Customer Reviews

The Great Atlas of the Stars

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There must be quite a risk associated with using the adjective "great" in the title of a book when actually describing the book itself. Serge Brunier probably decided he was safe in doing so when Akira Fujii signed on as the photographer for this beautiful constellation atlas. In addition to the breathtaking wide-field shots of Fujii, the book contains numerous images by other amateur and professional astrophotographers. It is the images of Fujii that steal the show, however, along with the expert editorial judgment of Brunier, that make this an unquestionably great book.

I have a fair amateur knowledge of the night sky, but while browsing the Great Atlas, I feel as though I am seeing these constellations for the first time. The layout is so elegant and simple that it tends to hide how thoroughly well-thought-out it really is.

Each two-page spread is made up of three basic elements. 1) On the right is a beautiful 10.5 x 14 inch wide-field constellation shot by the legendary Japanese astrophotographer Fujii. 2) On the left facing page is the constellation name, season for best observing, some history, a schematic showing the major landmarks, and three close-up detail photos of interesting stars or other objects in the vicinity, with brief descriptions. 3) Finally, there is a clear overlay for the wide-field shot with circles and labels, as well as constellation lines. The book is spiral-bound so the whole affair lays perfectly flat on your table top for easy access.

The package creates an irresistible presentation that makes for easy inspection and close examination.

Many of the constellations (e.g., Virgo, Scorpius), have an additional page with an enlargement of the Fujii photo of the previous page, highlighting a particularly interesting region of the photo. The enlargements are primarily the photographs of David Malin (Anglo-Australian Observatory) with higher magnification, though many readers will recognize the work of others as well. Besides Fujii, the astrophotography of such well known amateurs as Jerry Lodriguss, John Gleason, and Bill and Sally Fletcher are also represented. Additionally, professional images from the European Southern Observatory, the National Optical Astronomical Observatories, and the Space Telescope Science Institute are used as well.

The selection of objects highlighted on the left page-panel is a mix of some standard deep sky objects (e.g, M13) and exotic variable, double, or otherwise interesting stars. Most of these objects are easy targets for amateur scopes, but there are a few exotic ones thrown in for good measure as well (e.g, the "pistol star" in Sagittarius).

This text component meshes very well with the photographs. The information included is a perfect compliment to the photography. Not too much but a balance that feels just right. The brief descriptions of these varied objects provides just enough information and visual stimulation that leaves me wanting more. I was prompted in several cases to pull additional references off the shelf and read about several interesting red giant stars, and also added several telescopic double stars to the "must see" list for my next observing session.

I have a few very small quibbles: the Big Dipper is treated as a constellation, some star names are spelled with unusual variants, and throughout, "zeta" is spelled "dzeta." These quibbles are relatively small though, given a book of this value and stature.

Perhaps the best way to explain my feelings about this book is to say it is the visual equivalent to the three-volume Celestial Handbook. What Robert Burnham did with poetry and mythology, Brunier and Fujii do with photography.

All the above verbiage notwithstanding, I simply cannot express to you how beautiful this book really is. It is not expensive. Buy it. Now.

Why are you still reading this? Go.

I agree that the photos are wonderful. However, the editors/writers aren't very skilled in astronomy, or even checking accuracy. The concept of the book is to link the star photos to other photos of higher resolution and to append to that a useful paragraph of info. Unfortunately, the circled areas on the main photo (using the plastic overlay) often do not match the same field as the referenced close-up photo. Moreover, the text is often too little, unrelated, or just plain weak. It would have been very easy to get this right but that didn't happen in this edition; very frustrating. So, if you like awesome photos then the book is nice; as an astronomical tool it is fairly useless. Let's hope the next edition does better.

One knock on modern star atlases is that they tend to be, well, a little dry. Old atlases have colorful constellation figures drawn in ornate detail, detail that gets in the way of seeing the actual stars. Aiming for the practical, atlases for professional use focused more and more on the stars--the ultimate case being an atlas by the German astronomer Friedrich Argelander. Argelander's work was a map of 324,000 stars, unrelieved with figures, constellation lines, names, numbers, or indeed anything at all except coordinate lines. It's hardly a gripping book.

Brunier and Fujii's book is an attempt to put more of the beauty of the night sky back into a map of the stars. This book really isn't a comprehensive atlas; think of it more as a Fodor's guide to the stars. Not all of the sky is covered--just the highlights.

Even those readers only faintly acquainted with the heavens will recognize some friends here: the Big Dipper, Orion. But this book doesn't merely show you the constellations. Akira Fujii's breathtaking wide-field astrophotos reveal dozens of celestial wonders in the neighborhood of each constellation. The brightest are pulled out for special mention in the accompanying text, written by Brunier. Acetate overlays are cleverly inserted between the photos, marked with white circles to indicate where the objects are.

