Star Disc
Double-sided Planisphere for the Southern Hemisphere.
All you need to get the most out of observing the night sky, a star finder , which explains the best way to observe the stars and map out future positions of the planets. The multitude of stars in the sky can be confusing, but this Star Finder gives you everything you need to identify the stars and constellations. And it’s beautifully packed as a gift item.
The large star finder is simple to use: just dial in the date and time by rotating the inner plastic disc (the time) until it lines up with the relevant day of the year calibrated on the outer ring. The portion of sky shown on the planisphere will show the arrangement of the stars above you. Suitable for serious sky work it is more durable and shows planet positions.
In clear PVC plastic printed in black. Features:
- North and South sides give greater space and clarity.
- Clear, uncluttered design. Artwork by Wil Tirion.
- Major stars, galaxies, nebulae and clusters in colour.
- Comes with a reference guide with lists of Stars and binocular objects and planet positions to 2014.
· Size: 27 x 24 cm, Suitable for latitudes 25° to 45° South. (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina & Chile.)
$14.95 Plus $4 Post and Packing
BONUS: Buy one NOW and we’ll send you a kid’s star map FREE! (Limited Stock – be quick)
Starfinder Star Map
Single-sided Planisphere for the Southern Hemisphere.
What Star is That?
This is a star finder designed for viewing from 35° S latitude, for example, in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney (Australia) or Auckland (New Zealand). On this Star Finder the eyelet is the south celestial pole (SCP), which is shown 35° above the southern horizon.
Similar to the above but non laminated it is ideal for the casual observer or young budding astronomer. The reverse side is a graduated elevation finder to determine how high objects are above the horizon. Good educational material for kids.
Use the interactive planisphere wheel to navigate around the entire sky, it’ll show you what to see, when, at any time of the night and year. A handy visual guide contains everything you need to get started, find out where to look for stars and all your constellations that night.
Amazingly simple to understand and use we’ve seen them for $30 in New Zealand, $29.95 in Sydney, $19.95 at other Astro events…
We sell ours for $9.95 Plus $4 postage and packing.
What Is A Star Disc or Planisphere?
The Star Finder is a planisphere which users can dial the date and time and see the pattern of the stars in the sky. The Star Finder was specifically designed to help beginners learn more about astronomy and help those with an interest to get more involved with the hobby.
It is an instrument to assist in learning how to recognize stars and constellations. A planisphere consists of a circular star chart attached at its centre to an opaque circular overlay that has a clear elliptical window or hole so that only a portion of the sky map will be visible in the window or hole area at any given time.
The chart and overlay are mounted so that they are free to rotate about a common pivot point at their The star chart contains the brightest stars, constellations and (possibly) deep-sky objects visible from a particular latitude on Earth. The night sky that one sees from the Earth depends on whether the observer is in the northern or southern hemispheres and the latitude.
A planisphere window is designed for a particular latitude and will be accurate enough for a certain band either side of that. These are made specifically for Australia /NZ. A complete twenty-four hour time cycle is marked on the rim of the overlay. A full twelve months of calendar dates are marked on the rim of the star chart. The window is marked to show the direction of the eastern and western horizons.
The disc and over lay are adjusted so that the observer’s local time of day on the overlay corresponds to that day’s date on the star chart disc. The portion of the star chart visible in the window then represents the distribution of stars in the sky at that moment for the planisphere’s designed location.