The TRIATLAS Project Second Edition (April 2008 – March 2009)
by José Ramón Torres and Casey Skelton
Three deep sky atlases up to 9, 11 and
13 magnitude and two complementary editions
Contact emails: José R. Torres and Casey Skelton
Our special
thanks to Thierry
Serieys, administrator of Pixels
et Photons, who kindly donated space to store some of the files
Cloudy Night
Forums: discussion threads are here and here
The TRIATLAS Second
Edition
● 3 full MAIN DEEP
SKY ATLASES up to 9, 11 and 13 magnitude
● 2 standard-alone
COMPLEMENTARY EDITIONS
As I mentioned in these pages, I am a
keen deep sky observer. Everybody knows that the success in our star-hops
relies closely on the quality of the atlases we are using: the better the
atlas, the fainter the objects we are able to see (and the fun). Probably for
that reason, I like sky atlases since long. In the last years, I have bought
(and used!) most of the published atlases, but I cannot find the “perfect
atlas”. Probably, there is no ideal single atlas. Some years ago, I thought
that the C section of the Herald-Bobroff atlas was perfect (large scale,
showing faint stars), but I have changed my mind. Sometimes it is not precise
enough, in others there are too many objects and the codes are often skipped
because I prefer using a book to select the DSO to see at the telescope (I
mean, a book gathering tables with data of deep sky objects, DSO), instead of
decoding complex symbols. And finally, not all sky areas were enlarged. I
concluded that I wanted much more stars and DSO plotted, and having the whole
sky plotted at the highest magnification, without meaning this a too bulky
multivolume book. I wanted constellation lines plotted, double stars like in
Herald-Bobroff atlas, conventional symbols, neighboring charts, optional color
printouts, etc).
Thus, more than one year ago I began to plan my own
atlas by modifying my program CNebulaX to generate high quality vector
printouts. The idea was building a set of three atlases (A,B and C maps),
interlinked and showing the whole sky
dome a three magnification levels. That first edition was still imperfect, with
important pitfalls to correct, particularly label overlaps. Nevertheless, it
was very effective at the field, and allowed spotting practically any deep sky
object I tried. I spent nearly a whole year using it, to learn the good points
and the issues to be addressed in a future second edition. Well, the moment to
replace the old atlas has arrived. Now, a year later, I have prepared a second
edition where most of the drawbacks have been overcome. I would like to share it
(free, or course!!!) with everybody as PDF files.
If any of the readers have space to store the files, I
invite him/her to copy them in his/her web. I only want two issues: the charts
must remain unaltered, and you must place a link to this page to allow other
users to get knowledge about the TriAtlas features, and to allow them to be
updated with regard to news and incidental corrections. The atlas is absolutely free and it is my pleasure to share it with
everybody.
As in the first version, there are three sets of
charts. The first one (A-Set) consists of 25 A4 charts showing stars up to 9
magnitude, with 70º maps in portrait format. The second one (B-Set) includes 107
charts up to 11 magnitude, with 30º charts. Finally, the third section (C-Set) includes 571
charts (12º each) up to 12.6 magnitude, more powerful than the Millennium
Atlas, listing for instance all known planetary nebulae and open clusters,
galaxies up to 15.5 magnitude, double stars up to 12.5 magnitude, etc. The fonts are small but more readable than in the first release.
I think that the best is having a look to the
enhancements. If you know the first release, you will appreciate all these
changes. I also suggest taking your favorite atlases and comparing them with
the TriAtlas. As a small summary, I would point out the following features...
Improvements of the second edition with regard to the
first release and some other features
(1) Chart arrangement by decreasing R.A., similar to Uranometria 2000.0 2nd ed: the eastern
side of the i chart is the west limit
of the i+1 chart
(2) Charts
are now in portrait
format. This allows viewing a larger region of
the sky, placing two consecutive charts one by the other.
(3) Label overlap problem
practically eliminated. Even highly
congested fields can be easily interpreted. The system is quite good although I
think I can still do some more improvements in the future.
(4) Tips indicating the location of the problematic objects,
which allow labeling even extremely cluttered regions (eg. Large Magellanic
Cloud)
(5) Double stars labeled by
name and indicated by horizontal tips, but
best double stars are plotted like in the former release although in bold
outline
(6) Larger fonts, much more readable and still good for the scale of the maps. White
outlines help to reduce the interferences of background stars
(7) Legend at the top and neighboring charts at the borders in
black background
(8) New
symbols
(9) Constellations codes overlaid within each chart in each set
(10) Framing charts indicated to zoom out easily. In the B-charts, the A chart in which each
B-chart is framed is indicated above the chart number (bottom right)
(11) Common star names (Betelgeuse, Rigel...) and common names of deep sky objects
(Minkowskii Footprint, Intergalactic Tramp...) are now also printed. Around 200
objects are labelled.
