Starfinder by DK Publishing
When I received this planisphere, my first impression was “Wow, this is a big guy!”. Well, it definitely is. Starfinder is published by DK Publishing which retails for USD30. Starfinder contains a mounted planisphere, a 72-page hardback beginner’s guide to the night sky, a red light and 44 constellation cards. For USD30, they sound cost-effective.
Let’s look at the front of the Starfinder. A mounted planisphere is there. It’s the most detailed planisphere and colourful planisphere I’ve ever seen. Every constellation is marked on it. As usual, the stars are printed by magnitude. Brighter star has a bigger dot. More about this is at the back.
Instructions Here!
Let’s turn it over. At the left, there is a guide to teach you how to use the planisphere. There’s a section that explain the principle of a planisphere. Below that, the key explains the icons used at the front planisphere. At the most bottom part, it’s the guide to using the constellation charts which is at the right.
Top to bottom: First set of 22 constellation cards, red light for chart viewing outdoor & second set of 22 constellation cards.
The Orion!
There’re 44 constellation cards at the right. They’re divided into 2 groups and tied up. Each card contains 2 constellations, one at the front and one at the back. Ok, now I take the Orion card as example. Looking at the card, you will first see the interesting picture that shows what does the constellation stands for. For Orion, you will quickly figure out that it’s a hunter. It makes you easier to imagine the constellation as what the ancient greeks do. Other than this, there’s a list of “Features Of Interest”. It tells you what’s the most interesting feature within this constellation. It’s very helpful to either a kid or an amateur astronomer. Learning the objects together with the location has never been so easy. Furthermore, it also tells you whether this is naked eye, binocular, telescope or professional equipments visible. Very helpful, indeed.
I’m quite sure that this will be a very good Christmas gift. I hope my review isn’t too late for your late purchase. Anyway, it will also be good for a New Year gift! 
Review of the 72-page guide book, Pros and cons will be done by 23 Dec night. Stay tuned!
*Photo will be retaken due to poor quality.
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