Product Description

The most famous guide to the stars is now the most accessible! Generations of amateur astronomers have called it simply Norton's: the most famous star atlas in the world. Now in a beautifully redesigned, two-color landmark 20th edition, this combination star atlas and reference guide has no match in the field.

First published in 1910, coinciding with the first of two appearances by Halley's Comet last century, Norton's owes much of its legendary success to its unique maps, arranged in slices or gores, each covering approximately one-fifth of the sky. Apart from being presented more accessibly than ever before, the text and tables have been revised and updated to account for the new and exciting developments in our observation of the cosmos. The star maps themselves were plotted using advanced computer techniques yielding outstanding accuracy and legibility. Every heavenly object visible to the naked eye is included--stars to magnitude 6, star clusters, and galaxies, as well as other celestial objects. Presented with an authority that has stood for generations, observation hints, technical explanations, and pointers to specialized information sources make this the only essential guide to the night sky.

The updated and revised hardcover 20th edition also has new moon maps, clearer tables, new diagrams and a section on the latest computer driven telescopes--today's perfect home reference for curious minds from beginners to dedicated star gazers!

What are people saying? ... "The unique and time-honored projection used in the Norton's star charts is particularly handy and has always been my favorite." --Professor Owen Gingerich, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

"Once in a blue moon a book appears to dramatically and forever change its subject; in short, the work becomes an indispensable resource for generations. Norton's Star Atlas is such a work." --Leif J. Robinson, Editor Emeritus, Sky and Telescope

"Ian Ridpath is one of the most dedicated and prolific writers on astronomy. His works all have clarity and authority, and he is ideally suited to infuse new life into a classic." --Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal, University of Cambridge, author of Our Final Hour

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #60706 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

From the Back Cover

Generations of amateur astronomers have called it simply Norton's: the most famous star atlas in the world. Now in a superbly redesigned, two-color landmark 20th edition, the first of a new century, this combination star atlas and reference work has no match in the field.

First published in 1910, coinciding with the first of two appearances by Halley's Comet during the book's life, Norton's owes much of its legendary success to its unique maps, arranged in slices known as gores, each covering approximately one-fifth of the sky. Every star visible to the naked eye under the clearest skies—down to magnitude 6.5—is charted along with star clusters, nebulae and galaxies. Extensive tables of data on interesting objects for observation accompany each of the precision drawn maps. Preceding the maps is the unique and authoritative reference handbook covering timekeeping and positional measurements on the celestial sphere; the Sun, Moon and other bodies of the Solar System; telescopes and other equipment for observing and imaging the sky; and stars, nebulae and galaxies. Throughout, succinct fundamental principles and practical tips guide the reader into the night sky. The appendices Units and Notation, Astronomical Constants, Symbols and Abbreviations, and Useful Addresses complete what has long been the only essential reference for the stargazer.

Now presented more accessibly than ever before, the text and tables of the 20th edition have been revised and updated to take account of the new and exciting developments in our observation of the cosmos. The redesignedstar maps offer outstanding legibility, in the living room or under a red light in the dark outdoors.

Presented with an authority that has stood for generations, Norton's Star Atlas and Reference Handbook remains the indispensable companion for all who gaze at the night sky. For use with your first pair of binoculars, in choosing your first telescope, and as a trustworthy companion no matter how far your interest takes you, this elegant edition launches Norton's into a new century as the classic reference in astronomy.

Praise for the landmark 20th edition of the classic star atlas

"Once in a blue moon a book appears to dramatically and forever change its subject; in short, the work becomes an indispensable resource for generations. Norton's Star Atlas is such a work."

—Leif J. Robinson, Editor Emeritus,Sky & Telescope (from the Foreword)

"The new edition of Norton's Star Atlas should be a real winner: once again, the amateur astronomer's indispensable companion."

—Stephen P. Maran, author ofAstronomy for Dummies, and editor ofThe Astronomy and Astrophysics Encyclopedia

"This beautiful edition is a superb redesign and authoritative update of the classic star atlas."

