Meridian Telescopes

P.O. Box 571     Mt. Clemens, MI 48046-0571


HOME

PRODUCTS

CLEARANCE

HOW TO ORDER

POLICIES

ABOUT US

LINKS

EMAIL

SITE MAP

Search our web site:




FreeFind

Miller Planisphere
Selecting a Planisphere
Locate your area and decide which Miller Planisphere is best for you. Do you fly South for the Winter? You may want a planisphere for that latitude also! The Miller Planisphere will work at any North Latitude but are most accurate when used at the latitude they were designed for as shown below.

MPL-50 10 1/2" Diameter, 50 Degree Latitude $12.00



Using a Planisphere

The planisphere is a thumb wheel index chart that allows you to dial in the date of the year and the time of day to show you the constellations that are in the sky at that particular moment.    The first step is to take a look at your planisphere.  Note the various features of the planisphere such as the months listed on the outer edge.  Each month is divided to show each day within the month, for example, January shows 31 hash marks, one for each day.  The time of day is also shown on the outer edge of the planisphere.  This corresponds to your local time. The planisphere works for all time zones.

Find the current month on the edge of the planisphere, next pick the day of the month.  By rotating the top dial of the planisphere, line up the current time of day with the current day of the month.  The window in the middle shows the constellations and stars that are in the sky at that moment  Let's suppose that you will be outside two hours from now.  Rotate the wheels of the planisphere and set the time ahead by two hours.  The window now shows the stars that will be in the sky two hours from the current time.

You can set the planisphere ahead to the time of day when it will be dark outside.  Write down the constellations that will be in the sky.  When you go outside you now have a list of constellations to look for.  By writing down the objects that you can see or want to see, you will save time searching for objects to observe in darkness.  Now, let's go outside!

For your first few observing sessions, just step outside on a clear night.  Be sure to turn off your outside lights, this will help you see the stars.  If you live in a highly populated area you should seek a dark viewing area, away from any direct artificial light.  The artificial light illuminates the sky and the stars you seek to observe blend in with the illumination.  Take a look at the brighter stars and try to pick out groups of stars that form shapes.  Some shapes you may see are triangles, squares or maybe a group of stars forms a straight line.  Take note of these formations, you may have seen a group that form a constellation or part of a constellation. After setting your planisphere to the current date and time, stand facing south (a compass would be handy.)  Hold the planisphere at arms length, high, toward the sky, in front of you, so that the 'North' direction arrow on the planisphere is pointing up.

The stars and constellations at the bottom of the window are on the horizon in front of you, the stars and constellations that are on the left side of the planisphere window are in the Eastern sky.  The ones on the right are in the Western sky.  The stars on the top edge of the window are on the Northern horizon, you may want to turn around 180 degrees, keeping the planisphere pointing North, to observe them.  Look for a particular constellation that has bright stars which are signified by larger dots on the planisphere.  Once you have found that constellation, the others are in relationship to that one.  You can hop from one constellation to another.  What a great way to find your way around the night sky!

You are on your way to a learning experience like no other.  Write down the constellations and stars that you found, do this each night you go out and observe.  This is a wonderful way to see your progress as you are able to pick out more and more celestial objects.

HOME   PRODUCTS   CLEARANCE   ORDERING   ABOUT US   LINKS   E-MAIL   SITE MAP



MTG Products, LLC,
P.O. Box 571
Mt. Clemens, MI 48046-0571
Phone (586) 598-3986

Thanks for stopping at our site, we hope you found what you were looking for.
If so, please tell a friend.  If not, please tell us.
Mail to:  mtgproducts@comcast.net

Meridian Telescopes proudly accepts:




Last revision to this page: November 24, 2008
Copyright © 2008 MTG Products, LLC All rights reserved
SONOTUBE® is a Registered Trademark of the SONOCO Products Company.   All rights reserved
Kydex® is a Registered Trademark of the Kleerdex Company, LLC.   All rights reserved