Paper Based Star Charts

[Sconesbie]

All the star charts I have, either in books or ones I print off, require you to hold them upside down in the air to find the correct placement of the object in the sky. It's a bit hard in the darkness to read the map with one hand holding it and the other hand holding the torch (red light).

Is there another way that other members utilise these maps to make things easier? Last night I tried drawing my own star map based on charts that I have but fear it isn't accurate as trying to do it in reverse doesn't come that easy for me. I've even tried tracing them on paper from the other side of the page of the book or magazine. There's an art to it, that's for sure.

Perhaps magazines and those who prepare the charts could publish them in reverse for us so we can hold them "normally" when outside.

Any thoughts?

[zenith]

There are good charts here which also include objects to find each month (unaided, binocular or telescope). Just find the southern chart for the current month, and maybe even print it reversed/upside-down if that suits you?
http://www.skymaps.com/downloads.html

I think the real trick is to be familiar with just a few targets during normal lighting before going out into the dark, and only using the map as a quick reminder.

I mainly use Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas, but only after you are practiced at using larger maps showing more sky. Sometimes I use Stellarium on a laptop or SkEye on a smart phone.

Another trick is to put a small post-it note on the map so that it is easy to find in the dark with a red torch.

Regards Tim.

[barx1963]

Unfortunately we are up against the astronomers dilemma, most of the interesting stuff to look at is in the south but most of the astronomers are in the north, and they get to determine the way charts are printed!!
Over time you get very used to reading NGC numbers upside down.
Of course that is not the case all over the sky, observing objects in the LMC right at the moment where its positioned means everything matches the charts!!

These cahrts at least are published with South up http://www.bintel.com.au/Accessories/Books--Charts-and-Software/Star-Chart-Laminated---CD-ROM/655/productview.aspx

Malcolm

[Clancy Lane]

Scott,

Atlas of the Southern Night Sky revised Third edition by Steve Massey & Steve Quirk has the correct orientation for Southern Skies.

Available from My Astro Shop website.

regards,

Phil

[Robh]

One of the reasons I created Night Sky Objects (now Version 3). Northern constellations have been flipped.

https://sites.google.com/site/southernastronomer/

You can download and print the pdf (bottom of web-page) or just use the maps on a tablet.

Regards, Rob

[Renato1]

Hi Rob,
I've just had a look at your pdf and I wish I'd had Night Sky Objects when I was first starting out. Would have saved me a lot of frustration compared to what I was using back then. Very good job!
Cheers,
Renato

[SteveInNZ]

I bet they got a lot of um, feedback about that.
I don't suppose they changed from the red ink for constellation names too, did they ?

Sconsbie, you might find it easier to find/print/make a chart that just covers what you are looking for and an area you are familiar with. So if you were looking for comet Lovejoy, use a chart that has Taurus and the Pleiades. If you need to, use your all-sky chart to find Taurus from Orion and then the smaller one to star hop from there

Steve.