Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas Jumbo Edition Jumbo ed. Edition

I have and I really enjoy the original "Pocket" atlas. So I wondered if this larger version would be worth the extra price. I couldn't resist and I'm glad I didn't. The Jumbo edition is fantastic. It's a practical tool in a reading chair, desk, or next to your telescope under the stars. The bigger size is especially helpful to anyone who benefits from bigger fonts and graphics -- nearly everyone over 45.The construction is well done. The covers are hard and the front cover can wrap behind the back. The spiral binding actually has a little nicer arrangement than the original. The pages are dew resistant -- the paper seems the same as the original. And the graphics are top notch, too -- good choices for fonts, icons, rules. Like any good atlas, the links to neighboring parts of the sky are easily found with cross references in the margin.If you had to chose only one edition, your two prime decisions factors would be print size and portability. If you need the larger fonts and graphics, the Jumbo is the easy call. Some people care about a small footprint for travel or a flexible cover for aggressive packing more than the print size. They could make a case for the original with its smaller dimensions and flexible cover. If you're deciding which edition to get as a gift, I think most astronomers would appreciate the Jumbo.BTW, people will tease that the Jumbo shouldn't be called a "pocket atlas". But in all frankness, the original didn't fit into any pockets, either.

By far the best and easiest astronomy charts I have ever used . I have been astronomy for over 30 years . I have had all kinds of star chart books most were either to advanced showed stars that were to dim mag 9 or mag12 or were just plain confusing to use . These charts are great for unaided eyes star gazing or use with binocualrs or a small telescope. I do astro photography it is prefect for this as well they show dim nebula that are only seen through photos . I will have targets for my binoculars and telescope as well as my camera. It is super clearly written, and easy to read with a red LED flashlight I never under the stars was like what am I lookig at here? For star hopping its the best charts I have ever used . I am not good at star hopping . With my binoculars I star hopped to all kimds of stuff I was never able to find in binoculars or a telescope . This book of charts is also the perfect size . I put the books and charts on my car trunk and then use my optics near the car . It fit well on my trunk any bigger it would be a pain in the but to lug around any smaller I might not be able to relistically find stuff its the right size . There are star charts out there that are made for deep sky stuff more exclusively and they are great for what they are made for but for small telescopes and general observation of the night sky these charts are perfect and easy to use . The way these charts are numbered makes it very easy to use under a dark sky and with a red LED flashlight I love the big page numbers and well defined charts . Another cool thing is you can fold it in half and focus on what you are looking at a section of the sky not the whole sky . I can go on and on about this set of charts I knwo these will be the ones I use for years to come go get these charts for casual or serious use under the stars . They dont go crazy deep on magnitudes either I think they go to mag 7 the literal limit one can see in the sky with out binocualrs or a telescope . Perfect companion for your adventures under the night sky great to use with astronomy sky software apps on the fire hd 8 for palnning observing sessions as well . Great charts and a super value for the needs of relistic amature astronomers .

One has to know where to find a given object or a given RA/DEC, then find the map number specific to that. And that process is more cumbersome and challenging in Kindle format. Secondly and most importantly, the value of the maps are size calibrated with a Telrad or Finder circle. In Kindle format because the zooming of the map on display is un-calibrated, that feature is so impractical that its pretty much non-existent. One would be better off with the book. But for those who need reading glasses, be prepared for the pocket size maps to require a pair of reading glasses with a extra magnification. The larger print publication might be worth the investment.

The atlas it as bit larger than A4 and comes as hard cover and spiral bound. The title is pretty accurate, it is a jumbo edition. But it makes it easy to read the charts which are full of information, showing star magnitudes, types of nebulae, sizes of galaxies, etc in some detail and easy to understand. Apart from the introduction and a description of how to use the atlas, it is divided into eight main parts, each representing a three hour section of the sky (10 charts per section). At the back of the atlas you will find some close-up charts as well as a fairly sizeable index.There are two niggles. One is that the pages are made from decent paper but could have been more solid, especially considering the spiral binding (I fear that some pages may make a bid for freedom after some Scottish windy nights). Second, the galaxies are printed in red and will therefore be difficult to identify out in the field using red light.

I bought this to learn more about the stars, constellations and astronomical features in the night sky after I purchased my first telescope. I am in no way an expert in space but I do hold an interest in it and this book was easy to read and includes some great illustrations. The spine is ring-binded so you can keep it open on any page you like. The only (minor) issue with the book is that some of the illustrations go across the spine and cut off small sections of information, but this is few and far between and you can still see what the illustration is about. Great little book if you're wanting to get into amateur astronomy.

Great star atlas really glad I bought it, I've owned the larger Sky Atlas 2000.0 Field Edition with stars down to mag 8.5 for years but have found it difficult to read as I've got older. Although limited to mag 7+ the Pocket Sky Atlas Jumbo Edition is much easier to read and really clear with a good representation of deep sky objects. The layout in 8 gourds with 10 charts to each makes it intuitive to use, a bit like Norton's, with excellent overlap between charts. Spiral binding means the charts lay completely flat, the whole Atlas feels "friendly".Just read Jerry Oltion's column in the May 2018 edition of Sky & Telescope where he mentions owning three copies which made me think...good idea, I'll buy the smaller true pocket edition for field use as well.

This atlas is A5 sized and so fits into the pocket quite easily. It is spiral bound and so will stay open at the pages selected, when you place in on a flat surface. This is a great bonus as you can cross-refer from the book to the night sky / telescope / binoculars quickly and without having to find the page again. I covered the outside covers in clear sticky backed film to give extra protection against any dew.Stars down to maginitude 7.6 are displayed on 80 main charts. The pages are in colour with significant objects easy to find. Arrows indicate the page number of the next page to check on the sky to the north/east/south/west which makes navigating across the sky simple. I am very pleased with this atlas and I am certain it will help improve my knowledge of the constellations. It is not as detailed as some of the more complex atlases but it is more than adequate for most casual users.

Easy to use whilst observing as long as you have a red light torch. Well made on thick paper so should have longevity.