|
Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas | 
 enlarge | Author: Roger W. Sinnott
Publisher: Sky Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy Used: $11.38
You Save: $8.57 (43%)
New (27) from $12.60
Avg. Customer Rating:  37 reviews
Media: Spiral-bound
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 110
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.4 x 0.5
ISBN: 1931559317
Dewey Decimal Number: 520
EAN: 9781931559317
Publication Date: March 30, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 32 more reviews...
 Wouldn't want to go out with out it August 23, 2006
46 out of 46 found this review helpful
There are two small atlases I consider to be absolutely indispensable. Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas is one of them. The charts in this atlas were well chosen. Each covers just the right amount of sky to give both a good perspective of the area you are looking at, and enough detail for star hopping with binoculars or finder scope, (stars are shown down to magnitude 7.6). Stick figures highlight the constellations to provide an easy and intuitive reference for what part of the sky the chart covers. An all sky view key of the charts is provided at the back of the book so that charts are easily located. The charts are well organized and very easy to navigate.
The charts are printed in color and are works of art in their own right. Not only is the atlas useful in the field, but it is a pleasure to browse through anytime.
The construction of the atlas is also very well done. It is spiral bound so that the charts open flat, making them easy to view. The charts are printed on good quality paper that looks as though it will stand up well even on nights when dew is challenging your ability to view.
Although it may seem like a small thing, a nice feature of the Atlas is a scale on the front cover from which one can construct a set of circles based on the field of view of each instrument you observe with. There is even a template showing the circles of a Telrad finder. It would have been even better if a clear plastic template with field of view circles had already been included, but it was easy enough to create my own set of circles.
Overall, this is an outstanding atlas for taking into the field, and I would certainly recommend it. As I said, I consider it to be indispensable; however, unlike others, I do not consider it to be the only quality pocket atlas out there. Another outstanding atlas is The Observer's Sky Atlas by E. Karkoschka. It is a nice compliment to Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas. I like the Pocket Sky Atlas for its big broad views of the sky and it's stunning charts. I like the Observer's Sky Atlas because it has some additional detail (see my review of that book) not available in the Pocket Sky Atlas. Both are ideal as field atlases, and I keep them both very close at hand when I've observing.
I hope you're not in a position where you can only buy one. Choosing between the two would be difficult. As I said, I keep both with me when I'm observing. But if you do have to choose, I would suggest the following. If you want the nicest looking atlas, go with the Pocket Sky Atlas. If you want a bit more detail and you don't mind giving up the glossy color pages and spiral binding, go with the Observers's Sky Atlas. But honestly, you really can't go wrong with either one.
Very Usable and Practical Atlas May 8, 2006
43 out of 44 found this review helpful
Roger Sinnott's Pocket Sky Atlas fills a big void and vital niche- one that emphasises portability, usability and practicality. Everything in this little volume is extremely well thought out- from the quality of the book, the practical spiral bound layout, the scale of the star maps, clear and readable printing, intelligent and helpful labelling of stars and deep sky objects (you will appreciate the use of popular names for some DSO's), to a pure user friendly feel. There is even a helpful Telrad target scale and angular distance for quick estimations. Eminently suitable for the field, this is also a great planning atlas for astrophotographers and visual observers alike. For visual observation, this atlas shines when partenered with a Telrad finder (I really hate the flimisier Riger finder!).
The only place I think this atlas comes up short is if you are doing serious star hopping under the telescope. This is understandable given the scale of the atlas. I recommend Uranometria or similar atlases if you are a serious star-hopper.
Sept 2008 Update: I now have 3 copies of this Atlas! One I leave in my car and read it at restaurants during lunch break. The other is in my observing bag and yet one is one my desk at home. I love this atlas. This is perfect for astrophotography and weeknight quick sessions with my TV-85.
This little book stands out well to repeated field use. Mine is looking great after a year of extensive (and rough) use- no pages fallen off, no fade, no issues.
just the perfect friend of every observer July 2, 2006
17 out of 18 found this review helpful
As a professional astronomer, I have been surfing plenty of sky atlases, ranging from very simple to heavy and complete ones. This book is just great for those observing the heavens with thier own binoculars or telescope, as everything is in your hands, requiring just a little space. The choice to divide the whole sky in RA is a good one, as you have the season maps close each other. You have stars down to magnitude 7.5 and the maps are really accurate and a joy to look at. The milky way is reproduced with two different colours, accounting for the different star densities. You can quickly skip to any other map, thanks to the general index and indications given on each page.
