Firefly Planisphere: Latitude 42 Degrees North

A work of art [that] no amateur astronomer should be without.
-- Astronomy Forum

The Firefly Planisphere is a valuable tool for beginner and advanced stargazers. The previous edition, published in 2013, had star maps up to 2022. This sixth edition updates the maps to 2030.

Charted by the month, day, hour and minute, the Firefly Planisphere is easy to use, battery-free and weather-resistant. The stargazer needs only to turn the wheel to align the current date and time. What the see-through panel reveals will match the view of the night sky.

The planisphere shows the position of the stars for every night of the year. Icons describe star magnitudes -- the larger the symbol, the brighter the star -- making it easy to locate specific stars. Stargazers will be able to identify planets, stars, constellations, globular clusters, nebulas, galaxies and other celestial wonders.

Features include:

• At-a-glance coordinates for locating the brightest objects in the sky
• Planetary tables to locate Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, now improved for easier use
• An overlay window with a new shape for better viewing
• Times of sunrise and sunset for each day
• Declination and right ascension scales
• The ecliptic path.

The planisphere's booklet provides accurate information on bright and faint stars, the Milky Way and deep-sky searching. Other topics include:

• How to use the planisphere
• Finding planets, sunrise and sunset
• How to read a star map
• Learning the sky
• Exploring the skies, season by season.

With its improved features, sturdy construction, portability, weather resistance, smooth wheel rotation, easy-to-read booklet and protective pocket, the Firefly Planisphere is simply the handiest guide to the night sky for the amateur astronomer -- all at the same price as the previous edition, just $19.95.

Wil Tirion is a uranographer (celestial cartographer). The minor planet 4648 Tirion is named after him. He has done the star charts for numerous books, including Deep Sky Objects and the annual Guide to the Night Sky books.

Robin Scagell is the author of Stargazing with a Telescope and five other astronomy titles. He runs Galaxy Picture Library, which is devoted to photographs of astronomy and space.