The Astrophotography Sky Atlas

I was very pleasantly surprised by how useful and good this book is. In fact, I would say, for astrophotographers at any level- get it! Wonderfully clear charts, uncluttered in look and scale, logically done and very comfortably overlapping and contextually suitable for astrophotographers looking for nebulae, clusters and galaxies, nice reference tables. The nebulae shading on the charts is particularly intelligent and useful for planning and framing purposes. My new favorite sky atlas- and I haven't been impressed for a very long time!

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!

Fantastic resource. It is for the astroimager what the Tirion Sky Atlas 2000.0 is for the visual observer. I appreciate having a date-sorted list of recommended objects for imaging--great for taking advantage of an unexpectedly clear night. The more detailed index in the back is a very helpful assessment of various objects. It's interesting that visual magnitudes are not listed, which shows just how far digital imaging has taken us from the days when we'd have to use visual magnitude to gauge what were realistic targets for our scopes. Now, the emphasis is on whether a subject responds better to broadband or narrowband. Anyway, a welcome addition to my library for sure.

This provides information about multiple targets in the northern hemisphere for astrophotographic imaging. Provides info re: the best dates for imaging(based on hours above 20 degrees altitude) and some info re: imaging characteristics among other things. I emphasize that it is very helpful. What I don't like is that the constellation where the object is located is not always easily apparent(I know, you can check on line but it would be more if location was stated. Additionally, pages given for objects in the index are often off by 1 page(in either direction).

Without doubt, this is one of the best purchases I've made in recent memory. The "Astrophotography Sky Atlas" contains a wealth of information in a single volume; I can only begin to imagine the amount of time and effort that went into its production. An especially unique and helpful feature of this atlas is its plotting of objects in differently shaded colors to represent their respective brightness as photographic targets. In addition to the usual Messier, NGC and IC objects, the atlas plots the Sharpless, RCW, vdB and Abell catalogs of emission and reflection nebulae, as well as a selection of dark nebulae and supernova remnants. The Object Index is very detailed and cross-referenced and includes object type, location, size, alternate names in other catalogs, ideal dates for viewing, etc. This is a "must have" for those new to astrophotography, as it contains all of the most important information needed for selecting and locating targets, and it will certainly be of value to the experienced astrophotographer as well. I write very few reviews of my purchases; however, this is one I felt compelled to write given the value of this atlas.

I have collected at least a dozen Sky Atlases over the years, from Norton's through the Millennium Star Atlas. All have their strengths, and most are excellent. However, every one of them is intended to support visual observing. And, every one of them is of limited value in helping to choose and plan targets for astrophotography. Even the software atlases such TheSkyX are not of much help if your interest is faint emission or reflection nebulae. That is precisely where this atlas shines. Open to any page and you are likely to find dozens of interesting targets you probably never knew existed. The charts are supplemented with comprehensive tables filled with thoughtful commentary.If you are an experienced astrophotographer who has imaged most of the obvious stuff, get this atlas right away! It will refresh your enthusiasm and provide years of inspiration.If you are new to astrophotography, get this atlas right away! It will reduce your frustration by steering you to the most satisfying objects to tackle early in your imaging career.

Altough today anyone has acces to numerous digital deep sky atlas sources like Stellarium, a handbook like this is just a joy to work with.Nothing beats a good hardcopy, maybe at 62 I am old school. But this book is top quality, practical and inspiring.

The book content is amazing hence the 5 stars. But….be warned. I have purchased three different Bracken books in the past few months and ALL are slightly water damaged. I don’t blame Bracken but the storage and Amazon. It’s nuts! Bracken, if you read this, PLEASE get Amazon to deal with your stock storage. They are shipping damaged books.