The Astrophotography Sky Atlas

Without doubt, this is one of the best purchases I've made in recent memory. The "Astrophotography Sky Atlas" contains a wealth of information in a single volume; I can only begin to imagine the amount of time and effort that went into its production. An especially unique and helpful feature of this atlas is its plotting of objects in differently shaded colors to represent their respective brightness as photographic targets. In addition to the usual Messier, NGC and IC objects, the atlas plots the Sharpless, RCW, vdB and Abell catalogs of emission and reflection nebulae, as well as a selection of dark nebulae and supernova remnants. The Object Index is very detailed and cross-referenced and includes object type, location, size, alternate names in other catalogs, ideal dates for viewing, etc. This is a "must have" for those new to astrophotography, as it contains all of the most important information needed for selecting and locating targets, and it will certainly be of value to the experienced astrophotographer as well. I write very few reviews of my purchases; however, this is one I felt compelled to write given the value of this atlas.

Recently I discovered the magic of night vision astronomy. Under my heavily light-polluted suburban sky, this is a game changer. With a gen3 night vision device coupled with either long-pass or narrow-band filters, the night sky is literally full of wonders! You will see DSO's, especially emission nebulae, that you'd have never dreamed of seeing visually (well, NV is not exactly "visual", but quite close). This is where the Astrophotography Sky Atlas really shines. While traditional star maps (including the venerable SkyAtlas 2000 or Interstellarum) will mark more DSO's than you ever need, they usually don't show how BIG they really are. This atlas draws nebulae to scale, with correct shape, and even with different shadings to indicate brightness (although a little subjective). Included are the full Sharpless catalog, full Abell catalog, and many more. You will rediscover the familiar star fields all over again. Currently I don't do astrophotography. But it's usefulness for imaging DSO's is obvious. My only complaint is that the paper are not dew resistant. In fact, they are somewhat water absorbent. After two short sessions in humid weather, the pages already felt damp. Hope this can be improved in the future editions, even if that means a bigger price tag. After all, for people who are willing to invest in AP or NV, this is a small price to pay for a tremendous treasure!

I mislaid my first copy of this book and missed it so much I bought another. The book is an extremely comprehensive guide to deep sky images that sorts the easiest and most spectacular to the less interesting. With a narrow window among the trees in my backyard this book is very useful to identify targets of interest, especially when used in tandem with a planetarium programme. It is well produced and easy to read in the field and has a very exhaustive index, really more of a catalogue of deep sky objects in both northern and southern hemispheres.

Great atlas for astrophotographers. 99% of my scope time is spent imaging and I was looking for an aid to help me select and frame targets. I purchased this at the same time I purchased Instellarum Deep Sky Atlas: Desk Edition and The Cambridge Photographic Star Atlas. If you are mostly a visual astronomer, you may want to consider Instellarum - nicely spiral bound, larger/deeper charts and focused on what is visible at the eyepiece in different size scopes. But for imaging, if you have to choose only one Bracken's book is a very good choice. It highlights fainter/darker objects that make good long-exposure photographic targets but weak visual targets, and includes best target recommendations and a useful index. I don't have a lot of experience with star atlases in general, so can't comment more broadly on hardcore technical merits of this book vs other atlas options. But for it's intended purpose (which was my purpose in purchasing this book), this is a very useful book and nicely presented and printed. I take off 1/2 a star for not being spiral bound and it would have been nice to see some true wide-field photographic plates of some target-rich areas included as well - hopefully in a future edition of this very good book.

I have collected at least a dozen Sky Atlases over the years, from Norton's through the Millennium Star Atlas. All have their strengths, and most are excellent. However, every one of them is intended to support visual observing. And, every one of them is of limited value in helping to choose and plan targets for astrophotography. Even the software atlases such TheSkyX are not of much help if your interest is faint emission or reflection nebulae. That is precisely where this atlas shines. Open to any page and you are likely to find dozens of interesting targets you probably never knew existed. The charts are supplemented with comprehensive tables filled with thoughtful commentary. If you are an experienced astrophotographer who has imaged most of the obvious stuff, get this atlas right away! It will refresh your enthusiasm and provide years of inspiration. If you are new to astrophotography, get this atlas right away! It will reduce your frustration by steering you to the most satisfying objects to tackle early in your imaging career.

I was very pleasantly surprised by how useful and good this book is. In fact, I would say, for astrophotographers at any level- get it! Wonderfully clear charts, uncluttered in look and scale, logically done and very comfortably overlapping and contextually suitable for astrophotographers looking for nebulae, clusters and galaxies, nice reference tables. The nebulae shading on the charts is particularly intelligent and useful for planning and framing purposes. My new favorite sky atlas- and I haven't been impressed for a very long time!

Sharpless天体に特化した「星図」です。 Sharpless天体とメジャーな天体が載っています。 後半には簡単な解説と座標が記載されています。 写真が使われてるのは表紙だけです。 写真集を期待することはできません。 全部英語ですが、天体ファンなら読めなくてもだいたい理解できます。

Another essential book from Charles Bracken. Just like his highly regarded "The Deep Sky Imaging Primer", this newest publication will be a frequent and trusted reference for astrophotographers of any experience level. The Atlas is very well laid out with not just clearly printed maps, but many pages of tables that give an abundance of useful information on photogenic targets. (I should mention, the maps are specifically designed to highlight imaging targets. They are not "cluttered" with objects that have little or no imaging potential.) Mr. Bracken, personally, has considerable imaging experience, and he gives concise comments and notes on what you can expect when you train your telescope and camera on an unfamiliar object. His carefully compiled list of "The Best Imaging Targets" is invaluable as a quick guide to answer the perpetual question: "What should we image tonight?". To the best of my knowledge there is nothing like The Astrophotography Sky Atlas currently available. If you are an Astrophotographer, leave the "regular" atlases to the visual observers, because this is the one you really need. Enthusiastically recommended!

Molto bello, utile e ben realizzato. È composto principalmente da sessantanove mappe divise per latitudine e stagione. Rispetto a un altro atlante celeste ben noto, cioè "The Cambridge Star Atlas", questo è specificamente pensato per l'astrofotografia. Probabilmente è più da paragonare con "interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas", che però costa più del doppio. Infatti in entrambi sono poste in evidenza le estensioni degli oggetti celesti in modo da avere un'idea più chiara di cosa aspettarsi durante un'osservazione. In ogni caso, se si cerca un atlante celeste classico, allora il primo citato è più bello, più colorato e con copertina rigida o a spirale, che può essere comoda. Se invece si desidera un atlante pensato per l'astrofotografia questo è ideale. Entrambi ottimi a mio parere, solo diversi come scopo.

Excellent book for working the Sharpless catalogue

Curieux mais intéressant atlas centré sur les nébuleuses avec un catalogue complet (ou presque) des différentes appellations des nébuleuses. Bon complément à d'autres atlas.