The Cambridge Star Atlas [Hardcover]

Wil Tirion (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521560985 | ISBN-13: 978-0521560986 | Publication Date: August 28, 1996 | Edition: 2

The Cambridge Star Atlas covers the entire sky, both northern and southern latitudes, in an attractive format that is suitable for beginners and experienced astronomical observers. There is a series of monthly sky charts, followed by an atlas of the whole sky, arranged in 20 overlapping charts. Each chart shows stars down to magnitude 6.5, together with about 900 non-stellar objects, such as clusters and galaxies, which can be seen with binoculars or a small telescope. There is a comprehensive map of the Moon's surface, showing craters and other named features. Wil Tirion is the world's foremost artist and designer of astronomical maps. For this edition he has devised improved versions of the monthly charts and added all-sky charts, and the text has been completely revised. In this improved and expanded format, The Cambridge Star Atlas is an ideal reference atlas for sky watchers everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Squarely aimed at casual observers, this lovely atlas will also be a useful resource for teachers. Tirion, the author of the highly regarded Sky Atlas 2000.0 and Uranometria 2000.0, has revised the 1991 edition of the atlas, adding a basic lunar map and guidelines for lunar observation. Information for viewing the sun, planets, or asteroids is not provided. The rest of the material is divided into three sections: monthly sky maps for the northern and southern hemispheres, star charts, and all-sky maps. Each section includes a concise explanation of the astronomy necessary for understanding the maps. Simple instructions are provided for using the monthly maps. These maps, printed in white and yellow on blue, are designed for field use. Charts plot all stars visible to the naked eye in a dark sky. Other objects are selected based on interest and available space. These provide a reasonable survey of galaxies, nebulae, and clusters and include objects only visible with binoculars or small telescopes. There are no detailed descriptions of objects and no distances given, even for selected objects. The all-sky maps use galactic coordinates to show the correlations of various types of clusters, nebulae, and galaxies with the Milky Way's galactic plane. They are particularly delightful because they plainly show which of these objects are galactic in origin and which are extragalactic. All the maps, especially the star charts, are beautifully prepared. Physical quality is also high, and the book is a bargain at $19.95. Strongly recommended for public, high-school, and undergraduate academic libraries.

Review

'Star maps of beauty and clarity are the hallmark of Wil Tirion. Imagine that you are anywhere in the world and want to know what stars are in the sky at any time; then his colourful and handy Cambridge Star Atlas ... is the book for you.' New Scientist '[This star atlas] is among the best I have ever used.' Alex Lovell, GNOMON

'... a painstakingly produced book ... literally opens up a galaxy of information.' Reference Reviews

'... excellent value for money'. David Stickland, The Observatory

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 2 edition (August 28, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521560985
• ISBN-13: 978-0521560986
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,630,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Compromise between Peterson's F. G. and SkyAtlas 2000, December 15, 1999

By 

Edward R. Zarenski "edz" (Cumberland, Rhode Island USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cambridge Star Atlas (Hardcover)

Cambrigde Star Atlas fills a void for me. I have had Peterson's Field Guide for 15 years. Peterson's has lot's of interesting text info to go along with each chart, but charts are many and small. I recently got Sky Atlas Deluxe. It has great charts but no tables of info. Cambridge is a compromise. It does not show as many stars as either of the other two, but shows enough stars and a considerable number of deep sky objects, with tables accompanying each chart to show coordinates of the objects on that chart. It's not a pocket book like Peterson's, but is a good size to take outside while at the scope. Sky Atlas 2000 is to big to take outside, but is the charts I use at my desk. Cambridge will be the book that is on my little work table when I'm in a field with my scope late at night and just can't seem to find that deep sky object by star hopping. The tables provided with each chart don't list all the deep sky you want to see, but they list enough to keep you occupied.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best wide field star atlas, August 20, 2001

By 

Mark E. Miller (Kalamazoo, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cambridge Star Atlas (Hardcover)

Having looked at all the alternatives, this is my favorite small star atlas. With each chart covering 4 hours of right ascension, this atlas lets you get oriented to the major features of a part of the sky in order to start a star-hop. It includes plenty of deep-sky objects to keep you busy.

It is *not* sufficient to show all the stars or objects you can see in a small scope - for that, you need Uranometria 2000 (also by Trion) or the Millenium Sky Atlas. But then you're talking a major investmant. In the field, I tend to use Cambridge and Uranometria - Cambridge for star-hopping in close, then Uranometria for nailing down the exact field.

By now, my copy is somewhat warped from absorbing so much dew over so many nights - but it still lies flat when opened.

As others have mentioned, the monthly charts are somewhat superfluous if you have a planisphere. Anyhow, as you learn the sky, a planisphere quickly becomes unnecessary.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect size, July 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cambridge Star Atlas (Hardcover)

In addition to this atlas, I own Sky Atlas 2000, Uranometria, and the Millenium Star Atlas, and this is by far the one I use the most. It is a scaled down version of Sky Atlas 2000, and it's reduced size, the convienience of having more of the sky fit on each map, and the increased overlap between charts far outweigh the extra detail you get with Sky Atlas. Of course there are times when more detail is needed, but at these times it's usually best to go stright to Uranometria or MSA. There are a few annoying printing errors, but not enough to interfere with the practicality of the atlas. There are enough deep sky objects plotted to keep you busy for a long time.