid ruining my dark adaption with my phone - even with night mode. I think it will help me to continue to learn my way around the night sky - especially as I'm now cheating & using DSCs on my scope ;)

First impressions are very good!!

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acey

acey

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OP asks about SkyAtlas 2000 vs Uranometria. I used both with my 8". First I got SkyAtlas which was great for doing the Messier and Caldwell lists. When I moved onto Herschel objects I stepped up to Uranometria. We upgrade scopes, and atlases are things to upgrade too.

With my 12" I was happy with Uranometria for a while, but started to use the free JR TriAtlas, then invested in Great Atlas Of The Sky which I still use, and think is superb for its enormous sheet size and magnitude depth. But it's out of print.

I also have the S&T Pocket Atlas which I use with the finder. And various other atlases that I never use.

My recommendation would be the SkyAtlas Field Edition (white stars on black background, unlaminated). Upgrade to something deeper once the time comes.

My one regret is that I never bought the Millennium Star Atlas while it was in print, because I baulked at the price. Used copies now sell for a great deal more, if they go on sale at all. I didn't make the same mistake with Great Atlas Of The Sky. I have two copies, and I'm keeping both.

A final point: if you can only see to mag 10 with a 10" dob then first priority should be to find a darker site.

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Ccolvin968

Ccolvin968

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I can see down to about mag 12 stars on a perfectly clear night here. The milky way is also visible except galactic center due to a city to the south by about 35 miles. Stupid sky glare... I can drive about an hour west and have pristine skies.

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jam1e1

jam1e1

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This is about as good as they get....there is a field version at around £140 dew proof, or SkySafari Pro for a mobile has a bit more info

http://www.bookdepository.com/Interstellarum-Deep-Sky-Atlas-Ronald-Stoyan/9781107503380

Got this from astrofest, fantastic atlas great for planning, got field edition to avoid damage from dew, held out fine so far! You'd need something to rest it on as it's not pocket sized!

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SpaceWalker

SpaceWalker

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Have you tried this Deep Sky Hunter Star Atlas published here. It's free and includes thousands of DSOs  at 14m and stars up to 10.2m, you can print out what you like, it's in PDF. If dew is a concern you can use Rite In the Rain All Weather Paper.   You can try it at least as a temporary solution while you are thinking.  It works for me so far.

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Ruud

Ruud

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Since I've learned how to use Cartes du Ciel I print my own charts and I rarely reach for my Sky Atlas 2000 any more.

Information technology is quickly making printed reference material obsolete. It's a pity.

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Mr Spock

Mr Spock

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Since I've learned how to use Cartes du Ciel I print my own charts...

+1

I just select whatever area I need and at what scale and then get a print. Having an interest in double stars I've a printed version of the Cambridge Double Star Atlas I can write on.

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John

John

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My printed star charts are the S&T Pocket Star Atlas (which is brilliant !) and for more detail (much more detail !) Uranometria 2000.0 All Sky Edition. I have Stellerarium, Cartes du Ciel and Starry Night 6 Pro on my laptop.

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Paul73

Paul73

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If anyone does go for Uranometria, make sure that you get the newer edition. The early ones were very poorly laid out in comparison.

I went for Cambridge Star Atlas (v. Cheap with ok detail), then Uranometria volumes 1 and 2 (£££ but an incredibly detailed mapping - used with an NGC/IC excel sheet for detail on the individual objects), my next purchase will be the Stellerarium (for a nice balance between the two).

I love books.....

Paul

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todd8137

todd8137

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Here's a few images of my top three and the min one every grabs is the Cambridge star Atlas every time we go out

Here's each page with M31 being the target we looking for , all different and all sizes

1st image turn left at Orion

2nd image Cambridge star atlas

3rd image Philips pocket atlas

post-9980-0-56712600-1442495158_thumb.jp

post-9980-0-16273500-1442495171_thumb.jp

post-9980-0-45220200-1442495186_thumb.jp

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BeanerSA

BeanerSA

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Sky Safari 4 Pro on a android or ipad leave all the book in the dust, i have Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas and Cambridge Star Atlas the DSA being the better of the 2, but SS4 Pro really has much more detail though it's not a book.....

Like Mr Tinker says. I use Sky Safari Pro or Printed marked up maps while observing. And use the books for planning.

Paul

How does it interfere with your dark adaptation?

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Tinker1947

Tinker1947

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How does it interfere with your dark adaptation?

There is a Night option that's makes it very dim, another thread mentions its on half price offer £15.55 sterling on Google Play, this is SkySafari 4 Pro the newer version by Simulation Curriculum, i doubt the old Southern Stars, SkySafari Pro will get any updates.....

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Paul73

Paul73

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How does it interfere with your dark adaptation?

You can turn on Night mode (red) and turn down the brightness on both tablet and in the application.

Obviously, there will be an effect on night vision, but I can't see it being worse than a red tourch. I have a cover on my iPad that I can flip over when not using the screen. There is also a useful in app feature where you can disable the Auto Off which prevents the bright login screen coming on and really wrecking your dark adaption.

Paul

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