The Astrophotography Sky Atlas

Once again the author has carefully prepared a top class atlas of the sky for anyone interested in astronomy. As an avid astro photographer I find books like this essential in my planning. The charts are all to scale and provide the information I require when deciding on a new target to image. I also use the very latest in equipment and AI assisted programs, so I am not some sort of old book nerd. Instead of trawling the internet to find what I need I find it far quicker just to pick up this book and have all the information I need in front of me. 5-stars from me.

Doesn’t disappoint at any level! Great maps and companion volume is indispensible for all those who chase DSOs. Plan your year ahead but won’t give you clear skies…

I was expecting loads of photos but got loads of maps lol. Turns out it's brilliant for planning what targets to focus on throughout the year. Mobile apps are extremely useful but I'm old fashioned and having a book with all the targets listed and the best dates to try and get that data makes it invaluable for this hobbyist. Recommended

A useful book for cross reference when planning your nights stargazing!. Easy to reference objects.

At first when I bought this I was a bit disappointed. 20 quid for a quite thin book, a thin soft back at that, and I thought "not another star atlas....." But upon further reading and scanning for objects to image, I have started to appreciate the book more and what the author was trying to achieve. It has all the main popular imaging targets and also some more obscure ones and all the Sharpless objects. True, you could get this info from elsewhere but it is nice to have this all in one book. So four stars for content but I am knocking one star off because, at £20, it should be hardback or spiral bound.

Excellent book, perfect companion to The Astrophotography Planner.

Plenty of objects that people rarely come across but are well worth tracking down, also great for Electronically Assisted observers too.

A very thorough and useful reference guide to the night sky, aimed squarely at astrophotographers rather than visual users.

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.

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!

Excellent book for working the Sharpless catalogue