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David Chandler's Night Sky Planisphere (Large) - Southern Hemisphere
| Brand | David Chandler Company |
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Product Info
Manufacturer Description
Sky & Telescope magazine adopted David Chandler's Night Sky Planisphere in 1976 and has promoted it ever since. The Night Sky is widely recognized by the amateur astronomy and educational communities as the overall best planisphere on the market!
David Chandler Company's plastic planispheres are available in Large and Small sizes
Sizes: Large (10" x 8.5") with 8" diameter map, Small (6.25" x 5") with 5" diameter map
Latitude Ranges: 20°-30°, 30°-40°, 40°-50°, 50°-60° North
The Night Sky Planisphere is printed with dark stars on a light background for easy nighttime readability. The constellations are drawn simply, emphasizing the brighter stars. Coordinate grid lines are shown without being intrusive. A selection of deep sky objects for binocular viewing is included. With instructions printed on the back for handy reference you will be locating constellations and select deep sky objects within minutes.
These versions are made in the USA using durable plastic facing for the front and back and are secured with no-corrosion brass rivets. These planispheres are built to last; you will probably go through several telescope upgrades in your lifetime but will never need to upgrade your planisphere.
Selecting the Right Chart for Your Latitude
You should choose a planisphere version based on the location (your latitude) from which you will be observing. Each latitude version of The Night Sky is optimized for the specific latitude zone to provide accurate horizons and minimum distortion.
You can refer to the maps below to help choose the correct latitude version. If you are located directly on a separator line, either planisphere will work well, but we recommend you purchase the one closer to the equator.
See a Map of North America to choose your latitude zone
See a Map of the World to choose your latitude zone
The Distortion Solution! Conventional planispheres severely distort the sky near the southern horizon. The distortion results from trying to stretch the whole dome of the sky onto a single flat map. The Night Sky is NOT a conventional planisphere! No flat map can remove all distortion, but The Night Sky eliminates over 90% of the distortion inherent in conventional 1-sided planispheres.
The Night Sky is Designed to be Used!
- Unlike coffee-table planispheres, The Night Sky is printed with dark stars on a light background, for easy nighttime readability.
- The constellations are drawn simply, emphasizing the brighter stars. (The constellation patterns were designed in collaboration with the editors of Sky & Telescope magazine.)
- Coordinate grid lines are shown without being intrusive. Coordinates are shown because they can be useful for cross referencing with star atlases.
- A selection of deep sky objects for binocular viewing is included. It is important to point out to beginners that the best first telescope is a pair of binoculars. You may already have what it takes to start observing tonight!
- The Night Sky is larger than it looks! The map scale is larger than on similar-size planispheres because the whole sky does not have to be shown on a single map. Even the 5" pocket version is large enough to be very readable. Actual size is 10 x 8.5 x .15 in.
Reviews
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petergillette New Member
- Skill Level
- Unknown
- Time with Product
- Unknown
- User Notes:
- Review by Peter G.
Apr 23, 2019Not what I'd hoped for, but...
Pros: Cons: Comments:Having ordered this along with a Messier Observer's Planisphere for a friend, I found this one to be underwhelming. Although both were described as "large", this one is small in my hands, with less information and a display that is split between the North view on one side of the unit and the South view on the flip side. For my money, I should have bought the Messier unit, for it's resolution and for the extensive information it contains on front and back.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? NoThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Feb 17, 2019The Night Sky, meridian transits
Pros: Cons: Comments:The Night Sky enjoys universal praise as a tool for identifying celestial objects. It is equally valuable for identifying when a celestial object, say Regulus, will cross an observer's meridian. Simply place Regulus on a line through both punched holes, then scan all the date/time pairs below the horizon. An 8 inch diameter/360 degree protractor is a convenient tool for visualizing the line.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? YesThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Oct 28, 2018Planispheres Rule.
Pros: Cons: Comments:This is a wonderful tool. It works in the field and is also quite a nice educational aid to learn the night sky. I used to spend time printing star charts, or dragging out a full book of charts from which I only needed one or two pages. Now, If I am taking out a scope, for visual or photographic use, my planisphere is with me. It is also very helpful if you align a GEM mount and you need to choose between a star in Grus or Cetus. Good luck findig those by memory! This is also very nice for forecasting up coming skies in the months ahead. As we all suffer through more cloudy weather than ever, it is important to plan ahead and be prepared to get the most out of that night of decent conditions. It doesnt show all the Messier objects, or a lot of galaxies, but it has all you need to get busy and get the most out of your equipment. It also avoids the common problem most magazines giving you when they provide only a 10pm sky chart. Some of the best conditions occur much later in the night, and a planisphere can show you the sky for any date or time of the day or night you choose.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? YesThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Jul 10, 2017Nice product!
