The Night Sky 30°-40° (Large; North Latitude) Map – December 31, 1998

This gizmo has helped me locate and identify stars. Hand and easy to use. Need a red lens light to see it outside at night. I suggest ordering them together. I use my wheel chart inside and then go out to see what is still up there. For novice Star Gazers, a handy tool.

Easy to use, very helpful in locating the constellations (which makes it easier to then find DSOs etc), and easy to read at night with a dim light. I will definitely recommend this to anyone I know that is getting into stargazing.

I found that it is really necessary to get this when you buy a telescope as it is a nice tool to help you when you learn stargazing.

I bought the Night Sky planisphere to use during a college astronomy class. Astronomy had always been a small side hobby of mine and I was super excited for the class, and consequently over-prepared. I didn't necessarily need the planisphere but it did give me an edge during night viewings. I'm very glad I bought it, though, as it's been extremely helpful for me as an amateur.The Night Sky planisphere is made of very durable, quality plastic. The wheel is covered by clear plastic to help prevent dirt clogging up the works. It also comes in a pliable plastic case that can be reused for safe storage. It's clear and easy to read, and made to be use with a red light during night viewings.It is missing a few major sites, none of which immediately spring to mind, but it's probably for the best as to reduce clutter on the map. I bought Sky & Telescope magazine's Pocket Sky Atlas along with the Night Sky for extra detail. I almost always use them together. Either I'll use the Night Sky to find an interesting area of stars above me and look up the details of it in the Sky Atlas, or I'll browse the Sky Atlas for interesting features and use the Night Sky to actually find it above me.I would recommend this to others interested in astronomy. :)

Size is a plus if your eyes are good or excellent - read on. You need to know your latitude to make sure you order the correct map and a red flashlight. I googled my City's Latitude for the correct map 30° - 40°. This is for North Latitude, so if you're south of the Equator, it will not work.I'm not totally new to stargazing -- but couldn't find the old ones my son had. Was undecided which stargazing map better so also purchased, Guide to the Stars map, has a bolder print. See the pic. The benefits to this is that it does not take up much room and can be hung on the wall. Magnifying lenses may be needed for the fine print if your eyes are less than good. Map, made of cardstock, is inside a clear plastic holder/hanger and features a turn dial, I liked. This map holder is around 9in X 10.5in. Map diameter itself is about 7 inches - the white football shape portion of night sky. The circular white part contains the month, day and time you will align for the correct view. The shaded area on map is Milky Way. A downside is the South view is on the back side so you will have to flip.Map has instructions and hints along with objects for Binoculars on the facing South (back). Also legend for Star clusters, Nebulas, Galaxy.My map came in a box with other things. It would be a bummer if you only ordered map and was stuffed in a small mailbox. Being bent will ruin the map for sure. I ordered with Red LED flashlight and Guide to the Stars, it all came in one box. Later ordered Eyeskey waterproof compass.Enjoy whatever you buy, it will give you endless fun trying to navigate the stars. Live long and prosper...

There are several but this is one of my favourites of the bunch. Easy to understand and the always-troublesome perspective (transforming a 2D sky map to an upside-down bowl of sky over our heads) is done well. But David Levy's Guide to the Stars is also very fine, and UK/northern Europe folk should look at the excellent Philip's (on Amazon.uk). If you're getting serious (binoculars and up) then you must also have Sky & Telecope's Pocket Sky Atlas and Karkoschka's The Observer's Sky Atlas - both relatively small, but packed with useful information about deep-sky objects, relationships, positions, etc. I have all the big atlases and DSO reference books, but these two books are always with me on nights out, and one or several of the planispheres for myself and any guests who show up. If you want to learn constellations (and navigation), grab one of these.

Convenient, logical, and easy to slip into a backpack. I used to lug around astronomy books and have to flip between star charts with groups of constellations. No more! I enjoy making my own paths across the sky instead of following the trails set up in my backyard astronomy texts. This makes it easy to find constellations and other astronomical sights, and find out exactly when to go out to see a particular item. The colors make it easy to read at night with a red light, and the plastic exterior holds up to a beating. Truly a game changer.

The large format is very easy to read and use for a person new to Astronomy (like myself). I had immediate success the first two nights out using the map locating stars and constellations from my backyard!!!Make sure you purchase the proper map based on your latitude...The only thing I forgot to do was purchase a red light for viewing the chart at night, but I simply converted a flashlight with some translucent red plastic I had in the house.I am using my planisphere with the freeware planetarium program: Stellarium available for download from [...] and now can supplement my understanding of the map, it's use, and therefore my outside viewing experience.The construction and materials of the map are excellent. I'm very glad I purchased this product... a great value!