Marking up a star atlas

Hi,

I have two copies of the Pocket Star Atlas and was thinking of marking up double stars and star clusters with a green highlighter with some basic info (mag, seperation for double stars). I was going to mark up one atlas for use with 18x70 binoculars and the other for use with my telescopes (SV105, C8, C9.25). There will be some overlap between the two atlases, especially the brighter star clusters which will be marked up on both atlases. The guide books I am planning to use are the ones I have on hand which are: Binocualar Astronomy, Binocular Highlights, Touring the Universe with Binoculars (software version), Seasonal Star Charts, Small Scope Sampler, and maybe the Night Sky Observers Guide. I started with a binocular double star list from TUBA software and this project is going to take a lot more time than I originally thought. My idea was that it would be nice to have everthing marked up on the PSA but not sure if it is worth all the work. I might break this up into pieces and pick a constellation of the evening and mark it up before a viewing session. I was wondering if anyone has done something similar or have any ideas that might be less work. Thanks!

Dave

I am interested, too. I can use results for overseas if I can find the best way and a list/placement of objects that are suitable for binoculars.

I'm not sure.
Have you seen the the BSA, with it's tables adjoining the charts?
Here's a link, were you can enlarge the pages to see what they show.

http://www.willbell.com/atlas/atlas1.htm


The Millenium Star Atlas shows primary magnitude, separation, position angle and several variable types by the symbols used for the star's, right on the pages of the charts. Very nice!

Altho I've made my own such charts when I 1st started out, now I'd recommend you just get a chart that already has such objects Accurately plotted. Petersons' Field Guide (or likewise the Bright Star Atlas mentioned in another reply) & Tirions's larger scale Sky Atlas 2000 have served me well for decades. Orion's Deep Map 600 is convenient for my 7X50 Binocular or grab & go small scope use & folds like a Road Map. There are plenty of other detailed pocket & larger-scale field charts & some have companion indexes with complete object info.

Rather than permanently marking up your atlas, you might try using those post-it stickers with a clear sticky part and colored tab. I've done that on my SkyAtlas 2000.0 to indicate something I want to check out the next time I am in that area. That way if you are less impressed after viewing an object, you can easily remove the tag.

I use Taki's Mag 8.5 star maps for stuff I want to mark up. The maps are free on line and are to a scale that makes them easy to read at the scope. I can't use Peterson's without a magnifier, especially under low light conditions.

I simply print out a index from Taki's and then when I'm planning an evening, print whatever pages I need and mark them up at will. There's no expense, nothing lost, and the pages can be kept in a log book if you wish.

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~zs3t-tk/atlas_85/atlas_85.htm

Taki is better known for his contribution to PLOP but I use his maps much more often than I design mirror cells.

have fun,
dan

Thanks for all the replies and I'll incorporate the new ideas into my planning. It's great to hear how others are using all the tools available today.

I spent a very constructive weekend one time marking a brand new copy of Sky Atlas 2000 with the constellation stick figure patterns. It has proven quite worthwhile. I tried once using post-its, but they did not last.

You might find it valuable to run off a copy of a sky chart out of a planetarium program, and do your marking on that. That way if your interests change, you do not have a bunch of distracting markings.

Alex