Messier Planisphere

Description

The Messier Observer's Planisphere is the ultimate guide to the night sky!  Dial in the date and time, then hold the beautifully drawn sky map up in front of you to see what stars and constellations are currently visible overhead.  Galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, and asterisms are clearly shown on the map, making them easy to locate in a telescope or binoculars.

On the Front

• The large star chart is easy to see, even with dark adapted vision.
• Constellations are drawn with simple figures that are easy to visualize on the sky.  Observers can easily identify bright stars and orient themselves to the night sky.
• Stars are labelled with proper names and Bayer designations  for easy reference.
• All 110 Messier objectsare displayed on the star chart, in addition to more than 25 popular NGC objects.  An observer can locate and observe all of the Messier objects using this planisphere as their only reference.
• Coordinate grid makes locating objects by right ascension and declination a snap.
• Light shading shows the path of the Milky Way across the night sky.
• Locator charts help observers locate difficult and frequently misidentified objects.
• Shooting-star icons identify peak dates for meteor showers

On the Back

• Reference table lists Messier and NGC objects showing object type, description, coordinates, brightness, constellation, and distance.
• Sun, Moon, and  Planet reference shows distance, light travel time, diameter, legth of rotation period (day), and length of orbit period (year).
• Messier Marathon Order table shows optimal sequence for observing during March Messier Marathon.
• Meteor Shower reference shows peak dates and intensities.
• Locator charts help observers locate difficult and frequently misidentified objects.
• Large Virgo locator chart helps observers easily identify Messier galaxies in Virgo.