Plenty of double and variable stars, as well as deep sky wonders complete this book, which is going to stay w
very close to my portable telescopes by now.
 Pocket Sky Atlas November 7, 2006
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
This atlas is thoughtfully laid out for use at the telescope in the field. The paper is a heavy dull-white stock that does not show reflection under a red light. Because the book is spiral bound, the pages lay flat freeing up your hands. No more trying to find a heavy object to keep the pages from turning.
Inside the front cover you will find printed a sample double page chart layout with a legend. Also printed is an angular distance scale and a Telrad bull's eye. I made a clear transparency copy of this page using an 8 " x 11"sheet of overhead projector film by running it through a copy machine. I cut out the angular scale and then I cut the Telrad bull's eye in a long rectangle about 1" x 3" leaving the bull's eye at one end and using the other end as a handle to move the finder around the map. I put these in a small envelope and tucked it inside the atlas.
The contents page lists the best months to view the objects by R.A. range during evening, midnight and mourning and on which chart to find them. Towards the end of the atlas, there are four close-up charts of some of the most observed regions of the sky. The index is broken down by star name, galaxies, open and globular clusters, bright, dark and planetary nebulae. The Caldwell and Messier catalogs are listed separately. The back cover has the chart key for both north and south hemispheres. There are 80 main charts containing 30,796 stars to magnitude 7.6.
The introduction explains in easy to understand detail how the charts are labeled and arranged. The same chart legend appears on the first page of each chart as well as the R.A. range and best time and month for viewing. All the charts are printed in color on a white background for easy reading under a red light. A location guide to constellations and what the Greek star letters mean is also included.
Each page has the same basic layout as any good star atlas. The lines for the R.A and Declination are clearly marked. You will notice that a small blue triangle with a number inside is located on three sides of each page. These triangles point to the adjoining charts that make up more of that part of the sky. The number in the triangle indicate which chart.
There are two printing errors in the atlas on page 55 and on the close-up Chart C. You can download the printable corrected color pages from the Sky and Telescope website.
You can the cut and paste the corrected pages directly over the page in the book. I used spray adhesive.
Bottom line, this is a very compact and easy to use atlas you'll ever come across. It is very user friendly and a must have to "grab and go" with your favorite telescope or binoculars.
Book reviewed by Jack Fox, Richmond Astronomical Society
 I'm not WOWED by this Atlas January 14, 2007
14 out of 26 found this review helpful
The last thing I needed was another atlas. I have several---including all the popular and expensive ones! I also have the basic and inexpensive. I have finder chart books and finder chart cards. I have field guides and beautiful presentation atlases. I have lots of software too---planetarium modeling software and charting software. Did I need this new pocket atlas? No! But I must confess that I enjoy maps and charts so this was a necessary addition to my collection. Keep that in mind: I have a built-in liking for charts so it would take a lot for me not to like a chart book!
First impression. I like the size, the feel of the paper---though not laminated it should be durable---and the design which allows the book to lay flat. Why aren't all atlases spriral bound?! I like the look of the charts---very familiar as it's pretty much a chopped up copy of my Sky Atlas 2000---
Now it gets dicey. The publishers say in the forward that they didn't want pages too small to be useful. I think they missed. In my opinion, the areas covered are annoyingly small. Had a lunar atlas format been followed---i.e., show me a large area divided into perhaps 8 charts, with the overview giving some detail, great. This is is missing. Or at least lacking. There are overview pages but they are not particularly useful unless you know exactly what you are are looking at. And I suppose that is the heart of the matter. If you know where M51 is but need to refine your position a bit by checking a reference, this pocket guide will help you--it certainly is not lacking in detail for a small atlas. But if you are trying to find M51, even with the right chart opened before you, you may have difficulty placing that piece of sky in relationship to what you see over your head.
OK. So what's better? For a pocket guide, I greatly prefer "Objects in the Heavens" by Peter Birren. His pocket guide is far more logically designed and contains much, much more information. I personally have purchased many of Peter's guides and given them as gifts to budding astronomers and each time they just seemed to know what to do with his book. I doubt that will be the experience I have when I give away the extra copy of this pocket guide.
Will I keep mine? Sure. I can make use of it. Do I recommend it? Only if you're a collector of atlases...Try Objects in the Heavens instead.
CoffeeMan
|
|
|
|
2005-2007 Zone1electronics All rights reserved.
| |