(12) Line sizes now indicate brighter objects (e.g., a brighter
galaxy has a thicker outline than a fainter one). Selecting the bright objects
is now much easier!!!.
(13) Much
more
galaxies are oriented according to their
position angle
(14) Messier objects indicated in bold and larger font. Herschel's 400 objects are also highlighted in bold font (great
for picking up the best objects).
(15) Polar
charts include side
R.A. labels
(16) Precession marks in the center of the
maps (1950, 1975, 2000, 2025 and 2050). I placed them thinking in the Burnham's
Celestial Handbook lists of double stars, and other old lists out there, still
very useful.
(17) More
double
and variable stars marked in all sets
(more relaxed selection criteria)
The
charts have been designed to be printed in a good quality laser printer (use at
least 600 dpi and the best quality your printer allows) in A4 format, which is
a standard ISO measurement usual in European countries, measuring 29 x
The
TriAtlas includes plenty of deep sky objects with enough reference stars to
situate them in the sky with high accuracy; no other current deep sky atlas
includes so many DSOs. The constellation lines and boundaries are now overlaid,
which contribute to keep the perspective. Auxiliary coordinates grid are
abundant, but neither distracting nor intrusive. Coordinates labels are placed
at both sides and bottom of the charts to facilitate binding with the maximal
page filling. There are multiple navigating aids that make usage in the field
easy and comfortable, either to zoom in or out, or to move to neighboring
charts. It is also extremely handy: A4 or similar size allows manipulating the
atlas with one hand whereas we are moving the telescope with the other. A and B
sets constitute a standard-alone atlas by themselves; C-charts allows locating
very faint objects with very good probability of success. Graphically, some of
the the features can be summarized as follows:
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C chart set (A4 for European and other ISO users, and
Letter 8x11" for
About the C-set , which includes the most powerful maps:
·
● It consists of 571
charts 12º x 8.5º in PDF files
·
● 1º =
·
● It shows stars up to 12.6
magnitude,
quite good for the map scale, preserving a constant value in the whole atlas
·
● It shows galaxies up to 15.5
magnitude from
PGC (all of them are now labeled since cluttering is not critical anymore).
There are around 37,000 galaxies plotted.
·
● It includes the revised
version of NGC and IC (from the NGC/IC project), removing discarded objects
·
● ...1200 planetary nebulae
·
● ...1800 open clusters, and
all globular clusters
·
● ...SH-2, RCW and other
catalogues
for bright nebulae (no LBN because of cluttering and repetitions): 900 objects
·
● ...LDN / Barnard (1850 dark nebulae)
·
● ...Double stars whose main star is brighter than 11th
magnitude (35,000 double stars)
·
● ...Variable stars whose maximum reaches the 12.5
magnitude (29,000 variable stars)
·
● ...There are some
quasars
(a few hundreds up to 16.5 mag), the stronger
radiosources and
a selection of galaxy clusters (all Hickson's and some
Abell's)
·
● Double stars are now labeled by
name.
B chart set (A4 for European and other ISO users, and
Letter 8x11" for
The
working horse in the TriAtlas is the B-set, with a linear
scale very similar to the Sky Atlas 2000 deluxe but with much more accuracy,
stars and deep sky objects. It makes the location of object extremely easy, and
at the same time the scale and constellation lines helps a lot to relate the
sky with the maps. This set is my personal favorite as master sky atlas.
A chart set (A4 for European and other ISO users, and
Letter 8x11" for
Finally,
the A-set has two purposes: to act as an index for B and C sets, and to display
the brightest and best deep sky objects. This is similar to a 7-mag star atlas
but reaching nine magnitude. This makes it more useful and it allows locating
many bright objects without the cooperation of the other sets.
Complementary editions (A4/A3 for European users, and
Letter/tabloid format for
INTERMEDIATE B-C SET:
218 charts in A4 / letter – If you want a powerful atlas but you cannot print
the 571 charts of C-set, this can be the solution. It is my personal favorite
edition.
PANORAMIC B SET:
31 charts in A3 / tabloid – A large scale atlas very similar to Sky Atlas 2000,
but with much more stars (under development)
Download the TriAtlas second edition!!!
