Customer Reviews

New Atlas of the Moon

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

 

 

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.

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!

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.

Great book for identifing craters on the Moon. Very LARGE SIZE book. Much to large for normal book shelves in the home. I recommend this book for the information available.

I liked it. It has stunning photos. I am not an amateur astronomer and I have not compared this book to any others in this category. I used it as bathroom reading, because I could read one page at a time. I was looking for a good place for a small hotel. I like Theophilus, because it is a deep crater near the equator.