Editorial Review:
Developed by one of the foremost designers of astonomical maps, The Cambridge Star Atlas offers an unusual degree of breadth and detail for amateur and experienced astronomers. Northern and southern latitudes are included in a series of monthly sky charts and an atlas of the whole sky. Each of the 20 overlapping full color charts shows stars down to magnitude 6.5, together with about 900 nonstellar objects, such as clusters and galaxies, which can be seen with binoculars or a small telescope. This new edition features 52 color maps, improved versions of all the charts, and a thorough revision of the text and star data based on the latest information. In addition, there is a comprehensive double page map of the Moon's surface, which shows craters and other named features. Clear, authoritative, and easy-to-use, The Cambridge Star Atlas is an ideal reference for sky watchers everywhere, throughout the year. Wil Tirion began his first star atlas as a hobby, mapping the whole sky on five maps. It was published in the Encyclopedia of Astronomy and soon after was released as a separate set of maps by the British Astronomical Association. In 1983, Tirion began working as a full-time uranographer, or sky cartographer. Since then, he has contributed to many books and magazines on astronomy. He lives in the Netherlands.
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Customer Reviews
Average Customer Rating: 
Observer's companion  2007-09-27
This star atlas is both aesthetically pleasing and useful. The large pages made it possible to read the charts without having to resort to a magnifying glass. Coupled with a red flashight of some sort (e.g. Gerber ReconGerber 22-80016 Recon Light, White / Red / Blue / Green LED - Black Body it's a nice companion for observing.
Excellent for its intended purpose  2007-01-13
In spite of a few minor flaws (see other reviews), this is probably the best, inexpensive, high-level atlas available. It is the first atlas I reach for when I need to explain something quickly to someone with little knowledge of the sky. The level of detail makes it good for outdoor use (with an appropriate red light, of course) with binoculars. Good software is increasingly making tools like this obsolete, but somehow hard-copy atlases always seem to have a place, and they're handy to grab off the shelf and just casually study too.
Not recommended.  2006-09-03
I have this book and I am very disappointed in it.
Yes, the charts are very well done. However, the book's layout and organization (or lack thereof) make the charts next to useless. They do next to nothing for the beginner who needs first to learn the sky. For the more serious observer, these charts are hopeless.
I would encourage beginner's to look at Norton's Atlas (20th edition) which has nice, large swaths of the sky covered in each chart along with a large reference section. Yes, if you get serious, you'll outgrow Norton's charts quickly, but you'll still have its useful reference material which is the bulk of the book.
For the serious observer, there's the Sky Atlas 2000.0, the Millenium, and older Uranometria atlases, all of which have much more detail that the serious observer craves.
As other reviewers have observed, these middle level charts (up to Mag 6) are probably not very uselful for either beginner or serious observer. I would add, "especially in the format presented here".
Not the best 2006-06-30
On the plus side, the star charts are the most clear and readable of any 6th magnitude atlas. Unfortunately, the atlas contains a couple of flaws which impede its usefulness in the field.
It goes to magnitude 6.5 and shows 9500 stars, which limits its usefulness. Even a lowly 6x30mm finder goes considerably deeper than that.
When you look for an object just off the edge of one of your charts, the edge of the chart tells you nothing about where to go next. You have to fumble back to the index page to find out which chart to go to, which is time consuming and aggravating.
Terrestrial atlases place guides at the edges of their maps: "continues on 14." This is all the more important for astronomical observation, where the user is in the dark with nothing but a red flashlight and possibly holding an eyepiece or filter. To make the atlas practicable for field use, users must write the adjacent chart information on the charts themselves. A row of tabs with the numbers of the charts would make the charts even more usable.
It is sad when designers of star atlases do not take into account the needs of their users.
A better combination 6th magnitude atlas and observer's guide is Levy's Skywatching. But I would recommend skipping 6th magnitude altogether. Get the Sky and Telescope Pocket Star Atlas instead. It is better designed, goes far deeper--to magnitude 7.6 with 31,000 stars, and costs less. Supplement it with an observer's guide like Skywatching or Celestial Sampler.
Cool atlas 2003-03-16
I have a 4 inch apo and if you have scope like me, buy this little gem. Sky maps are just beatiful, having exactly as much info as I need. They are beautifully rendered by a master. Maps overlap generously. Tables are above every map and they are pleasure to use. Of course there is only 912 deep sky objects, but if you have a light bucket over 10" you need an atlas at least as heavy as your scope:) For me it is more than enough. There are very interesting all-sky maps of various objects distribution. They give you a good feeling of our position in Galaxy and Universe. I gave only four stars because in the field it can catch dew and you have to be carefull. The Moon map is not the best and for a reflector, so not good for me. Highly recomended.
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