Will your planisphere work anywhere on earth?

Some planisphere models are designed to work in a specific latitude range which means they will lose accuracy of used elsewhere. Some more expensive planispheres have interchangeable upper discs that allow the user to change based on their location.

Do I need a planisphere?

If you want to learn the stars and constellations, then you need a planisphere. A planisphere is a rotating star locator. It shows you the view overhead any night of the year. All you have to do is to turn the wheel until you’ve aligned your date with the time of night you want to look.

What is the best planisphere?

5 of the best planispheres

• Philip’s Planisphere.
• David Chandler Night Sky Planisphere.
• Collins Planisphere.
• Southern Hemisphere Guide to the Stars.
• Planisphere and Starfinder.

Who invented the planisphere?

Claudius Ptolemy
The word planisphere (Latin planisphaerium) was originally used in the second century by Claudius Ptolemy to describe the representation of a spherical Earth by a map drawn in the plane.

How do you find the horizon in the planisphere?

The star Polaris (the North Star) is located in the sky very near the North Celestial Pole and can be found at the “center” of the planisphere. The solid curved portion of the planisphere which covers a portion of the bottom of the sky represents the horizon (where the earth meets the sky).

How does a planisphere work?

The word “planisphere” simply means flat sphere. It has a map of the sky that pivots at the celestial pole. As the map revolves around the pivot, it slides under a mask that represents your horizon. Turning the map mimics the apparent daily motion of the sky, complete with risings and settings at the horizon edges.

How do you use the planisphere watch?

With the planisphere set to a specific date and time of interest, orient it with the azimuth direction (N, E, or W) that you are facing at the bottom when viewing the sky. The “sky” on the planisphere will then correspond to the night sky you are facing.

How many types of planisphere are there?

For planispheres there are two major methods in use, leaving the choice with the designer. One such method is the polar azimuthal equidistant projection.

How do you read the planisphere?

On the front of the planisphere, the center of the horizon corresponds to the direction North (0º azimuth). The right side of the horizon is the eastern horizon (90º azimuth), and the left side is the western horizon (270º azimuth).

Why is east and west reversed on a planisphere?

If you faced south, held the map so that north (on the page) was “up”, and held the star map over your head, then the stars would line up to what you’re seeing. For awhile, “in ancient times”, some astrocartographers would draw the maps so that east was east and west was west. All the constellations were backwards.