Firefly Planisphere Deluxe: For Latitudes between 40 deg and 60 deg North -- Stars to Magnitude 5.5 -- Equinox 2000.0 [Misc. Supplies]

Storm Dunlop (Author), Wil Tirion (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 6, 2003

A professional-level tool for observing the night sky.

The large 15 inch Firefly Planisphere Deluxe is a practical tool for accurately locating night sky phenomena at any time of the year. Constructed of sturdy plastic, simply turn the disks to line up the month and date, and the clear top panel reveals the actual positions of the stars. It is also useful for locating planets, stars, constellations, globular clusters, nebula and galaxies at any particular time.

The planisphere is charted by the month, day, hour and minute, so it can be used to plan future viewings. The planisphere also calculates the time of sunrise and sunset for any specific day.

An easy-to-read 24-page companion book describes how to adjust and use the planisphere. The book and planisphere are packaged in a convenient boxed set.

The Firefly Planisphere Deluxe is an indispensable tool for astronomers of all ages.

(200402)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Design by Storm Dunlop and Wil Tirion, this planisphere [with instruction book and protective case] is bound to be good. (Astronomy )

About the Author

Storm Dunlop is a well-known authority on meteorology and astronomy and is the author of The Weather Identification Handbook and A Dictionary of Weather.

Wil Tirion is a celestial cartographer and co-author of The Monthly Sky Guide and Stars and Planets.

Product Details

• Misc. Supplies: 24 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Books; Book and Access edition (September 6, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552977862
• ISBN-13: 978-1552977866
• Product Dimensions: 15.1 x 14.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,036,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and highly usable, December 3, 2003

By 

Ivan W. Ong (Charlotte, North Carolina United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Firefly Planisphere Deluxe: For Latitudes between 40 deg and 60 deg North -- Stars to Magnitude 5.5 -- Equinox 2000.0 (Misc. Supplies)

This is probably the best planisphere I have (I have 3) and very usable. It is usable both as a desk top study/planning tool and also out in the field. The front side of the planisphere that contains the sky mask is more suited for indoors use. The color-coded stars and red constellation lines are impossible to see in the dark with a red flashlight. However, this side is eminently suitable as a desk top planning tool given the tremendous wealth of detail and info.
The back side of the planisphere is unmasked and contains a very detailed sky map mainly for Norhern hemisphere users. This is blue-tone printed and is usable in the dark and the details show up well under a red flash light. An extra bonus are detailed markings of double stars, variable stars, all the Messier objects and selected NGC objects, such as the double cluster. The large size of the planisphere might be ergonomically inconvenient in the field and a little dorky looking, but hey it's virtually a star atlas with all the fabulous detail! After using this planisphere for a while, I picked up some of my others and they just look juvenile. I've gotten spoilt! I would say the next most decent planisphere is one of David Chandler's ( I like the distortion-free flip side Southern view option of his).

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Truly amazing -- but not for the beginner, December 22, 2004

By 

D. Chichester (Chicago) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Firefly Planisphere Deluxe: For Latitudes between 40 deg and 60 deg North -- Stars to Magnitude 5.5 -- Equinox 2000.0 (Misc. Supplies)

The Firefly Planisphere Deluxe is the results of truly great, astronomical minds Storm Dunlop and Will Tirion. Anyone with a good working knowledge of the night sky will most likely appreciate the plaisphere for it has a vast amount of information printed right in front of you. (See other reviews for the extraordinary features of this device.)

However, if you are just starting to learn the night sky you may find this planisphere more complex than helpful. You may wish to try a simpler plainisphere or other visual device to help you get aquanted with the sky at first. The great amount of detail that appears is printed in very small type that can be a bit challenging for the naked eye to read. I use a magnifying glass myself. Also, the inclusion of such a wide range of horizens (40, 50 and 60 degrees north) makes this large plainshere really function as a somewhat smaller version. If they had printed a smaller range for the horizon they could have used the space available to make it easier to read and understand.

In conclusion, if you have a pretty good feel for the night sky the Firefly Plaisphere Deluxe may be just right for you. If you are just getting started you may find it a bit overwhelming, at least until you grow into it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars High quality pays off in the field, September 14, 2005

By 

W. Thornburg II - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Firefly Planisphere Deluxe: For Latitudes between 40 deg and 60 deg North -- Stars to Magnitude 5.5 -- Equinox 2000.0 (Misc. Supplies)

This item is constructed of a tough yet flexible plastic that is dew-proof and easy to use in the dark. I love the detail, but others with poor eyesight, when it comes to small print, won't like it. It's a trade-off that is fine with me, because more info greatly outweighs big type for this 20/20 user. ;) The complaint about the constellation lines being red is valid, but I've found that I can still see them under my small red LED lamp, but they are faint. As the earlier complaint points out, there is a black and white copy on the back that you can use with no problem under any color light - just flip it over! Great product. Get this one if you're in the market and you plan to use it outdoors with a telescope or binoculars.