Bright Star Atlas 2000.0 New Edition (Mini review)

I've had a copy of Wil Tirion's _Bright Star Atlas 2000.0_ for years.
It's just always in with my stargazing stuff and comes on camping trips.
I generally had been using _Sky Atlas 2000.0_ much more often with my
10" dob. But recently i purchases a Tele Vue 76 and rediscovered the
Bright Star Atlas as being very well suited for the small 3" scope.
Since my original copy has been dragged around for 10+ years i figured
it a good time to order a new copy. Checking the Willmann-Bell website
(http://www.willbell.com/) i saw they were selling for $9.95 so i
ordered two... one to keep in my stargazing kit, and maybe a spare to
keep at home or at work. I also noticed the website said "Now Shipping
New Edition". Hm, interesting. I didn't know there was a new addition!
My copies arrived today. I'm quite impressed with the changes. The
charts seem more precise somehow. Finer symbols and just generally a
tighter/cleaner feel. (I've not yet compared the texts to see what, if =
any,
changes are there.) One thing i really like is now galaxy symbols show
the actual orientation in the sky whereas the old version showed all
galaxies as horizontal ovals. Another welcome change is the Milky Way
shading. The original was a sort of darkish green. It was really hard to
see things through the green when viewing with a red LED light at night.
The new version is a lighter blue that seems easier to read at night.
(Frankly, i'd rather have no shading at all for the Milky Way.) Another
nice addition are the closeup charts for the Pleiades and Orion's sword.
(A closeup for the Virgo galaxy cluster would be nice too... Maybe in
the next edition?) Brian Skiff is now listed along with Wil Tirion on
the cover. Not sure who was behind the changes but i'm very pleased.
Good job!

-Florian at Stargazing dot com

I agree. My BSA comes out every night along with my SA2000.0. It's perfect
for naked-eye and for getting oriented. Just my 2 cents worth.

Scott
"Florian" wrote in message
...
I've had a copy of Wil Tirion's _Bright Star Atlas 2000.0_ for years.
It's just always in with my stargazing stuff and comes on camping trips.
I generally had been using _Sky Atlas 2000.0_ much more often with my
10" dob. But recently i purchases a Tele Vue 76 and rediscovered the
Bright Star Atlas as being very well suited for the small 3" scope.
Since my original copy has been dragged around for 10+ years i figured
it a good time to order a new copy. Checking the Willmann-Bell website
(http://www.willbell.com/) i saw they were selling for $9.95 so i
ordered two... one to keep in my stargazing kit, and maybe a spare to
keep at home or at work. I also noticed the website said "Now Shipping
New Edition". Hm, interesting. I didn't know there was a new addition!
My copies arrived today. I'm quite impressed with the changes. The
charts seem more precise somehow. Finer symbols and just generally a
tighter/cleaner feel. (I've not yet compared the texts to see what, if any,
changes are there.) One thing i really like is now galaxy symbols show
the actual orientation in the sky whereas the old version showed all
galaxies as horizontal ovals. Another welcome change is the Milky Way
shading. The original was a sort of darkish green. It was really hard to
see things through the green when viewing with a red LED light at night.
The new version is a lighter blue that seems easier to read at night.
(Frankly, i'd rather have no shading at all for the Milky Way.) Another
nice addition are the closeup charts for the Pleiades and Orion's sword.
(A closeup for the Virgo galaxy cluster would be nice too... Maybe in
the next edition?) Brian Skiff is now listed along with Wil Tirion on
the cover. Not sure who was behind the changes but i'm very pleased.
Good job!

-Florian at Stargazing dot com






-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

"Florian" wrote in message
...

Not sure who was behind the changes but i'm very pleased.
Good job!


Not having a clue about any previous editions, I can only say that, IMHO,
the BSA is the best thing going for the novice who knows how to read a star
chart.

I also have Norton's and there's really no comparison. Norton's might have
been as good, if it came with the charts and catalogs separated from the
main text (been so long since I've had mine out, I can't remember if it has
catalogs). Not sure why it is that some of these books that provide charts,
wrap them into the main text, which you aren't going to be reading in the
field at night. That was my only negative criticism of _Nigh****ch_ as well.
Great introductory books both, and Norton's was my first star charts, but
the BSA gets used at the scope, a lot, while Norton's is lost around here
somewhere. Come to think of it, I haven't had my SA2000 out for a while
either since getting the BSA. Guess I'm a minimalist at heart.

-Stephen

Nice on the update information.

I'll make a pitch for Edmund's Mag 6 Star Atlas, one that keeps getting
overlooked (and led to my BSA literally gathering dust bunnies!).

Large scale, good big picture sky views, with wonderful close up pages
of the Orion, Sagittarius, AND the Virgo cluster. It has a great
selection of objects on the charts with excellent, pithy readable
descriptions on the facing page (DSOs, double stars, & variable stars).

The one thing I wish it had were double stars marked on the charts
themselves, but after a few years of observing with it, many are now
marked in anyway.

Larry Stedman
Vestal

I'll make a pitch for Edmund's Mag 6 Star Atlas, one that keeps getting =

overlooked (and led to my BSA literally gathering dust bunnies!).=20


I think i have the Edmund's atlas too someplace. ;-)

-Florian, star atlas junkie

Larry Stedman wrote in message ...
Nice on the update information.

I'll make a pitch for Edmund's Mag 6 Star Atlas, one that keeps getting
overlooked (and led to my BSA literally gathering dust bunnies!).

Large scale, good big picture sky views, with wonderful close up pages
of the Orion, Sagittarius, AND the Virgo cluster. It has a great
selection of objects on the charts with excellent, pithy readable
descriptions on the facing page (DSOs, double stars, & variable stars).

The one thing I wish it had were double stars marked on the charts
themselves, but after a few years of observing with it, many are now
marked in anyway.

Larry Stedman
Vestal

Larry, I agree with you totally. I like the size of the Mag 6 atlas &
there is something about the way it is drawn, that I find appealing.
It's basically my double star atlas with all sorts of notations
written in. Plus, I like it's double star list much better than the
BSA. I do use the BSA if I am trying to plot the exact location of a
comet or one of the faint planets, since the coordinates are up to
date.