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ISBN:0582356555
Ian Ridpath Astronomy and Space Science English
Author: Ian Ridpath
ISBN13: 978-0582356559
Title: Norton's Star Atlas and Reference Handbook (19th Edition)
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ePUB size: 1332 kb
FB2 size: 1834 kb
DJVU size: 1982 kb
Language: English
Category: Astronomy and Space Science
Publisher: Prentice Hall; 19 edition (July 29, 1998)
Pages: 192

Norton's Star Atlas and Reference Handbook (19th Edition) by Ian Ridpath



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Professor Owen Gingerich, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics "Once in a blue moon a book appears to dramatically and forever change its subject; in short, the work becomes an indispensable resource for generations. Norton's Star Atlas is such a work. His works all have clarity and authority, and he is ideally suited to infuse new life into a classic.

Published July 29, 1998 by Prentice Hall.

Greg Laughlin, Astronomy Department,University of California, Santa Cruz,co-author of The Five Ages of the Universe.

Read by Ian Ridpath. Generations of amateur astronomers have called it simply Norton's: the most famous star atlas in the world. First published in 1910, prompted by the appearance of Halley's Comet, Norton's owes much of its legendary success to its uniqu Generations of amateur astronomers have called it simply Norton's: the most famous star atlas in the world

by Ridpath, Ian; Norton, Arthur P. (Arthur Philip). Publication date 2004.

Ian Ridpath has been a full-time writer, broadcaster and lecturer on astronomy and space for more than twenty-five years. Wil Tirion made his first star map in 1977. He has illustrated numerous books and magazines, including The Cambridge Star Atlas (Cambridge, 2001).

0 by Arthur P NortonIan RidpathTitle: Norton's 2000. Read full description. See details and exclusions. Hardback Book The Cheap Fast -Norton's Star Atlas and Reference Handbook by etc. Hardback Book The Cheap Fast. item 2 Norton's Star Atlas and Reference Handbook by etc. item 3 Norton's 2000. 0 by Arthur P NortonIan Ridpath -Norton's 2000. 0 by Arthur P NortonIan Ridpath.

Norton, Arthur P. Uniform Title: Star atlas and reference handbook (epoch 2000. 0 : star atlas and reference handbook (epoch 2000. Bibliography, etc. Note: Includes bibliographical references and index.

Generations of amateur astronomers have called it simply Norton's - the most famous Star Atlas in the world. It's immediate success was largely due to Norton's uniquely accessible accessible arrangement of maps in slices, or 'gores' each covering approximately one-fifth of the sky, and its inclusion of stars visble to the naked-eye.

Reviews: 7
Mala
It has both
- good star atlas
- amateur astronomy handbook
in very compact format.
With widespread of Dobsonian reflector, deep sky objects like clusters, nebulae and galaxies are the center of interestes, but they are not so impressive with small refractors.
This book is mostly targeted toward solar system objects, double star and variable stars which are good objects for small telesopes.
So, this book is not good for owners of Dobsonian reflectors, but especially well suited for owners of small refractors.
Bulace
In a previous review I expressed disappointment that a printing error seriously marred the usefulness of the latest edition of this updated classic. Well, the publisher tracked me down and sent a copy of the second printing. I am delighted to report that all the errors have been fixed and this new edition is a wonderful addition to any amateur astronomer's bookshelf (or eyepiece case). The text begins with excellent discussions of time and celestial coordinate systems (often confusing to beginner and long-timer alike). The new higher contrast moon maps are a major improvement over the washed-out maps in some previous editions. The heart of the atlas are the 16 starcharts, presented in the two-disk/six gore format familiar to lovers of the previous editions of the Norton's. These maps are more readable than ever, giving visual precidence to the stars themselves rather than labels, grid lines, etc. A thoughtful touch was to print the charts with a generous gutter margin so that stars near the celestial equator don't get trapped out of sight down in the spine of the book. As a matter of style I differ (perhaps) with another reviewer who would have liked to have seen color photographs--I guess I am nostalgic for the familiar "Norton's Green" and appreciate that editor Ridpath and designer Nix have continued the tradition in what is otherwise a major update of the classic. They are to be commended for this beautiful, useful, and authoritative book.
Ienekan
In the Late 1950s, in Junior HighSchool, I had a 6" f/8 Cave Astrola reflector that I used virtually all the time. The only star guide I had was a hard bound copy of Norton's Star Atlas. I have no idea what edition it was but it was about 1/3 as thick as the 20th edition. The star maps are still there, black stars on a white background, thank goodness, but there is the huge addition of editorial material that I am finding to be a great resource for information, both current and historical. I'm pleased with the purchase. If you are look for star maps only, this probably isn't the one for you. But if you like to have a handy information resource on hand while star gazing, this can prove to be very useful. Check out the table contents and see what you think.
Cyregaehus
Norton's has weaknesses which other reviewers have pointed out, to be sure, but a tremendous advantage is its layout of the star charts. Unlike most other charts out there, it shows huge swaths of the sky (60 degrees north to 60 degrees south, and well over 4 hours in RA) just as you see them when you're out in the dark trying to get oriented in Deep Heaven. Other charts show little chunks of sky--Norton's shows just what you see in a great wide band from well behind the zenith to further south than most of us will ever see.
And as someone else pointed out, the reference material interleaved between the sky charts, though not exhaustive, is very useful. I use Norton's constantly along with the Sky Atlas 2000 and Burnham's Celestial Handbook (and websites to update Burnham's data), and the combination of the three is perfect for most of my own observing. I have dozens of other books on my shelves but these are the ones I rely on.
For teaching astronomy I substitute the Audubon Field Guide to the Night Sky for the Sky Atlas and Burnham's, and my students love it because Norton's helps them find their way around the sky and the Field Guide description of the constellations tells them about what they see. If I were stranded on a desert island (hope, hope) and couldn't take my beloved and well-annotated Sky Atlas 2000 and Burnham's, I'd take Norton's and the Audubon Field Guide as a very good substitute. I always recommend Norton's, the Audubon Field Guide, and binoculars to beginners--the Sky Atlas 2000, Burnham's, and a telescope can come later (or sooner, for the passionate).
Ddilonyne
The content of this atlas is superb. Having started with a 13th edition in 1959, I have learned to love the layout of the charts and in this edition they show up beautifully under red lght. The reference notes in the 20th edition are still have the same idiosyncratic style as the old edition, even though the content has been completely changed to reflect the advances in astronomy over 50 years. It is a delight to browse through the reference notes and use the atlas when observing. Now for the bad news. You shouldn't really use it, except as a coffee table exhibit. My 13th edition is still in good condition after extensive use, but after less than a year of not very robust use, the 20th has now cracked at the spine and pages have started coming out. It astounds me that the publishers can invest so much effort in producing a product with such high quality content and then proceed to use an inferior binding. Star altases have to be taken into the field and roughed up a bit and get a little damp with dew. If they can't handle this, there is no point in buying them.
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