3: Novice Review
I have to say that I know nothing to "starting to know something" about astronomy.
This chart is a MUST for anyone looking at the sky and figuring out what exactly, you are looking at. This is especially helpful in trying to determine what you are looking at through a telescope or binoculars.
Be warned: This is not a small chart. It measures the size of a medium pizza and is made of plastic (that is a plus!).
This has the basics wrapped up in the instructions and walks you through the "short hand" classifications of stars so you can figure it out quickly.
Very good chart.
It did not get a 5 out of 5 as I feel more stuff could be crammed (where I don't know) by use of color layers. Just a thought, but I get picky. Just remember, that out of all the wheels out there, I picked THIS ONE. That has to say alot!
Summary: I think that you will be very pleased with this as it is one you can start with, and use as a reference (especially explaining it to kids or others interested when walk by) for your telescopes.
Cheers!
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5: a very decent jumbo planisphere
Pros:-all plastic (not paper or laminated paper)...won't get soggy if it gets wet
-kids will probably like the jumbo 16" diameter size (it is also available in 11" diameter size)
-useful information on the front and back (like meteor shower dates)
-works for latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees North
-several lesser-known stars are named; for example Zaurak, Sabik and Algorab
-a lot less crowded than smaller planispheres Cons: -For its jumbo size, I was expecting more celestial objects & detail...the dimmer, harder-to-find Messier objects are not shown. But it looks like it was designed more for beginners, in which case this makes good sense.
-Messier objects are marked by a letter, and you must flip the planisphere over to 'decipher' the letter. For example, M35 in Gemini is simply labelled as 'H'. It should just be labelled as 'M35' on the front in the first place.
-sometimes the same letter represents two or three seperate Messier objects. For example, M36, M37, and M38 in Auriga are all designated by three seperate letter 'F's. The description on the back distinguishes them seperately, but it's annoying.
-floppy due to it being relatively thin for its size A planisphere like this is essenial for beginners to learn the night sky. If you are more advanced and need more detail, get a star map (but you'll probably still use your planisphere too).
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