NOTE: All links have been
updated, contact us if there is any problem
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A-SET GENERAL INDEX Section A includes a selection of the best deep sky objects and it is very handy
to plan quick deep sky sessions and as a general reference to swap to either
B- or C-maps. 25 charts showing 9 mag stars Size: 47º x 67º portrait layaout,
monochrome Pointers to B- and C-
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Links to download A-SET (A4 page size, ISO): |
Links to download A-SET (letter page, 8x11", |
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● A-SET 2nd edition: 25 charts to 9
mag |
● A-SET 2nd
edition: 25 charts to 9 mag |
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B-SET STANDARD ATLAS Section B includes many thousands of deep sky objects and is an atlas similar to
Uranometria 2000. It can be used in combination with set A and the two key
charts as a standard-alone atlas. 107 charts showing 11 mag stars Size: 21º x 30º portrait layaout,
monochrome Pointers to C- maps
and back pointers to A maps |
Links to download B-SET (A4 page size, ISO): |
Links to download B-SET (letter page, 8x11", |
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● B-SET 2nd edition: charts 1-36 ● B-SET 2nd edition: charts 37-72 ● B-SET 2nd edition: charts 73-107 |
● B-SET 2nd
edition: charts 1-36 ● B-SET 2nd edition: charts 37-72 ● B-SET 2nd edition: charts 73-107 |
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C-SET DETAILED ATLAS Section C is the equivalent to Millennium Star Atlas, although with many more
deep sky objects. Use it to find the hardest objects or in very crowded
fields. 571 charts showing 12.6 mag stars Size: 8º x 12º portrait layaout,
monochrome Back pointers to B-
and A-maps |
Links to download C-SET (A4 page size, ISO): |
Links to download C-SET (letter page, 8x11", |
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COMPLEMENTARY EDITION #1: Intermediate Set B / C with 218 detailed charts Easier to print and transport
than the C-set but still very powerful. This edition is my new personal
favourite!!! 218 charts showing 11.1 mag stars Size: 14º x 20º portrait layout,
monochrome Independent set of
charts Back pointers to B-
and A-maps and forward pointers
to C-maps Independent set of
charts |
Links to download
B/C-SET (A4 page size, ISO): |
Links to download
B/C-SET (letter page, 8x11", ● Index to B/C
charts 2nd edition (Key map) |
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COMPLEMENTARY EDITION #2: Panoramic Set with 56 charts Equivalent to Sky Atlas 2000 but
with a higher limiting magnitude, more details and more objects 56 charts showing 9.8 mag stars Size: 42 x 30º landscape layout,
monochrome Independent set of
charts |
Links to download
Panoramic set (A3 page size, ISO): ● PDF
01 ● PDF
02 ● PDF
03 ● Index to the
Panoramic charts (Key map) |
Links to Panoramic set
(Tabloid page size, ● PDF
01 ● PDF
02 ● PDF
03 ● Index to the
Panoramic charts (Key map) |
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A look to the
(obsolete) first release (June 2007)
This is the way I printed the PDF charts, in a single-volume book with the most comprehensive sky atlas available. I prepared mine
including all sets (A, B and C charts) before summer 2007 holidays, and I was
using it in three different telescopes during all the summer, with an
extraordinary performance. It allowed locating with accuracy many thousands
deep sky objects, and it was an invaluable help for catching objects at the
threshold, stellar planetary nebulae, etc. You just couldn't miss objects because
you didn't know exactly where to fix your attention at the eyepiece field, or
because there were too few stars to spot the place. In addition, the collection
of objects was very comprehensive. No other printed atlas plotted more objects
(well ...except the second edition!!!).
The TriAtlas included navigating aids to jump to the neighboring charts sets
at higher magnifications. The chart number was at the lower right area (large
outline font). Each chart included nine navigating points giving the chart number
of the nearest neighboring charts within the same set, indicated in a bold font
in the borders (the corners and in the middle sides). There were also smaller
outline numbers in the A-charts indicating the location of the included B- and
C- charts, and similar numbers in the B-charts to jump to the C-charts. It was
very easy to move around a given area, even at high magnification, and swap
between sets. Constellation lines were marked in all sets to make the
identification in the sky even easier.
If one preferred a comfortable field atlas instead, he/she only needed to print sections A and B (around 120 A4
pages). I prepared mine like in the picture, protecting the pages of moisture
with in a folder with plastic sheets. The B-set had a scale similar to Sky
Atlas 2000 deluxe edition, but with much more stars and objects. Other people
printed the atlas in A3 or similar formats. The maps were vector-based and
could be enlarged without losses in resolution.
The charts were large PDF files (=save them to disk before opening).
Food output were obtained printing them with no shrinkage at 600 DPI (I
generated my own charts sending them directly to the printer for a best
quality, and PDF charts were not so perfect).
At that state the atlas was still unrefined, with
overlapped labels and objects, but nevertheless a very nice work.