The Night Sky 30°-40° (Small) Star Finder (Map)

~ David S. Chandler (Author), David Chandler Company (Editor), Milky Way by Don Davis (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Chandler's planisphere is the finest available. -- Terence Dickinson, astronomy textbook author, in SkyNews Magazine --Terence Dickinson

Chandler's planisphere is the finest available. -- Terence Dickinson, astronomy textbook author, in SkyNews Magazine --Westways Magazine

I think The Night Sky is the finest and easiest to use star finding aid in existence. -- Jack Horkheimer, TV's Star Hustler --Jack Horkheimer

Product Description

The Night Sky is a rotating star finder (planisphere) that allows the user to recognize the constellations for any time of night, any day of the year. The sky appears to rotate (due to the rotation and orbital motion of the earth), so to be successful recognizing the constellations a beginner needs to know which stars are above the horizon at any time.

This is the pocket-sized version of The Night Sky suitable for the southern half of the United States, North Africa, and the Middle East. There are versions for the following latitude zones: 50°-60°, 40°-50°, 30°-40°, 20°-30°, and the Southern Hemisphere. There are also full-sized versions available for the same latitude zones.

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Product Details

• Map: 24 pages
• Publisher: David Chandler Co.; Small Plastic 30-40 degrees N Edition edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891938029
• ISBN-13: 978-1891938023
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 5.3 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #797,511 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A useful tool- convenient; practical; durable., February 19, 2001

By	Bill Wiegert (The Belmont Society - Belmont, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Night Sky 30°-40° (Large; North Latitude) (Map)

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.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Star gazing, February 6, 2007

By	Onthewall "Rock picker" (New York NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Night Sky 30°-40° (Large; North Latitude) (Map)

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

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best In The Night Sky, January 4, 2007

By	Michael Forsberg "nightowl" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Night Sky 30°-40° (Large; North Latitude) (Map)

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.