There are two small atlases I consider to be absolutely indispensable. Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas is one of them. The charts in this atlas were well chosen. Each covers just the right amount of sky to give both a good perspective of the area you are looking at, and enough detail for star hopping with binoculars or finder scope, (stars are shown down to magnitude 7.6). Stick figures highlight the constellations to provide an easy and intuitive reference for what part of the sky the chart covers. An all sky view key of the charts is provided at the back of the book so that charts are easily located. The charts are well organized and very easy to navigate.
The charts are printed in color and are works of art in their own right. Not only is the atlas useful in the field, but it is a pleasure to browse through anytime.
The construction of the atlas is also very well done. It is spiral bound so that the charts open flat, making them easy to view. The charts are printed on good quality paper that looks as though it will stand up well even on nights when dew is challenging your ability to view.
Although it may seem like a small thing, a nice feature of the Atlas is a scale on the front cover from which one can construct a set of circles based on the field of view of each instrument you observe with. There is even a template showing the circles of a Telrad finder. It would have been even better if a clear plastic template with field of view circles had already been included, but it was easy enough to create my own set of circles.
Overall, this is an outstanding atlas for taking into the field, and I would certainly recommend it. As I said, I consider it to be indispensable; however, unlike others, I do not consider it to be the only quality pocket atlas out there. Another outstanding atlas is The Observer's Sky Atlas by E. Karkoschka. It is a nice compliment to Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas. I like the Pocket Sky Atlas for its big broad views of the sky and it's stunning charts. I like the Observer's Sky Atlas because it has some additional detail (see my review of that book) not available in the Pocket Sky Atlas. Both are ideal as field atlases, and I keep them both very close at hand when I've observing.
I hope you're not in a position where you can only buy one. Choosing between the two would be difficult. As I said, I keep both with me when I'm observing. But if you do have to choose, I would suggest the following. If you want the nicest looking atlas, go with the Pocket Sky Atlas. If you want a bit more detail and you don't mind giving up the glossy color pages and spiral binding, go with the Observers's Sky Atlas. But honestly, you really can't go wrong with either one.
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Roger Sinnott's Pocket Sky Atlas fills a big void and vital niche- one that emphasises portability, usability and practicality. Everything in this little volume is extremely well thought out- from the quality of the book, the practical spiral bound layout, the scale of the star maps, clear and readable printing, intelligent and helpful labelling of stars and deep sky objects (you will appreciate the use of popular names for some DSO's), to a pure user friendly feel. There is even a helpful Telrad target scale and angular distance for quick estimations. Eminently suitable for the field, this is also a great planning atlas for astrophotographers and visual observers alike. For visual observation, this atlas shines when partenered with a Telrad finder (I really hate the flimisier Riger finder!).
The only place I think this atlas comes up short is if you are doing serious star hopping under the telescope. This is understandable given the scale of the atlas. I recommend Uranometria or similar atlases if you are a serious star-hopper.
Sept 2008 Update: I now have 3 copies of this Atlas! One I leave in my car and read it at restaurants during lunch break. The other is in my observing bag and yet one is one my desk at home. I love this atlas. This is perfect for astrophotography and weeknight quick sessions with my TV-85.
This little book stands out well to repeated field use. Mine is looking great after a year of extensive (and rough) use- no pages fallen off, no fade, no issues.
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This atlas is thoughtfully laid out for use at the telescope in the field. The paper is a heavy dull-white stock that does not show reflection under a red light. Because the book is spiral bound, the pages lay flat freeing up your hands. No more trying to find a heavy object to keep the pages from turning.
Inside the front cover you will find printed a sample double page chart layout with a legend. Also printed is an angular distance scale and a Telrad bull's eye. I made a clear transparency copy of this page using an 8 ―" x 11"sheet of overhead projector film by running it through a copy machine. I cut out the angular scale and then I cut the Telrad bull's eye in a long rectangle about 1" x 3" leaving the bull's eye at one end and using the other end as a handle to move the finder around the map. I put these in a small envelope and tucked it inside the atlas.
The contents page lists the best months to view the objects by R.A. range during evening, midnight and mourning and on which chart to find them. Towards the end of the atlas, there are four close-up charts of some of the most observed regions of the sky. The index is broken down by star name, galaxies, open and globular clusters, bright, dark and planetary nebulae. The Caldwell and Messier catalogs are listed separately. The back cover has the chart key for both north and south hemispheres. There are 80 main charts containing 30,796 stars to magnitude 7.6.
The introduction explains in easy to understand detail how the charts are labeled and arranged. The same chart legend appears on the first page of each chart as well as the R.A. range and best time and month for viewing. All the charts are printed in color on a white background for easy reading under a red light. A location guide to constellations and what the Greek star letters mean is also included.
Each page has the same basic layout as any good star atlas. The lines for the R.A and Declination are clearly marked. You will notice that a small blue triangle with a number inside is located on three sides of each page. These triangles point to the adjoining charts that make up more of that part of the sky. The number in the triangle indicate which chart.
There are two printing errors in the atlas on page 55 and on the close-up Chart C. You can download the printable corrected color pages from the Sky and Telescope website.
You can the cut and paste the corrected pages directly over the page in the book. I used spray adhesive.
Bottom line, this is a very compact and easy to use atlas you'll ever come across. It is very user friendly and a must have to "grab and go" with your favorite telescope or binoculars.
