New Atlas of the Moon [Spiral-bound]

Serge Brunier (Author), Thierry Legault (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 12, 2006 | ISBN-10: 1554071739 | ISBN-13: 978-1554071739

Designed for day-to-day observing of the moon and its features.

New Atlas of the Moon examines Earth's only satellite in strikingly intricate detail. Comprehensive and lushly illustrated, this book allows amateur stargazers to find hundreds of lunar features and explore them with confidence. Exceptional photographs by Thierry Legault chart the moon's features in remarkable detail. Serge Brunier's authoritative text speaks to the romance humankind has had with the moon.

The most distinctive feature of this atlas is the use of clear overlays to identify the moon's many craters, mountains, rilles and maria visible by telescope, binoculars or the naked eye. The atlas also includes:

• A day-by-day photographic record of the moon in all its phases
• The moon's history, mythology, astronomical significance, and influence on Earth
• Maps illustrating the history and topography of 57 of the moon's major features
• The motion of the moon and lunar eclipses
• Detailed instructions on observing the moon through telescopes
• Co-longitude calendars to the year 2008
• Basic formulas for calculating co-longitude for any future date
• Calendars tracking moon phases and lunar and solar eclipses to 2011.

(20061209)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Sets a new standard... the quality of Legault's images give it an appeal that reaches well beyond selenophiles. (Gary Seonik Sky and Telescope 200703)

Splendid ... exceptional detail and clarity ... deserves attention by school and college libraries, public observatories, and serious lunar observers. (Richard McKim The Observatory 200704)

This outstanding lunar photographic atlas is in a class by itself, and I don't say that lightly.... downright spectacular. (Robert A. Garfinkle, Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society Lunar Section Circular, Vol. 44 No. 78, The Britis 200708)

Brings a clarity to the lunar surface rarely seen by non-NASA mortals. (Globe and Mail 20061210)

Attention to detail, brilliant imagery... Rich with maps, topography, historical essays and clear plastic overlays of 57 lunar features... handsome. (Kurt Loft Tampa Tribune 2008)

[A] starkly beautiful examination of our nearest neighbour. (Jodi DeLong Halifax Chronicle Herald 20070203)

Particularly useful to observers who want to locate features without the muisance of lettering getting in the way. (Margaret F. Dominy American Reference Books Annual 2008 )

Abundant facts... in-depth descriptions of lunar features and the best times to observe them. (s Science News )

As an appealing introduction to learning more about our neighbour in space it is absolutely great. (Ken Murphy www.outofthecradle.net, Chronicles of the New Spac )

About the Author

Thierry Legault is a celebrated astrophotographer whose images have appeared in magazines and books worldwide.

Serge Brunier is the author of The Concise Atlas of the Stars and co-author of Great Observatories of the World.

(20061026)

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 128 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Books (September 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1554071739
• ISBN-13: 978-1554071739
• Product Dimensions: 14.2 x 11.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,322,029 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful photos, but there's a big "but" at the end of that statement, November 8, 2006

By 

Torrey Pines (Bethesda, MD USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: New Atlas of the Moon (Spiral-bound)

The photos are gorgeous. Stunning. There are also close-up photos of the craters at the back of the book that are truly great. However, this is not a book I'll be taking out with me for serious lunar observation. For that, I'll stick with Rukl. If you're a beginner, this book may be fine. I do like that the photos give the same view as seen through the telescope, as opposed to the naked eye or with binoculars. That is appreciated. However, there are two MAJOR flaws with the book: 1) very few craters and other surface features are identified on each image of the moon and even more significantly is 2) the plastic overlays that have the names of craters on them appear only every other day! On the even-numbered days, e.g., day 2, day 4, etc., the craters are unidentified, although if one observes the moon on a daily basis different surface features become more prominent for viewing. What were the authors possibly thinking? Cost savings? On an even-numbered day you'll be flipping back and forth between odd days and trying to guess what you are looking at near the lunar terminator. Strange. I read a review on Cloudy Nights that raved about the book but I'm disappointed. The concept had real potential but fails under real-world observation conditions. If you want a lovely book of photos of the moon then this is the book for you. But don't confuse this book with a true lunar atlas. Check it out at brick and mortar store before you buy.

One more thing to note-- Brunier is very liberal in his use of the word "atlas." He wrote the book "The Great Star Atlas" which although I like enough to recommend to others for its photos, is not even remotely a true atlas due to, once again, its lack of detail.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Concur with Torrey Pines Review, December 21, 2006

By 

Chris Reich "Business Physicist and Astronomer" (Northern, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: New Atlas of the Moon (Spiral-bound)

I am going to take the easy way out here and say that I agree 100% with the previous reviewer except...

I too use Rukl---and sophisticated software for printing custom charts. But I still think this book has merit and a place in the library of the amateuer astronomer. I find the information not too deep---and no, I wouldn't call it a true atlas, but it's sure fun to look at and would be prized by anyone starting out...I recommend the book.

Etna Astros!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moon Guide, January 19, 2007

By 

W. Worcester "PastorCoach" (Middle USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New Atlas of the Moon (Spiral-bound)

The moon, our closest astronomical neighbor (not counting the satellites and junk orbiting our planet), has been done exceptional justice in this wonderfully executed book on observation and understanding. It is a practical, well-formulated, and beautiful (even artistic) piece of work. Even without the benefit of binoculars or scopes, one could still use this book to improve their survey knowledge of naked-eye observations. But with such visual amplification devices, one will find themselves wanting to go on a "scope-hunt" of the many and varied surface details listed in this compendium of lunar geography. User-friendly and book-shelf necessary. This is one to buy and try.