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: 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: This is a great planisphere!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am in the business of painting the night sky on people's ceilings that are visible only at night (www.NightSkyMurals.com). Over the past 20 years I have used different star charts and planispheres to place the constellations in accurate locations for those that want an accurate night sky painted.
Many years ago, I went through many different brands of planisphers and none have even come close to the Night Sky planisphere by David Chandler. It is so easy to read and follow where others that I used were very hard to read and understand. My kids can even look at the Night Sky map and then look up at the night sky and find what they are looking for.
I like to give them out now (when I remember to order them) to my customers who get a mural from me. I will also leave Dave's "Exploring the Night Sky..." too. They are both great items and are great for people new to star gazing and also for the old timers.
Great product and worth every penny!
Book Review: Excellent Product
Summary: 5 Stars
The large format is very easy to read and use for a person new to Astronomy (like myself). I had immediate success the first two nights out using the map locating stars and constellations from my backyard!!!
Make sure you purchase the proper map based on your latitude...
The only thing I forgot to do was purchase a red light for viewing the chart at night, but I simply converted a flashlight with some translucent red plastic I had in the house.
I am using my planisphere with the freeware planetarium program: Stellarium available for download from http://www.stellarium.org and now can supplement my understanding of the map, it's use, and therefore my outside viewing experience.
The construction and materials of the map are excellent. I'm very glad I purchased this product... a great value!