Philips Planisphere: £8.99

British Isles Northern Europe Northern USA and Canada

This lightweight and portable planisphere should be of interest to both beginners and experienced observers, enabling the user to locate stars, constellations and planets and to work out sunrise and sunset times for every day of the year. It is suitable for use in the British Isles, Northern Europe, Northern USA and Canada.

The oval panel is turned to the required date and time to reveal the whole sky visible from that location at that time. The map shows stars down to magnitude 4, plus some deep-sky objects, such as the Pleiades, the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and the Orion Nebula (M42). The increased size of the star map makes it easier to read during an observing session. On the back of the planisphere are tables giving the positions of Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn for every month until 2011.

New for this edition is the full-colour wallet which is divided into two main sections - "Using the Planisphere and Exploring the Skies. Using the Planisphere contains illustrated instructions on how to set the planisphere to the right date and time, how to locate the planets and how to work out the time of sunrise or sunset. It explains the detail seen on the map - the magnitudes of stars, the ecliptic and the celestial coordinates.

Exploring the Stars is a beginner's guide to stargazing and introduces the novice to the principal celestial objects visible at different times of the year. Major constellations are used as signposts to navigate the night sky, locating hard-to-find stars and some deep-sky objects.

Please note that stock levels do fluctuate so please call or email to check today's stock before placing your order.

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