Pros: Cons: Comments:This planisphere turned out to be everything I expected. And, I was very pleased with the quality of manufacture. Easy to read by red-light, type size great for my aged eyes (this is the larger size item). I am sure I will have this for a long time to come.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? YesThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Zigarro Well-Known Member
- Skill Level
- Unknown
- Time with Product
- Unknown
- User Notes:
- Review by Zigarro
Jan 28, 2017Best Planisphere I've Seen!
Pros: Cons: Comments:I can't improve on "alanoodle's" review but I just wanted to say how easy this aid is to read- day and night. I have the Pocket Sky Atlas (jumbo) but for speedy location of primary constellations and targets, this planisphere can't be topped!
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? YesThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Oct 11, 2013This is a fascinating guide, I gave one
Pros:Easy to Use,Compact,Strong Construction,Lightweight,Accurate
Cons: Comments:I camped out all summer as a raft guide, this map kept me occupied for hours, I loved it.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? YesThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
May 26, 2009A Must Have
Pros:Compact,Strong Construction,Accurate
Cons: Comments:The Planisphere is a must have for anyone...from the hobby star gazer to the pros. If you're interested in learning more about the night sky, this item is for you.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? YesThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
alanoodle Member
- Skill Level
- Unknown
- Time with Product
- Unknown
- User Notes:
- Review by alanoodle of New York.
May 22, 2009The Night Sky Planisphere
Pros:Low-distortion chart,Durable,Moisture proof plastic,Easy to read
Cons:Glare from flashlight
Comments:The Night Sky from David Chandler is like other planispheres. It has a plastic-laminated star wheel mounted in a cover with an oval window. Rotating the wheel and matching the date with the local standard time shows a pretty accurate representation of the constellations visible in that window.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? Yes
The easy to read chart, printed with blue stars and markings on a white background also shows the Celestial Equator and the Ecliptic as well as equatorial R.A. markers at 3h intervals, each with cross hatches marking off Declination in 10 degree intervals. Also marked off are some brighter Deep Space Objects and various markers like the Summer Triangle, the Winter Hexagon and the Milky Way.
The Night Sky is different from other planispheres because of one feature. If you compare the visible stars on the chart with the actual sky, you'll find that the southernmost 30 degrees or so is cut off at the perimeter of the chart. Flip The Night Sky on its back, however and you'll see a planisphere chart of the Southern horizon to an altitude of about 50 degrees with much less distortion than you'd normally see in a one-sided planisphere.
If The Night Sky planisphere has any shortcomings, it's that the glossy plastic may cause some glare when a flashlight (preferably a red one) is shined on it. This can be avoided by making sure that a flashlight is aimed at an angle.
In conclusion, David Chandler's The Night Sky would be just another decent planisphere except for the unique 2-sided design which makes it a better planisphere. The Night Sky actually improves on a long time proven design.This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Sep 9, 2007The Night Sky Planisphere
Pros:Low-distortion Southern Horizon chart; easy to read; durable, moisture proof plastic.
Cons:Glossy plastic may cause glare from a flashlight.
Comments:The Night Sky from David Chandler is like other planispheres. It has a plastic-laminated star wheel mounted in a cover with an oval window. Rotating the wheel and matching the date with the local standard time shows a pretty accurate representation of the constellations visible in that window.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? Yes
The easy to read chart, printed with blue stars and markings on a white background also shows the Celestial Equator and the Ecliptic as well as equatorial R.A. markers at 3h intervals, each with cross hatches marking off Declination in 10 degree intervals. Also marked off are some brighter Deep Space Objects and various markers like the Summer Triangle, the Winter Hexagon and the Milky Way.
The Night Sky is different from other planispheres because of one feature. If you compare the visible stars on the chart with the actual sky, you'll find that the southernmost 30 degrees or so is cut off at the perimeter of the chart. Flip The Night Sky on its back, however and you'll see a planisphere chart of the Southern horizon to an altitude of about 50 degrees with much less distortion than you'd normally see in a one-sided planisphere.
If The Night Sky planisphere has any shortcomings, it's that the glossy plastic may cause some glare when a flashlight (preferably a red one) is shined on it. This can be avoided by making sure that a flashlight is aimed at an angle.
In conclusion, David Chandler's The Night Sky would be just another decent planisphere except for the unique 2-sided design which makes it a better planisphere. The Night Sky actually improves on a long time proven design.Sort by