—Greg Laughlin, Astronomy Department,University of California, Santa Cruz,co-author of The Five Ages of the Universe

"The unique and time-honored projection used in the Norton's star charts is particularly handy and has always been my favorite."

—Owen Gingerich, Harvard-SmithsonianCenter for Astrophysics,author of The Eye of Heaven

"Ian Ridpath is one of the most dedicated and prolific writers on astronomy. His works all have clarity and authority, and he is ideally suited to infuse new life into a classic."

—Sir Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal,University of Cambridge,author of Our Final Hour

"The 20th edition is a great event. Pi Press is republishing this book with such style. It may not help people to find new stars, but it will remind them of how we came to know so much."

—Sir John Maddox, Editor Emeritus Nature,author of What Remains To Be Discovered

About the Author

Ian Ridpath is an internationally renowned writer and broadcaster on astronomy and space. He is editor of the authoritative Oxford Dictionary of Astronomy. He is author of three standard observing guides for amateur astronomers and a book on the mythology of the constellations. He lives in London, England.

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Customer Reviews

Complete, authoritative but too terse
If one book could cover most topics in general astronomy authoritatively, its Norton. From recommendations on reporting celestial phenomena to specifying telescope characteristics, it seems the author grouped everything that could be of interest to earthbound amateur observers. Very terse in descriptions, Norton's is geared to advanced astronomers who require a reference or a refresher. For example, its star maps are not as clear as a Wil Tirion presentation, but it does not suffer from lack of completeness. For astute beginners, the book is very well indexed and organized, so an unfamiliar concept referred in one section is detailed elsewhere. Readers are rewarded with a book densely packed with information in under two hundred pages.

I was impressed by the care made in the production of the paperbound handbook. Not immediately obvious is that the large page format allow charts and maps to present detail clearly. Tyvec-like bindings allow pages to open flat without distortion. I did not find any typographical errors. The maps, are not ideal for field astronomy use.

Norton's is not light reading, but is encyclopedic in breath and style. For the 20th Edition, its editors should strive for readability, and garner a 5/5 rating.

Marv Gozum, MD

Excellent compact resource.
Although I've only had the book two nights, it's making its way into my list of indispensable resources. I already have a better star atlas (actually two), and Burnham's, but this book plays a different role. This volume allows you to conveniently carry useful and well-designed summaries of the particularly relevant information from those volumes, plus a decent quadrant moon map for when the big brighty is swallowing up the faint fuzzies. All in one book. I'm not going to use the charts in Norton's for nailing down the Virgo galaxies, but you can still find (and learn about) tons of deep sky and stellar objects using these maps alone, and I can still whip out Star Atlas 2000 or Millennium for really tough stuff. But I'm not taking either of those camping or on a plane: they're too big and they don't have near the volume of descriptive information included in this book. If you like an occasional quick trip to a dark site, if you want a useful guide for a walk from your hotel room or a gaze out an airplane window when you travel, or you want to know something about what you're looking at without plowing through Burnham's, and you hate carrying a library, this is the work for you. That said, can the publisher/distributors please cut the price in half so more people will buy it?

Turgid and confusing as ever
When I got into amateur astronomy 15 years ago, one of my first purchases, heaven help me, was an older edition of Norton's Star Atlas. As a beginner, I found the maps perplexing, hard to read; it was nearly impossible to orient myself in the sky by squinting at them and they were useless at the telescope. Fifteen years later nothing has changed; the reference section is useful if boring and the maps, though brought up to date, are still useless and hard to read. And why the heck the big price tag? -- the book is less than two hundred pages in length and not impressively printed.

Any beginner would be much better served by spending either a lot less or a little more: less, by purchasing the Golden Field Guide SKYGUIDE at less than 20 bucks (which has it's own problems: it will eventually fall apart -- inexcusable for a "field guide" but the book is still worth every penny); more by going for Will Tirion's SKY ATLAS 2000 Atlas at $50.00, a work of art and a joy to look at, coupled with the SKYGUIDE, and later Burnham's Celestial Handbook, a labor of love.

But not Norton's!