Customer Reviews

Planisphere for Latitude 42 North: USA, Southern Europe and Northern Japan

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I've been an astronomy buff for 28 years and this is the most detailed planisphere I've found. It is simple and easy to use. You can look up the night sky by standard and military time and each day of the month. Most planispheres only show days by groupings, not individually as this one does. The brighest stars are named without destroying the readability. Also included is the declination and right ascension for the more advanced user.

A planisphere allows you to calculate the positions of the stars, by aligning the date (outer dial) and time (inner dial) for your location. A twist of the dial that is divided into 24 hours shows the positions of the stars at that particular time, on any day (the outer dial), for a particular latitude. This particular planisphere is for Latitude 42 degrees North, which is fine for me since I'm at 45 degrees north latitude. Other planispheres are designed for different latitudes, so choose one that is closest to your latitude.

The name 'planisphere' refers to the representation of the celestial sphere on a two-dimensional plane (this means that the constellations near the southern horizon are slightly distorted or stretched along the horizon).

Because of the motion of the earth, the appearance of the sky changes with each hour of each day of the year. A planisphere is more useful than a star chart for identifying the constellations in your sky because you can dial it to the correct date and time. The brighter the star, the larger its representative dot on the planisphere.

Detailed charts such as those to be found in "Norton's Star Atlas" will be useful later in your astronomical career when you are ready to observe fainter objects such as galaxies and nebulae in the heavens.

Once you have your planisphere, all you will need is a small flashlight with a piece of red celluloid taped over the lens. This set-up will allow you to look at your planisphere without ruining your night vision.

This is perfect for a quick reference into the night sky's planets and constellations. It doesn't have everything listed, but everything that is usually visible in the northern hemisphere. The price was right too (we paid $10, fyi).