Free star atlas

[Starkler]

Came across this today , a series of pdf files which when printed out make a star atlas going to magnitude seven.

Quoting from the page :

"The Mag-7 Star Atlas plots stars down to Magnitude 7.25, with double / multiple stars indicated by a thin horizontal bar. Plotted DSO's (Deep Sky Objects) include all objects on the Messier list, the RASC's finest NGC list, and the Herschell 400 list --- more than 550 DSO's in total. "

Get it here (http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=1052)

Well worth a :astron:

[ving]

gunna have to download it me thinks (and print it out)
many thanks

[ving]

printed, now to put them in plastic sleaves. many thanks again :D

[Starkler]

Have you run a highlighter over all the doubles yet Ving ?

[ving]

lol! no.
haven even thought about it. :D

[ballaratdragons]

David, don't use a highlighter pen. Those things are fluoro colours and might muck up your night vision LOL

[ving]

lmao!!!
night glow pen needed so i dont have to use a torch :P

[acropolite]

Thanks Geoff got it downloading now. Ving, why don't you pinprick your charts then backlight them.... :P

[Starkler]

Just bought myself a 20 sleeve A4 binder. Printed the maps at work. All up cost $1.60 :D

[h0ughy]

great for the price!

[ving]

hey I got ripped off! :(
myn was $2!

just for the record, I used the charts with graeat sucess on saturday night in leo and virgo :)

[seeker372011]

$1.48 at Officeworks today!

[ving]

I have now written page goto reference around the edges so I know what map joins where :)

used it to find the ghost of jupiter last night :)

[iceman]

Nice charts.. I wish the M and NGC objects were identified with more than just a red circle, so you could see what type of object they are. At the moment there's nothing to distinguish them as a galaxy, glob, open cluster, nebula etc.

Will print them out though, good charts for the price :D

[ving]

yup, my fav price too!
you know what tho mike, not knowing what they are isnt bad. you can hunt them down and find out :)
maybe then make a note of what type of objects they are:)

[Vermin]

I've compiled a chart index listing the constellations alphabetically and by midnight culmination month. Enjoy:

http://www.webclot.com/pub/Index.pdf

[Astroman]

Does anyone know of a place that could print and laminate aswell as bind all these maps onto A3 paper, for a reasonable price (cheap or free)? The A4 gets a little tricky to read.

[ving]

your local library.
mine has the printing facilities, laminating and binding.
its still not cheap tho

[Vermin]

You may want to hold off on laminating them, a revised addition with a few corrections could be on the site this weekend. Check out this email I got today:

On May 10, 2005 05:34 am, you wrote:
> Thanks for making these charts available, very handy!
>
> I've compiled a chart index listing the constellations alphabetically
> and by midnight culmination month and I thought others may benefit
> from it. Feel free to add to to your web site if interested.It can be
> found
> here:

[snip]

That's a great addition! I'll add a link to it from my project page this week (any additional credit I can mention? ie: Tom Luttrell of [your website/homepage, or company or whatever here] has compiled a chart index of constellations ...

>
> While on the subject of corrections, a few things I noted when making
> this index (for B&W charts):
>
> The southern constellation Apus is not named.
>
> Scorpius is called Scorpio on one of the three charts it appears on.
>
> Most of the constellations on chart 20 (southern polar region) are in
> black ink, as opposed to the grey used everywhere else.

I hope to be generating a revised edition in the near future (this weekend if possible) and I've put these on my list of things to address, Thanks!

cheers,
andrew

[orions eyes]

Thanks for the link they are pretty handy.

[Menno]

Hi
I am new here - so I don't know what's been discussed before. Anyway, are u guys/gals(?) aware of Cartes due Ciel (http://www.stargazing.net/astropc/)
Print a new map evey night at your desired magnification

or
Virtual Atlas of the Moon
(http://astrosurf.com/avl/UK_download.html) ?

