Observational astronomers often complain about the moon as a source of light pollution. Well, there are other sources, but it would have been nice to have the artist's perspective. He also says little about some of the pre-scientific ideas and musings about this object which has captivated and enriched the imaginations, as well as the mind, of so many people for so much of our history. Surprisingly, and disappointingly, he gives very little description about his work in drawing the lunar features or general astronomical sketching, which in my opinion is a missed opportunity to add some charm and value to an already aesthetic book. The author has complemented his research with a good bibliography, comprehensive charts, and a brief description of the art and science of observing the moon. Users of both small and large telescopes can enjoy using this book. The atlas is also divided up into small sections which makes it more enjoyable to plan a "visit," with plenty of description about the people for whom the craters are named (of course, one can never be satisfied that enough features are named). The book obviously shows considerable love for the science and patience, which are terrific qualities for any observer to take to the eyepiece. I was surprised to find how this graphically drawn atlas seems easier to use than a photographic one, even if the accuracy cannot be quite as good - photos do not always look like the view in the telescope, they are far harsher, and the shading often affects your perception enough to confuse some features (the author did include photos of some of the more prominent features). If you fancy trying to land on the Moon, try Apollo Eagle, a simulation of the last 50,000 feet of the Apollo 11 landing.-This book is a beautiful complement to a photographic atlas or description. Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn atlases are also available on the App Store!Īlso there is Planisphere, a star charting app, available on the App Store! You can swipe left and right on the phase view to go backwards and forwards a day and on the libration chart to go backwards and forwards a month. In addition, information about the current Moon phase and libration are provided. Over 1800 named features are included as well as 26 spacecraft that reached the surface of the Moon. The Moon globe can be shown with north or south at the top or inverted to suit different telescope views. There is also a realtime mode that will update to the current time. The phase can be switched off and the far side is shown in a slightly darker shade of grey.ĭate, time and location can be changed. The feature database is searchable and can move the globe to a searched feature. You can switch to a 'Globe' mode that allows you to spin the Moon around to see far side features. Moon Atlas displays the phase and libration of the Moon from your chosen location and renders these on the globe. You can double tap on the labels to get more information about a particular feature. As you zoom in more labels appear as finer detail comes into view. This is a rendered sphere and not a static map image. Moon Atlas is an astronomy application that lets you use pinch and finger gestures to manipulate a 3D globe of the Moon.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |