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Average Customer Review
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83 of 83 people found the following review helpful:
A useful tool- convenient; practical; durable., February 19, 2001
A rotating starfinder like this one (often referred to as a "Planisphere") effectively shows how the night sky looks at any given time on any night of the year. For instance, if it's 10 p.m. on April 30th, just line up April 30th on the outer wheel with 10 p.m. on the inner wheel. The starfinder will thus display the position and orientation of the constellations that are visible to you at that time. As time passes, celestial objects "drift" from east to west due to the Earth's rotation. Occasional adjustment (rotating the planisphere's inner wheel to keep up with passing time) will sustain an accurate representation. As with any night-time observing aid, it should be viewed with red light.Planispheres are generally manufactured in incremental versions to accommodate various bandwidths of latitudes from which to use them. For northern latitudes they are most commonly offered in 20/30; 30/40; and 40/50-degree versions. The Night Sky "30-40" matches latitudes from 30 to 40 degrees North, i.e.: - the mid-southern United States. You should select the one that brackets your particular latitude. Classic boundaries of the constellations are highlighted with lines connecting principal stars down to 5th magnitude. A few of the more significant celestial objects are represent as well, i.e.: - M31. Right Ascension and Declination scales are provided. The front side shows the sky as you face north. Turning the planisphere over (from front to back) shows the sky as it looks facing south - and without distortion. A good starfinder is a useful tool, and Chandler's Night Sky planisphere has become my personal favorite. It makes for a good learning device as well, and is the planisphere of choice for Terrence Dickinson ("The Backyard Astronomer's Guide"). It is plastic coated, weatherproof, and very durable. Mine has suffered some clumsy mishaps on a concrete observing pad and endured countless hundreds of dew-polluted evenings, but still looks and functions quite well. Whatever the venue - binocular, telescope, or just plain naked-eye stargazing, I highly recommend Chandler's Night Sky planisphere. I believe it to be the best choice available.
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
Star gazing, February 6, 2007
Superb product. The prduct is made of sturdy material(plastic?) not like the cardboard one I owned in the past. I love the clear plastic cover which can keep the dew and my fingerprints at bay. The chart itself, in addition, to the constellations locates Messier objects and nebulae.
This is great item to take on a camping trips or just stash in the glove compartment for impromptu stops to see the stars.
Make sure you buy the chart that is at or near the latitude where you live. The USA runs from 30-50 degrees latitude. So if you live at or south of New York and Denver then get the 30-40. If much above that, get the 40-50 degree latitude
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
Best In The Night Sky, January 4, 2007
After much careful comparing I found this Plainesphere to be the best one out there. Has a back side which is actually useful. I bought 2 as Christmas gifts and were enthusiastically received. Highly recommended.
By the way - also get a Red LED flashlight to go with these to preserve night vision. Amazon has a great small one at a good price.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Good planisphere, August 16, 2005
Actually I would give this planisphere a rating of 3.5 rather than 4. It is a good planisphere overall. The plastic it is made of is of good quality & it comes in a plastic cover for storage. Instructions are printed on one side for the beginner, and they are brief yet very explanatory. Blue ink against a white background make this planisphere very easy to read under filtered red light since the blue appears black under red light. However, I find it lacks detail. Although all constellations are on it, only a few Messier objects are plotted. I've seen other planispheres with much more detail. Another thing it lacks is a list of the planets & when they are best viewed. I've seen this list on many other planispheres, but not on this one. The bottom line, however, is that this is a very good planisphere for those beginners who want to learn well the constellations.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
An excellent tool for learning and using the night sky!, July 5, 1999
By A Customer
Dave Chandler's Night Sky has been a useful toll for me for many years of comet hunting. I began using it 20 years ago to determine what stars I should be seeing near the horizon at the evening and morning twilights. It is very simple to use, both during the day and at night.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
This is a great planisphere!, May 20, 2008
I am in the business of painting the night sky on people's ceilings that are visible only at night (www.NightSkyMurals.com). Over the past 20 years I have used different star charts and planispheres to place the constellations in accurate locations for those that want an accurate night sky painted.
Many years ago, I went through many different brands of planisphers and none have even come close to the Night Sky planisphere by David Chandler. It is so easy to read and follow where others that I used were very hard to read and understand. My kids can even look at the Night Sky map and then look up at the night sky and find what they are looking for.
I like to give them out now (when I remember to order them) to my customers who get a mural from me. I will also leave Dave's "Exploring the Night Sky..." too. They are both great items and are great for people new to star gazing and also for the old timers.
Great product and worth every penny!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
New Astronomer's Best Friend, April 15, 2009
As an astronomy enthusiast for over 40 years, and now an astronomy professor, I'm often asked "How do I know what I'm looking at?" or "How do I find constellations like the Big Dipper or Orion?" The answer for every beginner is to use a good planisphere - a rotating star map that shows you what the stars and constellations look like from your location at any time of night, any night of the year. The rotating star map - the planisphere - does this easily and without any effort. If you can tell time, and you know what day it is - you can use this product easily! Everyone from children as young as 7 years old to college students find this to be a user friendly way to learn the sky.
Chandler's planisphere is a step above most others because it has very little distortion - the shapes of constellations on the map are the same as they appear when you see them in the sky (very important for new or younger astronomers!) The Chandler map is also rugged enough to withstand years of use - I have classroom models that have been in use for 10 years and more.
Be sure to get the right version for where you live! The 30-40 degree model covers northern Mexico through the central USA. Northern US and Canada will need the 40-50 degree version.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent Product, March 7, 2009
The large format is very easy to read and use for a person new to Astronomy (like myself). I had immediate success the first two nights out using the map locating stars and constellations from my backyard!!!
Make sure you purchase the proper map based on your latitude...
The only thing I forgot to do was purchase a red light for viewing the chart at night, but I simply converted a flashlight with some translucent red plastic I had in the house.
I am using my planisphere with the freeware planetarium program: Stellarium available for download from http://www.stellarium.org and now can supplement my understanding of the map, it's use, and therefore my outside viewing experience.
The construction and materials of the map are excellent. I'm very glad I purchased this product... a great value!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Great Observing Tool, July 8, 2008
I recently took an astonomy class at my local college. This was a great tool for identifying/locating objects in the night sky.
Until you use one of these planispheres with a red lensed flashlight, you won't realize the advantage of a dark on light format.
Yup, this planisphere, a red lensed flashlight, and a lounge chair under the night sky....and being able to tell my wife I'm doing homework!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Extremely Helpful for Beginner Astronomy Class, October 2, 2007
This is an awesome product for any student who is taking any type of Astronomy Class. I've been able to find so many constellations. Great tool.
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