The Night Sky 30°-40° (Large; North Latitude) Review
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. :)
The Night Sky 30°-40° (Large; North Latitude) Overview
The Night Sky is a rotating star finder (planisphere) that allows the user to recognize the constellations for any time of night, any day of the year. The sky appears to rotate (due to the rotation and orbital motion of the earth), so to be successful recognizing the constellations a beginner needs to know which stars are above the horizon at any time.
This is the full-sized version of The Night Sky suitable for the 30°-40° latitude zone (southern half of the US, North Africa, Middle East, etc.). There are editions for the following latitude zones: 50°-60°, 40°-50°, 30°-40°, 20°-30°, and the Southern Hemisphere. There are also pocket-sized versions available for the same latitude zones.
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Related Products
- NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe
- Celestron 93588 Astro Night Vision Flashlight
- Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas
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- Binocular Highlights: 99 Celestial Sights for Binocular Users (Sky & Telescope Stargazing)
Customer Reviews
Large Planispere for N. latitude 30-40degree - thinker -
Item seems to be reasonably precise on constellation location. And it's covered with see-thru clear plastic which protects from dirts, dust, and fingerprints or so. With its notched shape, it's easy to rotate. These are good points for this.
However, I have noticed that there's no mark for famous nebulae such as M1(crab nebula which should be in the constellation Taurus), M16(Eagle nebulae in constellation Serpens Cauda; this is where the famous iconic picture, Pillars of Creation, was taken by Hubble ST), and M57(Ring nebulae in Lyra). All these were missing in the planisphere.
I saw some other Messier objects like m5 m13 m8 but those important/famous ones were not there. The only reason I could think of not being there is that thoses were less bright ones compare to others on it.
Overall, it's not too bad , yet, with a little more detailed information on it(I saw empty area which could be used for adding more info), this planisphere could have been execellent one.
Isaac
My "The Night Sky 30°-40° Large: North Latitude - Joseph A. Correro Correro - Mississippi
As a beginning star gazer, this is one product I am glad to have. Works perfect from my location in MS. Accurate!!!
Two-sided Planisphere - SullivanRadley - Greensboro, GA USA
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: (...)
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 26, 2010 11:42:05
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