I am newbie to astronomy and would like to know about Star Charrts and Sky Maps. I will be starting with a 7x50 binocular. Could you please suggest which book or articles I should go through to make myself familiar.
I came across someone saying to buy Australian Sky and Telescope magazine which has got all the charts and maps and is easy to carry as compared to other heavy books.
My question here is does this magazine teach how to read charts/maps as well because I dont think just looking at the charts and maps I am going to understand anything.
I downloaded a Skymaps App on my smartphone as well but honestly when I open it I just cant get it.
I find starcharts can be really confusing, they don't give the same view as I see etc. there are loads of free ones on the web (I'm not at my PC at the mo so can't provide links) the ones I use most are the Telrad ones for the Messier list. You only want a basic one to begin with, the higher you go with magnitude the more detail they give, and can list things that can't be seen by youre scope.
The apps I use are Stellarium on a PC or laptop and SkySafari on my phone or tablet. These show the same view as you see in the sky whatever direction you are looking at. If you use these at the scope you risk losing your night vision so it's best, I find, to use them to plan with. They are both free, the Skysafari free version is called something like Sky Portal.
It takes time but one day it will click and all will make sense,
The Sky and Telescope charts are plotted for 35 deg South so are perfect for where you are. They still work fine for me down in Vic, a few degrees won't make much difference. They also have a guide telling you when the sky will match the chart. For example I have the May/June 2014 edition sitting on my desk and it tells me the chart is accurate for 11pm in late April, 10pm in Early May, 9pm in late May etc. It also has instructions on how to orient it.
They plot minimal deeps space objects (mainly Messiers and things like Eta Carina, 47Tuc, Omega Cent etc, but are very good for picking your way around the constellations and learning the bright stars.
The all-sky charts like in Sky and Telescope magazine can be confusing, so below is what I add to an all-sky chart if I am handing out copies to anyone.
Hope this is helpful.
- Dean
"Star charts are a bit confusing when you first use them! This is because they represent an entire hemisphere (1/2 the Universe!!), compressed into a tiny circle or oval, and they seem to have the East-West directions reversed.
You can get an idea of how they work by lying down, and holding the chart above you with North-South correctly oriented. You will notice that when you do this, East and West are also correct. The centre of the chart represents the zenith (straight up).
However, the easiest way (standing up) is to hold the chart vertically in front of you, with the direction you are facing at the bottom (twist the chart around).
E.g.: look for "Crux" (the Southern Cross) on the chart. Now face south with "South" at the bottom of the chart, at around the time given on the chart. You should see the Southern Cross in front of you.
Anything that is above the centre on the chart will be over your head and behind you: so just use the bottom 1/2 of the chart. As you turn to different directions, turn the chart as well so the direction you are looking is always at the bottom.
Because the earth moves around the sun in 12 months, every month the star chart is different for the same time of night (ie: we are looking out at a different angle to a different part of the universe). Eg: Orion is visible during the summer months in the evening, but as we head towards winter it gets closer to the sun, and eventually is only visible in the very early morning. "
Now coming back to the original question, is there a book which explains all this step by step. I am looking for a book which acts like a guide to navigate the sky.
I forgot to add another tool which is excellent, the good old fashioned planisphere. This is great to see which constellations are where at anytime and is great to use with star charts as the planisphere is both small and that some parts are distorted to fit on it.
If you use the planisphere to see which constellations are up when you are, you can then use a chart for a larger and more accurate view of that area of sky.
As for a step by step quide book I don't know of one (which doesn't mean they are not out there), I haven't read any books on astronomy, I just use the web and forums such as this. I find its just intuitive really, like reading a map. Mind you I get lost a lot on the road too!
I just did a web search of "how to read a star chart" and there's loads of info and YouTube vids out there.
I can remember when I was starting out last year I found a really good one, can't remember exactly who was featured but it was someone to do with one of the mags.
Now coming back to the original question, is there a book which explains all this step by step. I am looking for a book which acts like a guide to navigate the sky.
Thanks,
Jimmy
Lots of books out there. Check the Sky and Telescope shop for some. One possibility is "A guide to the night sky" by Burnham et al, Five Mile Press, Revised edition 2007.
"Astronomy 2015" by Quasar Publishing is a great yearly guide with lots of charts, tips and monthly suggestions of what is up there.
A great book for star charts is Sky and Telescope's "Pocket Sky Atlas" by Roger Sinnott. Easy to use and covers the whole sky.
Attached is a star map for 8pm DST tonight.
Concentrate on learning the planets and bright stars, don't worry too much about constellations.
Look south first, and hold the map with the writing right way up.
Then look north, and hold the map upside-down.
The left side of the map is east and Jupiter is rising in the NE.
The right side of the map is west, Venus and Mars are setting.
Venus, Jupiter, Sirius and Canopus are the brightest objects at 8pm DST.
The southern cross is low in the SE.
The center of the circle is overhead.
One the best accessories you can get yourself when you are just starting out is a planisphere. Pick one that's dew resistant (plastic covered). You can rotate the disc to see what the sky looks like on any day of the year at any time of the night. It's the best way to learn the sky and in my opinion it beats printing out maps from the computer X100. The David Chandler is IMO the best because it's easy to read in the dark. This is an accessory that you will use to learn the sky and the constellations and with your binos you will also be able to stop some of the most accessible objects (they are indicated on the planisphere). Also a big no no to look at your smartphone when observing! It kills your night vision: that is when the pupil in your eye is fully dilated to let in the maximum amount of light. When you look at the smartphone, because it is bright, your eye instinctively contracts and as a result less light enters your eye, so it's harder to spot objects. It takes about 10-15 min to come back. You need to get yourself a planisphere and a red light to read it in the dark. Planisphere can be bought for less than 2 issues fo the magasine and it;s accessory you will use for a long time! Also great to have a quick look to see what's visible tonight.
Hi Aiesh, I find that this web site - http://www.skymaps.com/downloads.html - is a great source for easy to use charts and info, mind you I am a bit biased as the creator is a South Australian and a member of the Astronomical Society of South Australia. Saying that a lot of good info and a monthly chart for specific latitudes.
Now coming back to the original question, is there a book which explains all this step by step. I am looking for a book which acts like a guide to navigate the sky.
Thanks,
Jimmy
Try 'Turn Left at Orion' a book which brings it down to easy to follow steps to start finding your way around the sky.
Also if you haven't got it already download Stellarium (free) to your PC. You can set it up to your own location and time so it will show what is within view above you currently. Then you can research and walk outside to compare. Gives quite a realistic view and is easy to use. You'll get the hang of it from that and you can match any printed charts to it and the real thing.
When I first started I used "Peterson Field Guides - Stars and Planets". I thought it was quite good. Even when I picked up my Sky Atlas 2000, I still used the field guide as well.
for easy to use charts and info, mind you I am a bit biased as the creator is a South Australian and a member of the Astronomical Society of South Australia. Saying that a lot of good info and a monthly chart for specific latitudes. 
