Every sky watcher needs an easy-to-use planisphere to quickly tell which stars and constellations are above their horizon on any day and time of the year.

How it Works: The Night Sky Planisphere is made up of 2 sections -- an inner rotating dial (white) marked with the days and months of the year, and a fixed outer section (blue) marked with the hours of the day. The dial contains a sky map printed with dark stars on a light background for easy nighttime readability. To use the planisphere simply turn the dial to match the date with the time. The planisphere will then show the stars, constellations, and prominent deep-sky objects that are currently above the horizon as well as the location of the Milky Way. It works for any hour, of any day, of any year!

The Night Sky Planisphere is unique because it uses a two-sided projection to reduce sky distortion -- conventional planispheres severely distort the sky near the southern horizon. Many sky watchers believe The Night Sky is the best planisphere available. We agree! (However, if you require more stars and deep-sky objects then the new Firefly Planisphere Deluxe may better suit your needs.) Made of durable plastic The Night Sky Planisphere will last many, many years. (See below for companion book.)

IMPORTANT: Planispheres are designed for specific latitude zones. When you buy a planisphere you must select one that is appropriate for your latitude. If you are not sure of your latitude look it up in a world atlas or click here to find it online for your town/city.

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Publisher's Description: The very large 15-inch Firefly Planisphere Deluxe is a practical tool for accurately locating night sky phenomena at any time of the year. Constructed of sturdy plastic, simply turn the disks to line up the month and date, and the clear top panel reveals the actual positions of the stars (to magnitude 5.5). It is also useful for locating planets, stars, constellations, globular clusters, nebula and galaxies at any particular time.

The planisphere is charted by the month, day, hour and minute, so it can be used to plan future viewings. The planisphere also calculates the time of sunrise and sunset for any specific day. Includes an easy-to-read 24-page color companion book that describes how to adjust and use the planisphere. The book and planisphere are packaged in a convenient boxed set.

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A huge 16-inch diameter planisphere -- the largest in size of any. Features a large star field viewing window with black stars on a white background. The back has practical information, including dates of meteor showers, planet data, historical timeline and observing tips. Made of plastic.

For use in 30° to 60° North latitudes.

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Description: The Philip's Planisphere enables the user to locate stars, constellations and planets, and work out sunrise and sunset times for every day of the year. Simply turn the oval panel to the required date and time to reveal the whole sky visible from your location. This brand new edition of the Philip's Southern Planisphere is larger, clearer and easier to use, while remaining lightweight and portable. The new map, drawn by renowned celestial cartographer Wil Tirion, shows stars down to magnitude 4 (stars visible with the unaided eye), as well as many deep-sky objects. On the back of the planisphere are tables giving the positions of the four visible planets -- Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn -- for every month until 2012.

Publisher's Description: The Alpha Star Finder is a handy, portable guide to assist any astronomer in locating stars, constellations, planets and other celestial objects. All the stars are visible to the unaided eye . It displays every star of magnitude 1 to 4 and a few of magnitude 5. Simply rotate the Star Finder's transparent disks to the date and time of observation to reveal the visible night sky.

For use in 40° to 50° North latitudes (set for 46° N).

Product Description: It's the first-ever star chart that folds up like a road map! DeepMap 600 shows the positions of the 600 finest celestial objects visible from the Northern Hemisphere. All are plotted on a giant 33" x 21" full-color star chart by world-renowned star-mapper Wil Tirion. DeepMap 600 is designed for easy location of hundreds of deep-sky objects with telescopes and binoculars. Color-coded symbols identify more than 500 galaxies, nebulas, and star clusters -- including all 109 Messier objects -- as well as some 100 of the most interesting double and variable stars. No other single star chart includes so many objects! What makes DeepMap 600 really indispensable is that it folds up "accordion style" to a thin, pocket-size 4-3/4" x 10-1/2" -- just like a road map! No longer must you fumble with bulky books, star atlases, and observing references to find interesting objects to view.

Features:

• Full-color star chart that folds up like a road map with the 600 finest celestial objects
• Color-coded symbols for 500 galaxies, nebulas, star clusters and 109 Messier objects
• Covers the sky from declination +70 to -60 degrees
• Back side contains essential data for all 600 objects, plus a brief visual description
• Printed on dew-proof plastic for durability

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Publisher's Description: The Cambridge Starfinder Pack contains three essential items to get you started on the fascinating hobby of Astronomy -- a star chart, a moon map, and a planisphere. The Star Chart is an attractive wall chart (approximately 3 feet by 4 feet in size) showing all the stars visible to the unaided eye. The chart is arranged into three maps that cover the whole sky. As a bonus, it contains fainter clusters and galaxies visible with binoculars and lists constellations, double stars and variable stars. The Moon Map shows 500 craters and other features on the nearside in beautiful detail and locates landing sites of spacecraft, including Apollo. Finally, the Planisphere (42° North) is a traditional and practical star finder for locating stars and constellations at any hour of the year.

Suitable for observers in Canada and the United States located north of an arc through San Francisco, St. Louis and Washington.

Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars is a small book written to complement The Night Sky planisphere (by the same author). The planisphere helps stargazers find what is up in the sky for any day and time. The book discusses the significance of what is seen.

The book starts with a discussion of how to observe the sky and how to choose binoculars with astronomy in mind. Then comes a brief geography lesson of the universe, including helpful models to keep in mind when trying to visualize large numbers, such as millions, billions, and trillions. The bulk of the book is a survey, starting with the Sun and its family of planets, moons, asteroids and comets, then moves outward into the Milky Way with its nebulae, stellar remnants, open star clusters, and globular star clusters, and finally out beyond the Milky Way to the realm of the galaxies. Examples of each kind of object are given that are visible with no more than binoculars, and each is discussed with enough detail to make it meaningful but not overwhelming to the beginner.

The appendices include seasonal tours of the sky, tips on buying your first telescope, and a resource guide for those who want to go further.

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