There is a new resource available for finding Messier Objects: the Cosmic Shards deck. I have one (I backed the Kickstarter) and I am planning to use it in my upcoming Messier Marathon. Aside from two threads here on CN (the Kickstarter vendor announcement and the general availability announcement), there's not a lot about these on CN yet so here's a mini review! (I'm not affiliated with the company in any way. Quick summary: I think they're great and worth getting!)
The background of these: this card deck of Messier Objects is the first product from a company called Cosmic Shards, based in Austin TX. The Kickstarter campaign was in late 2024; they shipped in early 2025. The deck is now available on the website, selling for $40 + s/h.
They are most similar to the venerable Sky-Spot books, which I also have, and will compare here.
What the Cosmic Shards cards are: each card is a little larger than 4x6 and has one Messier Object. The cards are thick and laminated for field use, and they are specifically red flashlight friendly. They come arranged by season but you can rearrange them and pull what you need. The selling point is "no more bulky books-- just compact cards with the essentials." Each card includes:
- details of the Messier object;
- a finder chart showing Telrad rings;
- a sketch of what it looks like in an eyepiece;
- and some observing tips specific to the object.
The virtue of these is also their potential drawback-- the card format.
- On the positive side: you can bring just the ones you want; you can rearrange them as needed; and you can stash them in the box or put them away after you've found the object. You can bring an individual card to the scope.
- On the negative side: if not in numerical sequence or the sequence you want, you may have to flip through a bunch to find the one you want. And the card form factor is susceptible to falling off a table, loss, getting left in the field, getting blown around by wind, etc. Is this a "problem"? It really just kind of depends on your use case. A few rubber bands can go a long way toward mitigating this.
How do these stack up to the Sky-Spot books? Ultimately, they both help you achieve the same thing. I haven't yet used these cards in the field but I will soon (and report back).
- Both have Telrad-specific finder charts.
- Both have basic descriptions about the object and finding them.
- I think the cards have one advantage in that they have a sketch of what the object looks like in an eyepiece. The Sky-Spot books don't have this, and this is hugely helpful, especially for a Messier Marathon.
- I think the Sky-Spot books might have charts that are a tiny bit easier to interpret at night because the chart contains a bit more area/stars. I can report more on this after using the cards.
- The cards are high quality and absolutely beautiful! Cosmic Shards really hit it out of the park there. The box is really nicely designed and high quality. The cards definitely have the edge over the books in terms of the sexy factor. The card deck would be great on a coffee table. They're inherently a conversation-starter.
- Each card has a photo of the object-- the Sky-Spot books don't have this, although it's questionable how handy this is in the field. (Where the cards have a definitely-useful sketch.)
- The Sky-Spot books list the Messier Objects in order and you can't change that. Even if you remove the comb binding, you can't rearrange the pages without rendering the whole thing meaningless due to shared pages. (e.g., the chart for M35 is on the other side of the page of the description of M34, and so on for all 110.)
- Both ship quickly as far as I can tell. The Sky-Spot books ship VERY quickly and other books are available as well: double stars; overlooked objects, etc. I'm not sure how quickly the Cosmic Shards card decks ship, but from the announcement thread it sounds like they ship quickly.
One way that I would give the edge to the card deck: if you are, or know, a budding astronomer who is getting started, the card deck will whet their appetite much more than the Sky-Spot books will.
Ultimately-- I have, like, and plan to use both the Sky-Spot books and the Cosmic Shards deck. I don't think there's a clear better option between the two, it just depends on your use case. Both are small independent companies worth supporting, why not get both?
Cosmic Shards is a new, small company and definitely worth following and supporting-- pick up a deck for yourself, for your library, or as a gift or stocking stuffer. I'm looking forward to seeing what Cosmic Shards comes up with next!
Edited by Miggystardust, 18 March 2025 - 02:46 AM.
