Planisphere: Latitude 50°N – for use in the UK and Ireland, Northern Europe, Northern USA and Canada

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If you discover a ‘star’ in the sky that’s not shown on the planisphere, then it is probably a planet. How to use a planisphere A selection of deep sky objects for binocular viewing is included. To beginners, it is important to point out that the best first telescope is a pair of binoculars. You may already have what it takes to start observing tonight!

For more tips, read our guides on how to stargaze and astronomy for beginners or sign up to receive the BBC Sky at Night Magazine e-newsletter. Each planisphere is designed for a particular latitude shown in its title, but can also be used within ten degrees north and south of it with only minor discrepancies at the northern and southern horizons.Note that if you see a bright stationary object in the heavens that's not on your star wheel, it's probably a planet! Confirm this by looking at the line in the star wheel's viewing oval that says "ecliptic" -- is the bright object somewhere near where that line would be on your sky? If so: planet! The moon will also travel within about +/-5 degrees of the ecliptic through each month. There might be other opportunities to spot comets with a pair of binoculars or a telescope later in the year.

Sky and Telescope magazine adopted The David Chandler 'Night Sky' planisphere in 1976 and has promoted it ever since. The amateur astronomy and educational communities widely recognise it as the best planisphere on the market.Eliminates over 90% of the distortion inherent in conventional one-sided planispheres. At Rother Valley Optics, one thing we pride ourselves on is customer service and quality of our equipment. When we test your telescope, we will ensure that it is of the highest quality otherwise, we will reject the scope under our strict quality control and test another model for your peace of mind. One of the main values to look at when testing a refractor is the Strehl ratio. The higher this number, the higher quality lens you have. At Rother Valley Optics, we will guarantee the highest possible Strehl ratio for your telescope. We will aim to provide 0.95 Strehl or higher on Takahashi, RVO Horizon, William Optics and many more! Generally, the higher the Strehl ratio, the lower the Astigmatism and Coma meaning a better image quality from your instrument. Planispheres show objects that are ‘fixed’ in the night sky relative to Earth – that’s why they can be used year after year.

Also shown on the typical planisphere will be symbols for double stars and the brighter deep sky objects, DSOs, such as star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, globular clusters and other of deep sky objects. There should be a key printed on the planisphere to show you what each symbol represents. Just remember that the planets are not always in the evening sky. Sometimes the planets are in the morning sky. As the Earth and planets travel around the Sun, a planet may be on the other side of the Sun and so, not visible to us. How It Works – The Top Disk