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S&T Pocket Star Atlas Jumbo Edition

Piero

By Piero
in Observing - Discussion

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Piero

Piero

Posted
Posted

I thought it was interesting to point out this new edition of the pocket star atlas, which is used by many of us, here on SGL.

In summary, this is the equivalent of the Sky & Telescope Pocket star atlas, but pages measuring 8x11 inches. There is no change in page content, except for the inclusion of 6 new close-up charts at the end (regions in Monoceros, Cygnus, Sagittarius, and Scorpius, plus galaxy-rich fields in Ursa Major and Leo). Galaxies are still indicated in red.

For more information: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/the-jumbo-size-pocket-sky-atlas/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=sky-mya-nl-151204&utm_content=804038_SKY_HP_eNL_151204&utm_medium=email

As of 5th Dec '15 the current price is $23.99 (http://www.shopatsky.com/jumbo-pocket-sky-atlas//?utm_source=skyandtelescope.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=sky-mya-at-151202-jpsa)

Personally, I like the idea of this more desk-oriented edition. I think the S&T pocket star atlas is an excellent resource and having a larger edition seems a sensible idea to me. :)

Said this, I am not sure whether just resizing the page is enough though. I never felt the standard edition to be overcrowded with objects to be honest whereas in a few occasions I felt having more stars would have been helpful. Of course for the size of the standard pocket edition, having more stars might make the atlas too dense, so possibly for its size, it is just perfect! :)

Instead, for this Jumbo edition, I would have thought that having more stars (possibly down to mag 9) was worth. I cannot speak for the number of DSO as I am limited on many of these targets. I suspect one needs a 12" for covering all of them, so possibly the number of reported DSO is sufficient. 

What do you think? 

p.s.

not sure whether this is the right section for this thread. If Mods think it is not, please feel free to move it somewhere else.

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MAN or ASTROMAN

MAN or ASTROMAN

Posted
Posted

Wow,

 I'm interested!

 The Pocket Atlas,as it stands,must surely be my most used book at the eyepiece (Collins Gem comes second).

As you say,the larger version would make a fine desk Atlas,unless you have a large scope (which I don't).

I did buy the spiral bound 'Interstellarum' Atlas about a year ago,and to be honest,I've never used it.

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acey

acey

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Nice idea, good for anyone who finds the pocket atlas tricky to read (I don't). For deeper atlases there are plenty of options (e.g Uranometria). Currently £34.99 at Amazon UK.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sky-Telescopes-Pocket-Atlas-Jumbo/dp/1940038251/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449321595&sr=8-1&keywords=pocket+sky+atlas+jumbo

I would expect all the S&T objects to be within  reach of an 8" at a dark site. I use it with the finder of my 12", then go to deeper charts to locate objects. Currently using Great Atlas Of The Sky which has 296 large loose charts, and plots stars to mag 12. Beautiful but out of print.

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alan potts

alan potts

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I had a good look at this the other day as John uses it and thinks very highly of it. I have it on the computer and have used it a few time of late. I think it is something i will add to collection in the next few weeks, get Christmas out the way first for postal reasons.

Alan

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Piero

Piero

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Looks nice, but can it still be called a "pocket" atlas?

Anyone if/when available in the UK?

Not sure about this. I guess soon since when the article on ST was published, the page on amazon.co.uk was already there. 

Is there a "legit" copy of the  S&T Atlas in e-book or PDF Form? You can download the extra charts but I wondered about the whole book...

Peter...

I think one can buy the kindle edition and then convert it to PDF. Not sure whether the conversion, even for personal use, is "legit" though!  :confused:

I've never seen the version for kindle, so not sure whether the quality is good. 

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Piero

Piero

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My paper version of the S&T pocket sky atlas sis well thumbed... I might treat myself to a new one...

I guess the interactivity of apps like Sky Safari Pro 4  are much more useful that the kindle version of S&T...

Peter...

Sky Safari is an excellent software. I have the Plus version which is already behind my needs. I think a tablet with a fast hardware is required for using it smoothly, but a part from this, I really think it is a step above a kindle version of S&T or PDF maps. Just the options to zoom in/out or move directly to the area of interest are really handy. Of course it's up to one to decide whether s/he feels comfortable with technology when observing. :)

Personally I am not investing in this Jumbo edition. Carte du Ciel / Stellarium / Sky Safari do all the job and better in my opinion. The standard pocket edition has the big pro to be 'pocket'. This Jumbo edition is in the territory of other famous atlases (e.g. interstellarum, deep sky hunter, tri-atlas, uranometria, sky atlas etc) instead and it doesn't seem to me to add much..

Just my 2c of course.  

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