Customer Reviews

Guide to the Stars

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For the beginning amateur astronomer there is no better aid to learning the stars and constellations than a planisphere - and I think David Levy's new rendition of this old device is as good as they come.

Basically a planisphere is starmap printed on one of two plastic disks which are joined together in the center and free to rotate. Around the edge of one disk are the days of the year while the other disk has the hours of the day. By setting the time, on one disk, opposite the date on the other, it is possible for you to see the sky, through a window in the top disk, as it would appear at that particular day and time.

There are several thing about David Levy's planisphere that recommend it. To begin with it is BIG, 16 inches in diameter to be precise, and the printing is large and easy to read. Secondly, it is a good representation of the sky showing only those stars visible to the unaided eye. Finally, the reverse side contains information about the Moon, planets, meteor showers and a listing of interesting galaxies and star clusters visible in binoculars or a small telescope. If you are a beginning "Stargazer", or thinking about becoming one, this should be your first acquisition.

Pros:

-all plastic (not paper or laminated paper)...won't get soggy if it gets wet
-kids will probably like the jumbo 16" diameter size (it is also available in 11" diameter size)
-useful information on the front and back (like meteor shower dates)
-works for latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees North
-several lesser-known stars are named; for example Zaurak, Sabik and Algorab
-a lot less crowded than smaller planispheres

Cons:

-For its jumbo size, I was expecting more celestial objects & detail...the dimmer, harder-to-find Messier objects are not shown. But it looks like it was designed more for beginners, in which case this makes good sense.
-Messier objects are marked by a letter, and you must flip the planisphere over to 'decipher' the letter. For example, M35 in Gemini is simply labelled as 'H'. It should just be labelled as 'M35' on the front in the first place.
-sometimes the same letter represents two or three seperate Messier objects. For example, M36, M37, and M38 in Auriga are all designated by three seperate letter 'F's. The description on the back distinguishes them seperately, but it's annoying.
-floppy due to it being relatively thin for its size

A planisphere like this is essenial for beginners to learn the night sky. If you are more advanced and need more detail, get a star map (but you'll probably still use your planisphere too).

I have nothing else to compare this plainesphere with as this is my first one. This is a very fun and quick way to learn the constellations as well as the most popular Messier objects. On the back of this chart, there are tables and other information. The author explains which objects are visable with the naked eye, binoculars or telescopes.

Don't be intimidated by the appearance of this chart, learning to use it is very easy because all you do is match up the time of day with the date. Once you do that, you have a replica of the night sky in your hands.

Make sure you buy the chart for the correct lattitude and hemisphere!

I have to say that I know nothing to "starting to know something" about astronomy.

This chart is a MUST for anyone looking at the sky and figuring out what exactly, you are looking at. This is especially helpful in trying to determine what you are looking at through a telescope or binoculars.

Be warned: This is not a small chart. It measures the size of a medium pizza and is made of plastic (that is a plus!).

This has the basics wrapped up in the instructions and walks you through the "short hand" classifications of stars so you can figure it out quickly.

Very good chart.

It did not get a 5 out of 5 as I feel more stuff could be crammed (where I don't know) by use of color layers. Just a thought, but I get picky. Just remember, that out of all the wheels out there, I picked THIS ONE. That has to say alot!

Summary: I think that you will be very pleased with this as it is one you can start with, and use as a reference (especially explaining it to kids or others interested when walk by) for your telescopes.

Cheers!

This planesphere is larger than most:28cm diameter. It has just the right amount of detail to be used in the dark with a torch unlike two others that I have tried,one too detailed and one too small. Contellations are clearly drawn and labeled. Equally useful to a beginner or experienced sky watcher. I am delighted with it.

Large size (nearly twice the size of most available) makes this one of the best planispheres available on the market for the beginner and all other levels. Added bonus is that you can use this one laying flat on your table or lap and you don't have to hold it over your head to use it like most others. Cover the back with clear packing tape and you have a water resistant product. I just wish i found this one first before i tried all the other ones. Great product for the amateur telescope user.

This is awesome for kids of all ages! It is very well made & will last a long time.

This is a very nifty little guide, especially when it comes to viewing the stars from the middle of town. It isn't the most detailed guide to the heavens, but helpful when you are trying to locate the most noticeable constellations. I am very glad I purchased it.

This review is for the "Guide to the Stars" planispheres. Both have instructions on the front and a legend describing what you see. The ecliptic is explained and spring/summer and late winter tours are suggested.

On the back is a tutorial on viewing in general with hints on preserving night vision and locating stars and constellations. There's a chart of meteor showers giving the time of year and constellation for the major ones and explaining what causes them. There are also celestial tidbits listing the 10 brightest stars, explaining star twinkle and more.

Some binocular and small telescope objects are listed with hints on how to identify them. The larger planisphere lists more of them. The phases of the moon are explained, plus hints on using your hand to approximate distances.

The visible planets are discussed along with suggested telescope power for viewing them.

The large Guide to the Stars is huge, 16 inches across, and easy to read. The front includes the Greek letter designations for many stars. The publisher took advantage of the extra size and included more information and larger print than the smaller version.

The smaller version of Guide to the Stars is 11 inches across and is also easy to read. It has the same tutorial as the larger one.

I had initially bought the The Night Sky 30°-40° (Large; North Latitude) which I found very frustrating to use. Read my review of it for more comments.

This star finder is loaded with helpful features. Lots of detailed info on the back, more than the typical star finder, but then it's 16" across. Information on the front is really easy to see and use. We run a program called Sky School and we suggest this as a really useful tool.