Book reviewed by Jack Fox, Richmond Astronomical Society
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As a professional astronomer, I have been surfing plenty of sky atlases, ranging from very simple to heavy and complete ones. This book is just great for those observing the heavens with thier own binoculars or telescope, as everything is in your hands, requiring just a little space. The choice to divide the whole sky in RA is a good one, as you have the season maps close each other. You have stars down to magnitude 7.5 and the maps are really accurate and a joy to look at. The milky way is reproduced with two different colours, accounting for the different star densities. You can quickly skip to any other map, thanks to the general index and indications given on each page.
Plenty of double and variable stars, as well as deep sky wonders complete this book, which is going to stay w
very close to my portable telescopes by now.
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This is not the first small-format 7th magnitude atlas to appear on the market. But it is the first that is actually usable. The creators have somehow managed to fit in a compact, affordable package an atlas which includes over 30,000 stars down to magnitude 7.6 with very little crowding or cramping. To achieve the compromise, the charts number 80, arranged in 8 gores (strips of sky from pole to pole), each one covering 3 hours of right ascension, the charts within ordered from north to south. This arrangement works well, as maps of the same season are in the same section. I would have wished the gores to be arranged in order of descending right ascension rather than ascending, but this is a matter of general principle; in this atlas it has hardly any practical effects.
The atlas is superbly useful in the field. It goes considerably beyond the traditional 6th magnitude atlas, revealing three times as many stars, making better use of 6x30 and larger finder scopes, and enabling the user to find bright asteroids and the planet Neptune. The colors used in the charts are not a problem under a red flashlight. Even the stick figures which depict the constellations are drawn so that they are readily distinguishable from the coordinate lines and do not interfere.
It contains a feature overlooked in too many small atlases. At the edges of each chart are the numbers of adjoining charts. Just go out into the field with an atlas that doesn't have them, and you'll understand immediately why they are important.
There are detailed charts of the Pleiades, LMC, Orion's sword, and the Virgo Galaxy Cluster. This last one probably should have been oriented vertically (portrait instead of landscape). At the expense of a couple galaxies on the western fringes, the chart would reach 6 or 7 degrees declination farther south--just about down to the star Porrima--to include quite a lot more galaxies, including M61.
It is small enough to pack alongside a pair of binoculars or in a car's glove compartment. The spiral binding is a useful touch. It allows the atlas to lie open flat without paperweights and also makes it easy to fold back and hold it in one hand. The pages are sturdy and dew resistant. The cover, however, should be tougher.
In places the charts seem a bit busy; this is due not to the scale, which is only slightly smaller than that of the Sky Atlas 2000.0, but to the occasionally lavish labelling. For example, what is the point of adding "Bode's Nebulae" to M81 and M82?
With such small pages, the area covered by each chart is limited. But the designers have managed the resulting problems well. The charts contain enough overlap that when an area of interest falls on the seam between two charts, one of them is likely to include the area in its entirety. The layout of adjacent charts on two-page spreads also helps.
To be sure, the Pocket has imperfections, but many of them are a compromise between competing considerations, and they are handled as well as in any small atlas on the market.
As a space saver, the compilers have omitted the lists of interesting objects. No problem, just buy a separate observer's guide and write out a list of your targets before going out for the evening.
For advanced observers, the Pocket is a great companion to Uranometria or the Millennium, use the Pocket for quick, hassle-free finds of ordinary objects and the big atlas for ferreting out the real challenges.
Users of binoculars and small telescopes have long faced a selection of 5th to 6th magnitude star atlases which show under 10,000 stars and range in quality from OK to poor. There is now no need to worry about the choice. Just get the Pocket.
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Finally!! A PERFECT atlas for amateurs with small or medium sized scopes (up to 8"), binoculars, or naked eye. Sky and Telescope has really outdone themselves with this one. It looks like they have really taken all of the comments about SkyAtlas 2000.0 into heart when designing. Constellation lines, good scale, telrad finder circles, very good index, etc. Pages are nice and heavy and take pencil and erasing really well.
Don't be intimitated by the fact that there are 80 charts. The layout makes sense, and it won't be long before you memorize your favorite constellations.
GET THIS!!!
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Having had it for two star parties now, it's become my favorite reference.
Well indexed and easy to read under red light, it is terrific for 90%+ of my needs. It sure beats dragging around a HUGE atlas at the telescope.
I highly recommend it for portable use. A large format star atlas is still a terrific tool, but the portability of this Pocket Atlas means it will be the one most used in my library.
Clear Skies!
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I am an active amateur astronomer with several star atlases. I bought this atlas almost a year ago, and I have ended up using it more than any of my other atlases. The format is compact and convenient, it points out the major sky features very well (even providing outlines of larger nebulae), and is a great complement to a medium- to small-sized telescope. I even find this atlas makes interesting bed-time reading, helping familiarize myself with the locations of objects that I haven't commonly observed in the past, like carbon stars (cool, deep-red stars that are particularly beautiful in a low-power star field). The atlas is quite sturdy and has held up well. My only quibble is that in the edition that I have, there are a few small areas (roughly a half-inch in diameter) on a few of the maps that are blanked out, as if a small piece of scrap paper were in the way during printing. I believe this error may affect many or most copies of the first edition, but I am not certain about that.
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Since getting this last fall, I've only pulled my SA2K atlas out once!!!
For hunting down Messier Objects and brighter NGC's this is PERFECT! Great layout, great scale, and you can't beat the price or portability. Small enough to keep in your backpack, purse, bag, briefcase, whatever - never be afraid to go stargazing on your next trip.
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The size of the Pocket Atlas is perfect for backyard use. It's small enough to be manageable yet detailed enough to be usefull. There are enough destinations presented to keep me busy for years.
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