interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas: Desk Edition

Absolutely gorgeous Star Atlas. Top notch production values.Although computerized star atlases are fast replacing their paper predecessors, there is still a place for a printed star atlas, which is why the German language version of this one sold out in Europe.It seems to have just the right amount of detail, includes constellation lines, which I find very helpful, spiral bound, so will lay flat when open, or you can even fold it back on itself so it only takes up the space of one open page. None of the color codes are in red, so they will all show up under a red light (if you elect to take it outdoors, although there is a field edition for that use). There is a bit of overlap between the pages making it easier to follow from one page to the connecting page.Deep sky objects are shaded according to how visible they should appear in various aperture telescopes - 4 inch, 8 inch, 12 inch, and greater than 12 inch. I would take these classifications with a grain (or two) of salt. The author states that the classifications are based on what can be seen under a reasonably dark rural sky. For example, the California Nebula, NGC 1499, is shown as visible in a 4 inch telescope. Perhaps. Yet in consulting the "Night Sky Observer's Guide Volume 1" it states that NGC 1499, even for 8 to 10 inch scopes, "...is very disappointing and difficult to detect visually." (There is not even an entry for 4 to 6 inch scopes, as there is for other deep sky objects when appropriate).This is not to say that the classification provided by this Atlas is not valuable. It is, and it is the first time a star atlas has provided any such aid for deep sky objects. I am just saying that it is always wise to consult another source when in doubt.The Atlas has numerous other useful features as well. A number of nebulas have a small symbol attached which indicates which filter you should use for best viewing. The size of the deep sky object is proportional to the visual size of the object in the sky. Double stars are indicated by symbols showing the separation, position angle, and magnitude (brightness) difference between the two stars. All of this is valuable information for observers. A reviewer in one of the astronomy forums went out with the atlas for a night of observations and found all of the double stars that he checked to be correct in the Atlas.So, without a doubt, the very best star atlas to become available in years. Highly recommended.

This is a great deep sky (and other things) atlas. It is very detailed and the color scheme makes it easy and a pleasure to use. I'm surprised that it isn't better known in the astronomy community. The obvious comparison is with Uranometria 2000. Uranometria is printed only in black and white. The pages in this atlas are printed edge to edge, while those of Uranometria are framed. The scale of the two is very close, with Uranometria having a scale about 20% larger. The faintest stars and other objects plotted is very similar (mag 9.5 for stars). In terms of useability, I believe that the color scheme and the continuous pages give this atlas a significant advantage. It uses a typeface and color scheme that shows what objects are visible with various sizes of telescopes. It is a bit more expensive than Uranometria, but worth every penny. Each 2 page spread covers about 2h 20' x 18 deg, compared to 1h 40' x 12 deg for Uranometria. All in all, a very worthwhile reference. Neither of these star atlases is a substitute for a lower-resolution atlas such as the Cambridge Star atlas, each chart of which shows more of the sky. But for detailed planning, the Interstellarum is hard to beat.

After doing research on which sky atlas to buy, I settled on this one. Because I want to have a really good sky atlas to pair with my new 12" Dobsonian. The quality of this atlas is really good, high-quality paper, color maps, and you can see which objects can be seen for 4", 8" and 12" telescopes, this is really great for me, because I have a 4", 8" and 12" telescope at home, and always want to have something that can tell me which one can be seen in which telescope. I also want to buy a Deep Sky Guide to see all the nice images/sketches, but it is a little pricy at this moment, hope it will be cheaper later. I haven't used it in the field yet, but it seems the quality is really good that even this desk edition should last long in the field.

a spectacular achievement in printing and 12 years of astronomical scholarship, this is incontestably the premier deep sky atlas for 21st century astronomers. the scale is 1º = 1.5 cm in the main charts, with stars down to magnitude 9.5, and down to magnitude 11 in the almost 30 larger scale detail charts of rich milky way fields, open clusters, galaxy groups and the magellanic clouds. there is an exhaustive index of deep sky objects, grouped by type (open clusters, nebulae, galaxies, etc.) and double stars from the WDS are indicated in the charts as well.with its fine level of detail and the subtle shading that indicates the minimum aperture at which objects are visible, i don't believe this is a practical atlas for the field. but as a desk reference, even compared to the millennium star atlas, it is unsurpassed in utility and breadth.

I have several books to find and identify the location and how visible a deep space object. Of all of these the interstellarum is the best. The color-coded system, the equivalent size of the DSO, and the page size is best and adequate for viewing and locational work in degrees and hours. This is the most practical book for star and DSO identification before going out to stargazing!

Being very new to the amateur astronomy gig, this star atlas is extremely intuitive and so well designed aesthetically. Perfect for me, the beginner astronomer, and clearly defines what can be seen through 4", 8", and 12" scopes. I paired this up with a planosphere and now I fell totally set for the hobby.It has been more pleasing to me looking at star charts on paper than trying to use star-map type apps on the phone or iPad when not actively looking at the sky. I can't imagine needing a more sophisticated star atlas at my level and from the looks of the more comprehensive on the market (and there are only a few) this was the most pleasing to look at and the most current.