Best Star Atlases
Updated How we research
Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas by Roger W. Sinnott Spiral-Bound 80 Charts 1500 Deep-Sky Objects
Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas by Roger W. Sinnott, spiral-bound with 80 charts and 1500 deep-sky objects.
Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas Jumbo Edition Roger W. Sinnott Spiral Larger Format Star Charts
Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas Jumbo Edition by Roger W. Sinnott, a larger format spiral star chart book.
The limiting magnitude of an atlas is what has to match your telescope, and mismatching it is the reason a beautiful book gathers dust. A naked-eye atlas plotting stars to magnitude 5.5 across sixteen maps is a guide to constellations and planet positions, and at the eyepiece of an 8 inch reflector it is useless, because the field you are looking at contains dozens of stars the chart does not show and nothing to star-hop along. Atlases built for small telescopes go several magnitudes deeper and plot on the order of 1,500 deep-sky objects across 80 charts, which is the depth at which the pattern in the eyepiece matches the pattern on the page. Deeper still are the atlases organized around a set list of a few hundred best objects with images alongside the charts, which are excellent for planning and thinner for hopping. Format is the second decision and it is more practical than it sounds. Spiral binding lies flat on a table in wind, which a perfect-bound book will not do, and the choice between a pocket edition and a jumbo edition of the same atlas is a straight trade between what fits in a jacket and what you can read by red light without glasses at two in the morning. Chart scale follows from that, since larger pages spread the same stars further apart and are easier to match to a finder view. Digital editions are searchable but a lit screen destroys dark adaptation.
The short version
We compared 7 picks. Our scores range from 7.0 to 9.2 out of 10.
- Best overall:Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas by Roger W. Sinnott Spiral-Bound 80 Charts 1500 Deep-Sky Objects. Highest overall score in this guide at 9.2/10.
- Also great value:Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas Jumbo Edition Roger W. Sinnott Spiral Larger Format Star Charts. Value score of 8/10, overall 8.7/10.
- Solid build:The Observer's Sky Atlas With 50 Star Charts Covering the Entire Sky by Erich Karkoschka. Build and materials score of 8/10, overall 8.4/10.
- Feature-rich:Night Sky Atlas The Moon Planets Stars and Deep Sky Objects by Robin Scagell and Wil Tirion. Features score of 8/10, overall 8.4/10.
Scores are our editorial assessment, not customer ratings. How we score
- 1.Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas by Roger W. Sinnott Spiral-Bound 80 Charts 1500 Deep-Sky Objects9.2/10See on AmazonCheck price
- 2.Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas Jumbo Edition Roger W. Sinnott Spiral Larger Format Star Charts8.7/10See on AmazonCheck price
- 3.The Observer's Sky Atlas With 50 Star Charts Covering the Entire Sky by Erich Karkoschka8.4/10See on AmazonCheck price
- 4.Night Sky Atlas The Moon Planets Stars and Deep Sky Objects by Robin Scagell and Wil Tirion8.4/10See on AmazonCheck price
- 5.Observer's Sky Atlas The 500 Best Deep-Sky Objects With Charts and Images by Erich Karkoschka8.4/10See on AmazonCheck price
- 6.Philip's Pocket Star Atlas by John Cox 16 Maps Stars to Magnitude 5.5 Naked-Eye Astronomy7.2/10See on AmazonCheck price
- 7.Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas Kindle eBook Edition by Roger W. Sinnott Star Charts7.0/10See on AmazonCheck price
#1Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas by Roger W. Sinnott, spiral-bound with 80 charts and 1500 deep-sky objects.
Fit for the job 10/10 · Features and specs 9/10 · Build and materials 8/10 · Value 9/10
- + 80 charts with 1500 deep-sky objects give plenty of targets for small and mid telescopes
- + Spiral binding lies flat on a table or eyepiece tray at the telescope
- + Compact size is a favorite for star-hopping at the eyepiece
- - Small print can be hard to read for older eyes under red light
- - Charts show fewer faint stars than larger desk atlases
#2Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas Jumbo Edition Roger W. Sinnott Spiral Larger Format Star Charts
Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas Jumbo Edition by Roger W. Sinnott, a larger format spiral star chart book.
Fit for the job 10/10 · Features and specs 8/10 · Build and materials 8/10 · Value 8/10
- + Larger format makes stars and labels easier to read in the dark
- + Spiral binding keeps pages open at the telescope
- + Same trusted Sinnott charts in a more readable size
- - Bigger book is less portable than the pocket version
- - Larger pages are more exposed to dew during long sessions
#3The Observer's Sky Atlas by Erich Karkoschka, with 50 star charts covering the entire sky and object details.
