The 7 Best Star Atla Maps (2023 reviews)

star atla maps
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We consider a star atla map to be a worthy investment in the long run. We are here to help you choose the right one for your purposes from all the best available products in market today.

Our review process:

Our Top Picks:

Best Overall:
Buy: Brookehitching Star Atla map
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Best For younger readers:
Buy: guy Consolmagno Star Atla map
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Best For Every season:
Buy: Sinnott Star Atla map
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Best For astronomers:
Buy: Wil Tirion Star Atla map
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Best For information:
Buy: Ian Ridpath Star Atla map
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Best For Northern Hemisphere:
Buy: National Geographic Star Atla map
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Best For cloudy nights:
Buy: Mellinger Star Atla map
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Best Overall: Brookehitching Star Atla map

Brookehitching Star Atla map
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The map is a must have accessory for your daily purpose. This beautifully illustrated volume spans the history of astronomy and celestial cartography. It plays harmoniously in your soul and you cannot go wrong with this book. The art, astral maps, and photographs, many in lush, jewel-like colors, make this book shine. It provides an excellent and concise overview.

This book is more than that, it is a sparkling and glittering array of sky. The type size (font) is very small and light which could be darker. It is not so much of a coffee table book, since many of the pictures and illustrations are small with a matte finish, than a springboard into fascinating topics that can provide context and insight into historical ways of thinking. It is well written and easy to read for a science history buff.

Why We Like This:
  • Really nicely printed and laid out book
  • Lot of satisfied buyers

Best For younger readers: guy Consolmagno Star Atla map

guy Consolmagno Star Atla map
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For a low asking price, guy consolmagno star atla map has managed to overwhelm their customers by packing as many features as they could. There are naked eye beginner objects and objects that will challenge even a moderately experienced observer. It's very helpful for first time astronomers to learn the night sky. It gives you both descriptive information and star charts (for finderscopes, smaller and larger scopes) for only the most interesting objects that can be observed with smaller scopes. The Moon is given great coverage, as are Jupiter and Saturn, and some of Mars.

The eyepiece drawings are so much more useful than the pretty Hubble photos when you're out in the field. It is a great book to help a new telescope owner navigate the night sky and find many amazing night sky objects.

It comes with the kindle edition, it is easy to search all uses of a word until you find its connection to a word or phrase you've been told about previously.

Why We Like This:
  • A must have for people with home telescopes or binoculars
  • Easy to use, especially with the seasonal layout of the charts
  • Easy for beginners to use to learn the sky
  • Excellent book for amateur astronomy observing

Best For Every season: Sinnott Star Atla map

Sinnott Star Atla map
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Best part: sinnott star atla map costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. It is an outstanding map book for binoculars and for small to medium telescopes. The Pocket Sky Atlas includes constellation lines, stellar magnitude by star scale, nebulae and the Milky Way are both delineated in green and blue, respectively, globulars, variables and binaries are also noted. It is ideal for naked-eye star-hopping even from a very dark site. The color coding and labeling is very clear and completely consistent throughout the book.

The star size for the limiting magnitude can be made "hairline" like constellation boundaries. There are telrad circles printed on the inside of the front cover to help you on your way. It is easy to throw in an already crowded book bag.

Why We Like This:
  • A useful and very good attempt at reproducing the sky chart
  • Great charts and a super value for the needs of relistic amature astronomers
  • One that emphasises portability, usability and practicality
  • A great sky atlas, perfectly detailed and colorful

Best For astronomers: Wil Tirion Star Atla map

Wil Tirion Star Atla map
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The wil tirion star atla map should be able to handle its purpose and duties with ease. This is a star atlas and sky chart for deep sky viewing in telescopes 10 and larger. You can wake up to these charts and be filled with the wonder of creation. The Stars are plotted down to magnitude 6.5, which is more than sufficient for visual use when trying to orient yourself in the sky. It even folds completely over reasonably well without damage to the spiral binding.

This product is concise and easy to use and is laid out logically. The charts are easy to use in the field and have explanation of all the symbols on the maps. It should keep your small telescope busy for years. It's not a pocket book like Peterson's, but is a good size to take outside while at the scope.

Why We Like This:
  • Great book with plenty of detailed information that makes star gazing easier
  • A really nice index of interesting objects faces the charts
  • An excellent atlas for the amateur astronomer
  • More organized and much more information than the sky and telescope pocket atlas

Best For information: Ian Ridpath Star Atla map

Ian Ridpath Star Atla map
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Ian Ridpath has been making great map for years, thanks to a combination of clever design and appropriate materials. This is close to the ideal beginner astronomer guide. It covers all aspects of star gazing, but the charts are for more advanced observers. The most important objects are clearly marked and the reference material associated with the maps helps new observers get the most out of them.

The binding is robust and the paper (semigloss, heavy) withstands dew, cold and frequent use. They are starkly beautiful and clear. If you like to have a handy information resource on hand while star gazing, this can prove to be very useful. It can degrade from evening/morning dew when used at the telescope. It is a delight to browse through the reference notes and use the atlas when observing.

Why We Like This:
  • Include completely new maps of the moon and mars
  • Good investment for long term

Best For Northern Hemisphere: National Geographic Star Atla map

National Geographic Star Atla map
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National Geographic offers a variety of map for personal choice and yet maintaining quality in all the variants. It is huge, beautiful and will make a wonderful coffee table book (and useful, hopefully) for a night sky/telescope lover. It is used to fund exploration, conservation, and education through ongoing contributions to the work of the national geographic society. In this case, they are maps of the night sky for each hemisphere in each season, so it's really easy to go outside and compare your own starry night to the information provided.

The text is also interesting, incorporating easy to understand scientific explanations, history, mythology, and tips for viewing. It's a great reference and conversation aid on the wonders of the universe.

Why We Like This:
  • Lots of great information & beautiful charts, pictures & diagrams
  • Visually rich information and advice for stargazers
  • Beautiful and superbly well written book on general astronomy

Best For cloudy nights: Mellinger Star Atla map

Mellinger Star Atla map
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The mellinger star atla map's high-end materials makes sure that it ages well with use. If you will love the night sky, you will love this book. It can be used in planetariums around the world. It's great for cloudy nights and a great tool to learn the skies. It is appropriate for academic collections supporting programs in astronomy and astrophysics.

The universe is presented in such a way as to easily transition from star maps to the real thing, just like looking out from a space window. It thus provides a realistic view free of clutter combined with the information needed to identify the items of interest on each map. It is great for academic collections supporting programs in astronomy and astrophysics. It's of limited use for actually finding stuff in the sky, but it's fascinating to absorb the appearance of the sky in all directions by studying the pages of the atlas.

Why We Like This:
  • Highly recommend for any beginner or advanced astronomer
  • Great resource for the armchair astronomer
  • Good investment for long term