[jjjnettie]

Hey, why don't you buy yourself a cheap laminator, about $40, and laminate all your charts. I've removed the All Sky Maps from Astronomy 2005, and laminated them. Easy to carry around, and they can't get wet.
One of the local schools has a poster size laminator. I might get them to do all the astronomy posters I've gotton out of old copies of National Geographic.

[davidpretorius]

help - i know where the pointers are and southern cross, how do i find them on the

http://www.cloudynights.com/documents/Chart-20.pdf

I thought that this is the best place for me to start with the star charts

[elusiver]

u mean find the southern cross on the star chart u linked to?



el :)

[davidpretorius]

thanks again, i am having trouble getting a starting point when someone says "uranus is in capricorn etc" i don't know where capricorn is. now at least i can start at the pointers and work my way from there. once i get a few reference stars i should be on my way

[Miaplacidus]

http://skymaps.com/

Not sure if these have been mentioned somewhere, but these downloadable charts are a great boon to amateur astronomers (even for those without scopes). You can print both Northern or Southern Hemisphere all sky charts for the current month, and a list of prime target objects too.

Enjoy, and good luck.

[confined]

Thanks for that Miaplacidus, this is a direct download link of the September atlas for the Southern Hemisphere:

http://skymaps.com/skymaps/esms0509.pdf

[RAJAH235]

A silly question to Davo. Do you have a planisphere??? :shrug: They are the easiest/simplest way of finding/locating the constellations etc etc. About $22 from Bintel etc etc... :D L.
ps. The large 'Chandler' is best.

[G00GS]

Yeah Thanx heaps!!

I printed them last night and showed the good wife, she imediantly took them out side and proceeded to hold it above her head whilst turning the page around (much the same way she reads a melways) and around to see if she could figure it out...

I dont need TV at home LOL

[radioactive]

My biggest problem where I live is finding a star! Leeds UK We get to see the moon ok like now when its full,Lol city life is so full of drawbacks.
To be honest its not as bad as the picture I paint but if it was not for say a sodium filter at times we would be hard pressed with the amount of light pollution we have around us even our club observertory has its problems (not that I am grumbling there its a great club) just pointing out facts
clear skyes everyone and have a great christmas lookin

[Dave47tuc]

Hey,
Mark (gts055) put me onto this one,

http://stellarium.sourceforge.net/

I have just put it on my pooter. Looks really cool. Can't go into any details but it looks good. I'm still learning how to use it.
Give it a go. It's about a 16meg download and have a newer type pooter :)

Enjoy.

[kosh]

I've been using stallarium for a few months now and really like it.
No mount control though. ( I think ).

Highly recommended.

[Spotty Albino]

Stupid question, but are the maps originally mentioned in this topic good for both hemispheres? Think I'll download + print them, although they might be a bit too detailed for my uses.

Thanks

[RapidEye]

Yeah - they are full for both North and South.
I doubt they go to too much detail though. My biggest complaint is that ALL of the DSO's use the same symbol! :screwy:

Take a look at the other free star chart thread - IMHO they are a better implementation!

[janoskiss]

Yes Taki's charts are the ones to get. The basic "star atlas" is mag 6.5 and there is also a huge mag 8.5 version. See:
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~zs3t-tk/index.htm

[Spotty Albino]

I donno, I like the fact that Taki's charts have the right aspect ratio for an a4 sheet, but the other ones suit me well because they show the constellation lines, and being a beginner that helps me navigate.

Thanks
Albino

[foehammer]

I've downloaded them and printed them on both a4 and a3 sizes for home and field use.. pretty handy I must say.. too bad they're not black background/white stars.

[Kay Star]

:newbie:

I'm kinda new to all of this, but the stars and the sky is so interesting and I want to learn all I can.....so I'll leave my e-mail and anyone who wants to help me out with any useful info feel free.....another thing :help: I want to start a career in astronomy...if anyone could give me some pointers AWESOME!!!!:thanks:

[rmcpb]

Kay Star,

Have a cruise in the Beginners Forum there is simply heaps of information there you will find useful.

