Customer Reviews

Firefly Planisphere Deluxe: For Latitudes between 40 deg and 60 deg North -- Stars to Magnitude 5.5 -- Equinox 2000.0

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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).

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.

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.

This planisphere is truly remarkable. Yes, after reading the previous review, the red lines connecting the principle stars of the constellations can be somewhat cumbersome to the novice. (But, turn the map around and there on the back of the disk, you have a complete black and white map of the front plotted down to the sixth magnitude intended to be used with red light.) This planisphere is designed for the more experienced observer, but it still can be used by people just learning their way around as well. The revolvable indicator is very useful to plot and assess the location of objects not plotted on the chart relative to your local horizon. If there were to be changes for a second edition planisphere, I would like to see the map extended southward to include the 30 degree north latitude zone, and being a deep sky observer myself, perhaps in addition to the messier catalog, the top 300 objects on the NGC catalog plotted on the map as well. Contrary to other reviews, there is still considerable idle space in many areas of this map, especially the southern half of the map area, for plotting additional deep sky objects. Otherwise, I highly recommend this planisphere for any astronomer's reference library.

This planisphere provides a wealth of detail and usefulness for latitudes between 40 and 60 degress north, and for stars below magnitude 6. It is perfect for visual, binocular, or telescope observing. Its large size and plastic guide provide accurate RA and Dec values; astronomical objects are color coded and their magnitude is indicated by relative size. One side of the planisphere has a celestial map allowing identification of the night sky on any day, guided by an appropriate "mask" revealing the sky that's visible. The opposite side of the planisphere has no "mask" but is a complete map of the sky for the latitudes covered - if you don't have an atlas of the sky, this is a great starting point. The planisphere is large, aiding accuracy, and is very sturdy and well made. For many people, this may be the tool that gets them hooked on astronomy, even if they don't have a telescope! Though I have several other planispheres, none compares; it's one of those quality products that's a joy to use! The planisphere comes with a 24 page guidebook that is not totally clear; however, the instrument itself leaves me totally satisfied.

I only gave this 3 stars, but one simple change would give it 5. The constellation lines are drawn in red. What's bad about that? Well, astronomers use red lights at night to preserve their night vision. Red light makes red lines invisible, so this planisphere is useless at the telescope where it's most needed. Changing the color to black would improve this by 1000%. As a result, this planisphere sits home never used.

Many many objects available and so simple to use. My only regret is I maybe should have got the smaller version. The print is also quite small, but a good red light cures that. Extremely helpful for the newcomer.

I purchased the Firefly Planisphere Deluxe well over a year ago "second hand" from another individual on "cloudy nights" astronomy forum. It was received in excellent condition along with all of the original documentation as well as the folder and original shipping container.

While this Planisphere is very large with a tremendous amount of information and capability the print size is so small it is barely readable even in bright light without a magnifier and totally useless to me as an aid for observing. Subsequently I purchased a similar product with far less stars and one inch larger in diameter. The other planisphere print size and color is much more suitable as a guide to the night skies for the beginning user.

John

I am very happy with the Planispere Deluxe, I know when I buy the best product, you get the best results, So I purchased the deluxe.
It takes a bit of practice along with the enclosed manual, to set up a time and date to view the night sky, otherwise its as simple as A, B, C.
I`m looking forward to purchase a manual showing the locations of the planets for the years 2007 to ?.
Thanking you
Dan

I bought this for my nephew as a gift and liked it so much, I bought one for myself.