Fit for the job 9/10 · Features and specs 8/10 · Build and materials 8/10 · Value 8/10
- + 50 star charts cover both northern and southern skies
- + Compact atlas includes notes on interesting objects to observe
- + Well suited to binocular and small telescope users
- - Chart scale is less detailed than larger atlases
- - Some object lists are shorter than dedicated deep-sky guides
#4Night Sky Atlas by Robin Scagell and Wil Tirion, covering the Moon, planets, stars and deep sky objects.
Fit for the job 9/10 · Features and specs 8/10 · Build and materials 8/10 · Value 8/10
- + Covers the Moon, planets, stars and deep sky objects in one atlas
- + Wil Tirion charts are clear and accurate
- + Robin Scagell adds practical observing guidance
- - Broader coverage means less chart depth than dedicated atlases
- - Hardcover format may be bulky at the telescope
#5Observer's Sky Atlas by Erich Karkoschka, featuring the 500 best deep-sky objects with charts and images.
Fit for the job 9/10 · Features and specs 8/10 · Build and materials 8/10 · Value 8/10
- + 500 best deep-sky objects give a curated observing list
- + Charts plus images help you know what to expect at the eyepiece
- + Great for intermediate observers expanding their target list
- - Curated list leaves out many fainter objects
- - Images may look brighter than real eyepiece views
#6Philip's Pocket Star Atlas by John Cox with 16 maps showing stars to magnitude 5.5 for naked-eye astronomy.
Fit for the job 7/10 · Features and specs 7/10 · Build and materials 7/10 · Value 8/10
- + 16 maps keep things simple for learning constellations
- + Stars to magnitude 5.5 match what the naked eye sees from dark sites
- + Pocket size is easy to carry on hikes, trips and casual backyard evenings
- - Too basic for telescope star-hopping to faint objects
- - Limited map count gives less detail per region
#7Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas Kindle eBook edition by Roger W. Sinnott, digital star charts on a screen.
Fit for the job 7/10 · Features and specs 7/10 · Build and materials 6/10 · Value 8/10
- + Kindle format keeps the charts available on any phone or tablet
- + Zooming on a screen helps read dense chart areas
- + No physical pages to warp or smear when dew settles late at night
- - Screens hurt dark adaptation unless dimmed and set to a red mode
- - Charts are harder to navigate on small screens than in print
Before you buy: trade-offs we flagged
No pick is perfect. These are the main compromises we noted for the top products in this guide, so you can check they will not matter for you.
- Small print can be hard to read for older eyes under red light (Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas by Roger...)
- Bigger book is less portable than the pocket version (Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas Jumbo...)
- Chart scale is less detailed than larger atlases (The Observer's Sky Atlas With 50 Star Charts...)
- Broader coverage means less chart depth than dedicated atlases (Night Sky Atlas The Moon Planets Stars and...)
- Curated list leaves out many fainter objects (Observer's Sky Atlas The 500 Best Deep-Sky...)
- Too basic for telescope star-hopping to faint objects (Philip's Pocket Star Atlas by John Cox 16...)
Frequently asked questions
›What is the best choice among star atlases?
Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas by Roger W. Sinnott Spiral-Bound 80 Charts 1500 Deep-Sky Objects is our top overall pick. Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas by Roger W. Sinnott, spiral-bound with 80 charts and 1500 deep-sky objects. It earns our score of 9.2/10, based on fit for the job, features, build and value.
›What is a good budget option?
Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas Jumbo Edition Roger W. Sinnott Spiral Larger Format Star Charts is the strongest low-cost pick in this guide. Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas Jumbo Edition by Roger W. Sinnott, a larger format spiral star chart book.
›How much should I expect to spend?
Picks in this guide span See on Amazon price bands (roughly: $ = under $30, $$ = $30 to $100, $$$ = over $100). We never display exact prices because they change constantly, so the buttons above always show Amazon's current price.
›How were these products chosen?
We shortlist products that fit the job this guide solves and compare their published specifications, such as size, capacity, materials and what is included. Each pick gets an editorial score out of 10 for fit, features, build and value, and we write the pros and cons from those details. Our score is not an Amazon customer rating. We earn a commission if you buy through our links, which never affects the ranking.
Stargazer Nest independently selects every product; we may earn a commission from links above.
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