Star map/atlas

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  • #574464
    Derek Robson
    Participant

    If I wanted a large page star map atlas/book, which would you recommend? What I’d like it for is when I take an image and print it off, I can place it near the map and make a quick comparison – at the right orientation. I even try printing onto acetate film and overlaying onto a printed map (if I can match the scale size and aspect ratio in the PC).   I find rotating a paper or book easier than trying to compare my image on screen with a map on the PC (star program or one of the resources such as World Wide Telescope) – usually one window ends up closing unless I resize it. Besides, it is convenient to flick through a few pages of a book’s maps. Uranometria comes to mind, down to mag 9.75. But I’m confused as to whether I would need volumes 1, 2 and 3, or just volume 3. I think there is a companion book that goes with it, but unsure if it’s essential to get the companion as well (which I can’t remember its title offhand).

    I have an old eighties copy of Norton’s Star Atlas, which I still use.  But because of a printing error, it contains some duplicate maps and some are missing.  I didn’t spot that until sometime after buying.  I also have Turn Left at Orion.  PC programs: Stellarium, C2A and Aladin Lite.  Thank you.

    #581681
    Dominic Ford
    Keymaster

    How about Wil Tirion’s Sky Atlas 2000.0, 2ed Edition? I fear it may be becoming a collector’s item, though: second hand copies on Amazon seem to start around £50 and go up to silly prices. I picked up a copy a few years ago and I don’t remember it being that expensive.

    #581682
    Derek Robson
    Participant

    Thanks. I will look it up.

    #581683
    David Swan
    Participant

    I really like my Sky and Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas – you could get the Jumbo version which is simply larger format. I also have the Cambridge Star Atlas fourth edition by Wil Tirion. If you want me to send you representative pics of the charts, let me know.

    #581684
    David Swan
    Participant

    Cambridge goes to lim 6.5, S&T to 7.6. You mention an atlas which goes deeper, so these may not meet your requirements.

    #581687
    Callum Potter
    Keymaster

    My current favourite star atlas is the interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas

    See: www.deep-sky-atlas.com

    Its available from Amazon and other places – it is a bit expensive, but it is a really nice, easy to use atlas.

    Callum

    #581688
    Dawson
    Participant

    There are a few, some:

    The Cambridge Star Atlas (2011), copies available for under £10. 

    Uranometria 2000 volume 1 (1987), copies available for £25.

    Sky Atlas 2000.0 (1985), cheapest seems to be about £40 but it is lovely.

    Star Atlas of Reference Stars and Non-stellar Objects (1969), copies £50.

    Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas: Desk Edition (2014), copies £65 or so.

    Millennium Star Atlas 3 Volume Boxed Set (2006), £600 or so…

    The first two are fine; you can probably find a way to look at them all inside online somewhere. I really do like Stellarium though which is usually my first port of call, with all the added star databases loaded in.

     

    #581691
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    Seconded!  A superb atlas.  I used it on the last session at the telescope.

    #581693
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    No need to stick with your copy except for sentimental reasons.  Second-hand copies are dirt cheap.  I’ve five different editions in the library, none of which cost me more than a few pounds.  The first (1910) edition was was given to me by a friend whose astronomer father had died recently.  It’s been well-used for the last century and ought to be re-bound professionally.

    If you wish I can put you in contact with a guy who is down-sizing his library and from whom I bought the Tycho catalogue.  He had a copy of Hans Vehrenberg’s “Photographischer Stern-Atlas” which goes down to mag 14 or so.  Don’t know whether it is still for sale.

    #581692
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    I don’t have this one, but I do have the full 17-volume Tycho & Hipparcos catalogue which I picked up 2nd hand for £250.

    The relevance is that volumes 14-16 are essentially the MSA, though printed at a slightly smaller scale. A superb atlas.

    Incidentally, if you are going for Uranometria 2000, get Vol 2 as well.  Otherwise you will be restricted to the northern hemisphere.  Even up in sub-arctic Britain quite a bit of the southern sky is visible.  I wish I had realised that when I bought only V1 and now regret the decision to save money.

    Added in edit: just bought a “like-new” copy of U2000-V2.  Thanks for prompting me!

    #581694
    Peter Gudgeon
    Participant

    I have Wil Tirion’s Sky Atlas 2000 (brought years ago when it was much cheaper), which I’ve found OK when using just a camera with a medium to wide angle lens. But with a telescope mounted camera there are often not enough bright ( mag >8.5) stars in the field of view, so I resort to Stellarium, not just because of the extra detail but also because I find it much easier not having to mentally convert black dots on a white background to bright dots on a dark background. Ideally I imagine a photographic atlas would be better, but I’ve no experience of one. 

    I don’t know if it’s do-able, I’m running on Linux, but it would be much easier if you could plug (say) a TV into the PC’s HDMI socket and display your photo on that while adjusting the Stallerium view on the PC screen.

    #581695
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    “I find it much easier not having to mentally convert black dots on a white background to bright dots on a dark background”.

    I almost always display negative images for comparison with (in my case) VS finder charts. A single simple mouse click.

    #581696
    Dr Andrew Smith
    Participant

    I have a copy of sky atlas 2000 you can have for free if you let me have your address.

    Regards Andrew 

    #581702
    Derek Robson
    Participant

    Thanks for those pictures, I like the look of those very much. Nice in colour too.  Hmmm, I’m spoilt for choice here.

    #581703
    Derek Robson
    Participant

    Thank you Callum.  I have since read some really positive reviews of that one, including the quality and strength of the paper when used in field conditions.  I had been focusing on that one.  This is going to be interesting.

    #581704
    Derek Robson
    Participant

    James

    Thanks for listing those. I didn’t know off of those, but it will be great to have a look and compare.  I do like Stellarium too, and like the way I can do on line search for an object such as an asteroid, that is not listed. But I can download the data and Stellarium can then display the object. That’s very helpful, and obviously not possible with books, but both have their advantages.  Thanks for the list.

    #581705
    Derek Robson
    Participant

    That’s very interesting.  Yes, send his contact details. I have C2A which uses a number of digital catalogues such as UCAC4, and TYC.  I’m not as familiar with it as I am with Stellarium. But hope to progress with C2A.  The Tycho catalogue may be of interest in print form seeing as I have it that works in the background of C2A.  

    #581706
    Derek Robson
    Participant

    Brilliant idea.  I have a TV and a 24″ monitor several feet from the laptop, but the laptop can be moved closer.  

    #581709
    David Swan
    Participant

    #581707
    Derek Robson
    Participant

    What a splendid gentleman.

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