Here's where the book gets a bit dicier. Quite a few of the circles aren't where they ought to be. The circles for M81 and M82, a dazzling pair of galaxies close to the Big Dipper, is a couple of degrees off from where it ought to be. (The circle itself is about a degree across.) Even worse is the circle for M3, a globular cluster containing hundreds of thousands of stars; not only is the circle about 5 degrees off, but M3 isn't even in the wide-field astrophoto at all.

Now, an ordinary copy editor isn't going to be able to catch this, and it won't matter much to the ordinary reader. But it shows a lack of attention to detail that just shouldn't be an issue for a book with such outstanding production values. (And they are outstanding.) This book deserves a second edition; let's hope that these mostly minor issues get resolved by then.

This is an absolutely gorgeous book. After seeing it praised on various online astronomy forums I bought it. When I first received mine I thought something was very wrong. Some of the overlays were not in the right place. I've been into astronomy off and on for 20+ years and know the constellations pretty well, and the photo for Virgo, for example, was completely missing Spica, though it was shown on the overlay. Humm... After some head scratching and wondering whether to send it back, I realized the page numbers were out of sequence in places toward the front of the book. Fortunately, the way the spiral binding is made, it was relatively easy to remove the pages and re-assemble them, though nearly half the book had to be taken apart. When re-assembled everything was right, except that I am missing the page that contains pp 10-11, each of which is half of a full page spread...P>Still, this is an absolutely beautiful book, if slightly misnamed. It isn't an "atlas" in the normal sense and doesn't cover the entire sky, though it is very helpful for locating many objects it shows. If you love beautiful astrophotography, or just want the most impressive coffee table book around to help illustrate why you love astronomy, take a look at this. Even at the [$$$] list price and with the minor problem my copy has, I'd consider it well worth it!

This is a first class effort that makes finding stars constelations and understanding the heavens a breeze for anyone.
The photo work is top shelf. And the overlays are the cherry on top. I gave my neighbor a copy for x-mas. He and his three daughters are just getting into astronomy. This book will move them ahead and rivet their intrest. And as a coffee table book it will draw anyone's attention, and educate even the most casual on looker. It is worth every penny. Go for it!

I have a number of astronomy books and this one stands out as exceptional. Its a well annotated picture book that appeals to both adults and youngsters. It serves both a great eye-candy, but it's also a great reference. The striking large photos are very attractive (of course), but the presence of plasic overlays that allows you to see annotations is a great idea; you can see the raw scene but also see the actual vista. The descriptive text is also good and quite informative. This is the only astronomy book I leave out since it appeals to anybody.

This book captures the majesty of many of the heavens' greatest delights in beautiful astrophotography -- and shows you exactly where these objects are using a clever system of maps and transparent overlays. Keep it by your telescope at night to plot out your viewing, or on a cloudy night do your viewing right there on the page. Also great for casual readers/viewers who are simply curious about what's up there.

The transparencies are incredibly useful -- you see photos of the stars as they appear to your eye in the sky, with objects of interest circled and noted to guide you to closer views and detailed information. A smart, simple way to guide you through the night sky. I wish it covered even more objects, but it is reasonably comprehensive.

My only complaint (the reason I gave it 4 rather than 5 stars) is that the spiral-bound pages are not quite thick enough at the binding edge, so after a year or two of use, especially on some dewy nights, some pages started pulling out. (I got a second copy to remain pristine, and use the messy one by the scope.)

Strongly recommended for anyone interested in astronomy, regardless of whether you have access to a telescope. But beware: you'll want access soon!

The book contains some of the finest astrophotography I have seen. You will not be taking this out to your observation site, nor will you be using it to hunt down what you plan to observe when out with your scope. However, it provides absolutely stunning views of the sky and is a joy to look through. For beginners, the book has plastic overlay sheets that highlight the stars which form the outline of the constellations. A few deep sky objects are portrayed for each constellation. But, as I said, you're not buying this as a true star atlas, but as a beautiful book to enjoy.

This atlas makes finding and learning about constellations and it's many counterparts easy for anyone interested in astronomy. The pictures are beautiful and accurate fir the typical telescope- over $100.

This is really a series of outstanding photos of 30 selected constellations of the sky. Selected stars or objects in these photos are interestingly narrated. This is not really a map of the complete celestial sphere and there are no declination lines, no hour circles, and no ecliptic. Imagine, if you will, a book calling itself the Great Atlas of the United States. However it consists of beautiful, interestingly narrated maps of only 30 of the states, each separately shown. Not shown: latitude, longitude, and position relative to the rest of the country. However if locating the constellation in question is already solved elsewhere and if you want to explore interesting objects therein, then this is an outstanding book.