Cheers

[Kay Star]

:thumbsup: thanks man.....u rock!!!!:rofl: :D :eyepop:

[DobDobDob]

Hi Kay Star, just to give you a bit of encouragement, you have been a member of this forum longer than me, so take heart. I have two lines of thought regarding your post.

The first being you are in the right place to learn all you will ever need to know about astronomy. The second thought about a career would IMHO involve formal education, as much as passion and desire are powerful tools, I suspect to become a professional astronomer you would need a good deal of formal education.

At the very least I suspect you would need to align yourself with an academic at a Uni. I am sure there have been people who actually got into astronomy and earn a good living from it without classic training, but I also suspect that they were probably a friend of a friend.

As I say, these are just a few random thoughts, never let mine or anyone elses opinion ever stop you from your dream.

[rmcpb]

Stumbled across this site (http://www.ngc891.com/index.php). It is a bit biased toward the northern hemisphere but the charts are VERY handy.

Cheers

[Mr. Subatomic]

Hey Guys, :computer:

About the Cloudy Nights Mag-7 Star Atlas Project, I was wondering what map the Southern Hemisphere starts on. I'm guessing all the maps showing declination 0 degrees and below show southern skies (from chart 8), but am I right about this?

Also, I understand that stars with a horizontal line running through them are double stars, but what do the circles represent. I'm guessing they represent deep sky objects, but is there a distincion between galaxies, nebulae, clusters, etc.?

By the way, it's a great atlas, I've made a nice portfolio with it!

Thanks! :thumbsup:

[Stevo69]

I am using 3 types of charts in the field, in order of resolution:
AAVSO's constellation charts (http://www.aavso.org/observing/charts/finder.shtml) (which I also use for variable stars).
Andrew Johnson's Mag-7 Star Atlas's (http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=1052) (from Cloudy Nights).
Taki's excellent 8.5 magnitude charts.Because I no longer have a 'scope, just bino's these charts are perfect for me. All are printed and in those clear plastic covers.
I keep my good charts (Tirion's and a 40 year old copy of Norton's, indoors).

hoo roo

[Kat]

Thanks for the info of the Evening Sky Map, have just downloaded Septembers and am looking forward to tonight to have a look at the sky with my kids. We homeschool and are presently using Karen Fullbrights book on Astronomy. Anyone with any good ideas to bring Astronomy to life let me know. Thanks :hi:

[§AB]

There's a second version, which is in full colour and contains different symbols for galaxies, nebulae, clusters etc. It also shows the milky way as a series of toned shading. It contains 21 charts and is available as an 18MB PDF file. Link http://www.archive.org/details/Mag_7_Star_Atlas

[mercedes_sl1970]

Hi everyone.

Here's a 3 part star atlas by Jose Torres - apologies if this is linked elsewhere

It's an impressive piece of work. Here's the link - click on the TriAtlas Project link in the top frame:
http://www.uv.es/jrtorres/

Andrew

[§AB]

wow that's a hell of an atlas right there! Thanks for the link. If my printer wasn't a POS, I'd print that thing in a second.

-stars to mag 12.6
-1200 Planetary nebulae
-1800 open clusters
-37,000 galaxies to mag 15.5
-all globular clusters
-hundreds of quasars

Sound's like a deep sky lover's delight.

[goober]

I had a play with that Torres atlas a while ago - there is a ton of stuff to download/print. I found it was too dense/detailed when printed onto A4.

[§AB]

how much would it cost to print and laminate 580 pages at a decent priinting place?


Seriously, I must have this atlas. As a deep sky nut, this is a dream come true.

[Stevo69]

Wow, I would like to get back into deep Sky stuff when the dob is complete. My only serious charts are Sky Atlas 2000 (packed away in a box somewhere).

I have downloaded them and may get a quote from the local printers to have them all printed on A3. I might get some test pages done first.

[§AB]

If you're successfull, please please let me know! That thing looks like its even more comprehensive than the MSA!

