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Planispheres

Bassermann, Edition Entdecke den Nachthimmel! with rotating star chart

An illustrated guide to the night sky for readers from eight, supplied with a rotating star chart for identifying constellations.

Night sky guide book with rotating star chart

Bassermann, Edition Entdecke den Nachthimmel! with rotating star chart

An illustrated guide to the night sky for readers from eight, supplied with a rotating star chart for identifying constellations.

Latitude band
Not stated
Disc size
An illustrated guide supplied with a rotating star chart
Readability
Not published by the maker.
Printed subjects
Recognising constellations; exploring planets and galaxies, per the title
Material
Not published by the maker.
Trade reference
Sold as a book — ISBN 978-3-8094-4993-5
Audience
Not published by the maker.
Amazon reference
3809449938 (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
EAN
9783809449935
  • A chart and an explanation of how to use it in the same purchase
  • Aimed at an age where the sky is best learned
  • No description in the listing at all

Best for: A child from eight who has just been given a telescope or binoculars

≈ £12 / €15
Check price on Amazon

Specifications

Latitude band
Not stated
Disc size
An illustrated guide supplied with a rotating star chart
Readability
Not published by the maker.
Printed subjects
Recognising constellations; exploring planets and galaxies, per the title
Material
Not published by the maker.
Trade reference
Sold as a book — ISBN 978-3-8094-4993-5
Audience
Not published by the maker.
Amazon reference
3809449938 (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
EAN
9783809449935

A chart and the instructions for it

The commonest fate of a planisphere is a drawer. Not because it is difficult — it is two discs and a date scale — but because nobody showed the owner how to hold it or which way to face. A book sold with the chart addresses exactly that.

Age eight and up

That is the right age to learn the sky. A child who knows the pattern of half a dozen constellations will find things through a telescope that an adult without that knowledge cannot, and the knowledge outlasts any instrument.

The subjects named

Recognising constellations, and exploring planets and galaxies. The first is what the chart does; the second is what the book adds, because planets move through the fixed pattern the chart is built on.

Sold as a book

ISBN 978-3-8094-4993-5. That is how it is identified and reordered, and it means the chart inside is bound rather than being a durable standalone card — worth knowing for something that will be carried outside in the damp.

Availability

German, French, Italian and Spanish Amazon stores sat at about 15 € on the day of the survey.

American and British Amazon stores list it in local currency, which the euro range above sets aside.

Figures as Keepa reported them on the day this page was last updated. Stock and pricing shift without warning.

Prices quoted in this text were read on 17 September 2026. The live price is at the top of the page.

What this fits

More planispheres

  • Kosmos glow-in-the-dark rotating star chart

    Kosmos Glow-in-the-dark planisphere (83065)

    A large rotating star chart with glow-in-the-dark printing, covering the constellations visible from Germany and described by the maker as suitable for children.

    Latitude band
    All constellations visible from Germany, as the maker states it · Described, never quantified
    Disc size
    Rotating star chart — a planisphere
    Readability
    Luminous, so the chart can be read after exposure to light
    Printed subjects
    Not published by the maker.
    Material
    Not published by the maker.
    Trade reference
    Sold as a book — ISBN 978-3-440-17701-3 rather than a B0 marketplace code
    Audience
    Beginners; the maker states it also suits children
    Amazon reference
    3440177017 (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    9783440177013
    • Luminous printing means it can be read without a torch at all
    • A large format, which makes the constellation shapes legible in poor light
    • The latitude band is described by country rather than as a figure

    Best for: A beginner at northern European latitudes learning the constellations

    ≈ £14 / €17
    Check price on Amazon
  • Rotating star chart for the northern sky with planet pointer

    Verlag f. Lehrmittel Pößneck Rotating star chart with planet pointer

    A rotating star chart for the northern sky with an added planet pointer, published as a book and listed without any description.

    Latitude band
    Northern sky, from the title · Not stated
    Disc size
    Rotating star chart with a planet pointer
    Readability
    Not published by the maker.
    Printed subjects
    Included, from the title — planets are not printed on a planisphere
    Material
    Not published by the maker.
    Trade reference
    Sold as a publication — ISBN 978-3-7493-0244-4
    Audience
    Not published by the maker.
    Amazon reference
    3749302448 (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    9783749302444
    • A planet pointer addresses the one thing a planisphere structurally cannot show
    • The cheapest item on this entire shelf
    • The listing contains no description whatsoever

    Best for: A second chart, or a first one bought on price

    ≈ €8
    Check price on Amazon

The rest of this rack

  • Omegon MiniTrack LX3 Essentials mechanical tracking mount

    Omegon MiniTrack LX3 Essentials

    The entry version of a purely mechanical tracking mount, which replaces the optical polar scope with a simple sighting tube.

    Reticle pattern
    Not published by the maker.
    Illumination
    Not published by the maker.
    Dimming
    Not published by the maker.
    Mount compatibility
    Not published by the maker.
    Fit
    Not published by the maker.
    Retention
    Not published by the maker.
    Focus adjustment
    Not published by the maker.
    Hemisphere support
    Not published by the maker.
    Amazon reference
    B096ZB2FGB (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    4049467708254
    • The maker states exactly what has been removed to reach the price
    • Mechanical drive, so nothing to charge and nothing to fail in the cold
    • A sighting tube is far coarser than an optical polar scope, which limits exposure length

    Best for: Wide-angle tracked photography where a coarse polar alignment is enough

    ≈ $222 / €150
    Check price on Amazon
  • Sky-Watcher HM5 polar scope

    Sky-Watcher HM5 polar scope for EQ5, NEQ-5 and EQ-6

    A polar scope screwing directly into the polar axis of named Sky-Watcher mounts, with a reticle usable in both hemispheres.

    Reticle pattern
    The listing gives none
    Illumination
    Not mentioned
    Dimming
    Not published by the maker.
    Mount compatibility
    EQ5, NEQ-5 and EQ-6, named by the maker
    Fit
    Screws into the polar axis of the mount
    Retention
    Not published by the maker.
    Focus adjustment
    Neither is published
    Hemisphere support
    Northern and southern, per the maker
    Amazon reference
    B017NH3NYC (same reference on 3 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    6930096630154
    • Names the three mounts it fits rather than claiming universality
    • Works in both hemispheres, which not every reticle does
    • No accuracy, magnification or field figure

    Best for: An EQ5, NEQ-5 or EQ-6 mount bought without its polar scope

    ≈ £49
    Check price on Amazon
  • Vixen Polarie PF-L II polar scope

    Vixen Polarie PF-L II polar scope

    A compact polar scope with a published alignment accuracy of 3 arcminutes or better, 5x magnification and a dimmable, self-extinguishing red reticle.

    Reticle pattern
    3 arcminutes or better, as the maker publishes it · Red, dimmable, with automatic shut-off
    Illumination
    Not published by the maker.
    Dimming
    Not published by the maker.
    Mount compatibility
    Not published by the maker.
    Fit
    Not published by the maker.
    Retention
    Not published by the maker.
    Focus adjustment
    5x · 10 degrees
    Hemisphere support
    Not published by the maker.
    Amazon reference
    B07RZ7WMVH (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    4955295355334
    • The only alignment accuracy figure published anywhere in this family
    • Automatic shut-off on the reticle saves a battery left on after packing up
    • Made for the Polarie system; fitting it to another mount is not addressed

    Best for: A tracker owner who needs alignment good enough for long exposures

    ≈ £231 / €238
    Check price on Amazon

All planispheres