Philip's Night Sky Atlas : The Moon, Planets, Stars and Deep Sky Objects

Philip's Astronomy

by Robin Scagell

The brand new Philip's Night Sky Atlas is a highly practical atlas for observers using binoculars or a small telescope. It is an ideal choice for the back-yard astronomer, with a sturdy, damp-proof binding and pages that can be opened out flat without coming loose. Philip's Night Sky Atlas begins by presenting the whole sky in a series of six maps, showing stars down to magnitude 5.5 - all visible with binoculars or a small telescope. These maps are drawn with black stars on a white background, so that observers can pencil their own observations on to the charts, and are printed on tough paper that can withstand repeated 'rubbings out'. Opposite each map is a 'photorealistic' image which shows how the same portion of the sky appears to the naked eye. The next group of maps show the most interesting parts of the sky at a much larger scale, in 40 full-colour constellation charts, accompanied by colour photographs and drawings and a detailed explanatory text. The next section deals with the Moon and planets. A fully annotated map of the Moon is accompanied by an introductory guide to lunar observing. A map of Mars shows the major zones of the planet as they can be seen through a telescope. Photographs, drawings and tables of location data are provided for Mars and the other planets of our Solar System. The final section of the atlas provides further data on deep sky objects such as galaxies, double stars and nebulae, and includes lists of interesting targets for observation.

Genres: Astronomy, Science

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am "starstruck" after reading this excellent guide! No pedantic, self-absorbed author's shpeal to the ivory tower set, this very practical guide to the night sky will have you gleefully jumping in your car to the nearest telescope store!

[Aprilleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the name, this book isn’t all star charts. In fact, only one chapter really had what the title led me to expect, and the description plays specifically to that assumption without mentioning how little of the book is actually star charts. Other chapters discuss equipment (binoculars, telescopes, mounts, etc.), the constellations, and observing the moon, the sun, the planets, and a variety of deep-sky objects (stars, nebulae, galaxies, etc.). The chapter on equipments does a decent job explaining the different telescope types, although it skips over some of the details you’ll want to know about later. The chapter on the constellations includes a small star chart of each constellation and a list of the more interesting objects you’ll find in them. The information about the sun is rather sparse and doesn’t even scratch the surface, but at least what it includes is heavy on safety. The photographs and other illustrations are well-chosen, but I do think, given the limited number of full-size maps, the book would be more useful in a smaller format with a different layout for the maps.