CN FORUMS ARCHIVE Telescope Reviews: Charts, Atlases and Programs

Here's the best I could manage, considering the fact that I'm working with a general guide book and not merely a set of charts. It was difficult to figure out where to place the numbered points, so I abandoned the chronological order of the book and placed the numbered items first.

And Don, thanks for clearing that up for us. In this book, all charts show varied star sizes but uniform DSO icons... I gather from your explanation that the DSOs are binned, whereas the stars are infinitely variable?

Ok then, here's the revised re-post:

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General book information
1) Title: National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Night Sky (8th edition - Jan 1997)
2) Author: Mark R Chartrand and Wil Tirion
3) Publisher: Alfred A Knopf, Inc.
4) Copyright: 1991, 1997 by Chanticleer press, Inc.
5) ISBN: 0-679-40852-5
6) Pages: 720
7) Binding: Turtleback, vinyl
8) Dimensions: 7.64" x 3.88" x 1.09"
9) Weight: 1.16 pounds

Individual constellation chart information (typical Wil Tirion charts)
10) Chart background colors: overall medium blue, Milky Way in light blue
11) Stars and deep sky objects: yellow
12) Constellation related lines: white
13) Ecliptic and co-ordinate lines: black
14) Lettering: black (upper case constellation names)
15) Print size: averages 1/8" to just a bit under 1/8"
16) Stellar magnitude limit: 5
17) Stellar designations used: common name and Bayer
18) Main deep sky catalogs used: Messier, New General Catalog and Index Catalog. [Messier numbers are preceded by M, IC numbers are preceded by I. and NGC numbers show no prefix. Examples: M97 _ I.5217 _ 6940.]
19) Deep sky magnitude limit: special interest objects down to mag 12
20) Chart keys: yes
21) Objects illustrated: double stars, variables, open clusters, globular clusters, planetary clusters, diffuse nebulae and galaxies.
22) Overlays: no
23) Scale of star images and objects (binned or infinitely variable): info not supplied by author
24) Actual position angle of objects portrayed: no
25) Scale of the map in degrees or minutes per inch of paper: unknown
26) Changes in scale from previous printings: unknown

Miscellaneous book information
All-sky charts also included:
> Zodiacal Longitude charts
> Northern celestial hemisphere chart (+90° to 0°)
> Southern celestial hemisphere chart (0° to -90°)
> Monthly (local 9pm, mid-month) horizon-to-zenith charts from vantage point of 35°N latitude. Each month is a two page spread of four charts: NW, NE, SW and SE.

'Introduction' - 96 pages of text, divided into sections about the universe, solar system, systems of measurements, astronomical names, constellations, astronomical instruments and observing the sky.

'Color Plates' - 304 pages of charts and photographs, each bearing a plate number, name, and reference page to the relevant text located in the 'Touring the Skies' section.
Other than the Wil Tirion charts already mentioned, the color plates include Lunar photos and maps depicting days 4, 7, 10, 14, 17.8, 22, 24 and 26 of the lunar cycle, and photos of constellations, Messiers, DSOs, solar system objects and miscellaneous objects.

Text 'Touring the Skies' section - 275 pages of information about objects covered in the 'Color Plates' section.

'The Appendices' section includes phases of the Moon, lunar eclipses, solar eclipses, solar eclipse paths of totality map, planet positions, planetary longitudes, planetary satellites, largest minor planets, major meteor showers, selected period comets, the 12 brightest stars, the nearest stars, the Messier catalog, selected bibliography, picture credits and index.

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Carol Lakomiak, Tomahawk WI
Writing Sky at Night magazine's astrosketch page since June 2009
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Edited by Carol L (10/22/06 09:52 PM)