[dpastern]

I was just about to recommend this Atlas - it's the best atlas available, at least in terms of the number of objects. I never bought the MSA, but I do have a copy of Uranometria 2000.

Dave

PS On a side note, original Bayer Uranometria pages do appear from time to time on EBay etc, but are VERY expensive, usually 3 or 4 grand US per page/spread, and not in the best of conditions.

[AussieAaron]

Hey Guys, Im only new to this forum and to Astronomy so this Atlas is going to do me alot of good Thanks Heaps, Aaron

[dpastern]

Aaron, don't forget Cart de ciels and Stellarium. If you're on the Linux platform, kstars is also worth a look.

You can actually download the star chart making software and make your own charts to your own desire - simply tell the chart making software what catalogues to use, what limiting magnifications, format/size etc etc. I have a link somewhere to the software, I'd have to find it.

Dave

[AussieAaron]

Dave, Wow, That sounds awesome, That would do me alot of good, You know its a big surprise, Last time i was really into all this i had my own little white scope and that was it, Now these great huge telescopes at great prices and not to mention all this computer software to help you along and well its just amazing, I cant wait to get in and learn everything.

[dpastern]

When I get home, I'll find the link and post :-)

Dave

[AussieAaron]

Thanks Dave, Your a Champion, Aaron

[dpastern]

Here you go Aaron:

http://pp3.sourceforge.net/

:-) Found it eventually.

Some of you might like the Messier finder charts as well:

http://www.solarius.net/Pages/Articles/dbArticle.aspx?artid=messier_finder s

Dave

[AussieAaron]

Cheers Dave, It will really help alot, Thanks

[shy4x4]

Hey all,

I have been a member for some time but this is the first time I have posted.

Not sure if its been posted before but Microsoft have a similar thing to google sky (the whole "atlas" is made up of very detailed photos of the sky). Its called World Wide Telescope and is fun to use with guided tours (great for beginners) with music added.

http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/Home.aspx

Enjoy :)

Jase

[dabbeldi]

Hi,

I notice this thread is stickied, but the latest posts are from 2009, with a lot of links not working.

I've come across this free star atlas: http://www.deepskywatch.com/deep-sky-hunter-atlas.html

It has stars down to magnitude 10.2 and DSOs down to magnitude 14. So it is really detailed. There's also a list of DSOs, which I have been using as a guide for what to look at.

I have not checked it's accuracy, but found it worth sharing. Let me know if any of you have experience with this atlas.

[dabbeldi]

This free star atlas seems have three versions with different level of detail (mag 9, 11 and 13): http://www.uv.es/jrtorres/triatlas.html

[Morgenstern]

I use this star atlas all the time and it's brilliant. Not messy with details but shows most of what you can see with 10-12 inch scope.
I printed it out on A3, laminated and bound with hinged rings exactly the way the author did http://www.deepskywatch.com/images/deepskyatlas/deep-sky-atlas-printed-s.jpg

[cruxo]

This looks great. Thanks for the link.
Craig

[bigjoe]

Heres another really good one by Japanese amateur Toshimi Taki.

http://www.geocities.jp/toshimi_taki/

bigjoe.

[janoskiss]

Yes, Taki's Atlas been around a while. It's very good. Looks like a labour of love. He's done a lot of other great stuff too.

[N5SE]

awesome

[AlexD]

Thanks for the links, really helpful.

[wizdmkeepr]

this is great - thank you so much

[idsteph]

Thanks very helpful

[astrod]

This is super useful. Thanks for sharing.

[Domino]

In the early 2000's I used the Herald Boproff Star Atlas for setting up a nights observation. The atlas contained numerous large format coated pages showing wide, medium and small areas of the sky. Mainly used in the field. Over time I progressed to using an iPad and finished up purchasing the SkySafari software, which I still use today. Great piece if software.

[BarbaraGilbert]

Hi I'm new to this forum and astronomy as well. Thanks a lot!