July/August 2006
Volume 2. Number 6. Issue 18
COVER STORY
Last Chance for the Shuttle?
NASA thinks they've fixed the foam problem, but doubts remain about the safety of the shuttle. Discovery's next flight will decide the fate of the entire programme.
By Jonathan Nally
NEWS & FEATURES
News Notes
• Saturn's Millions of Moonlets
• New Angle on the Milky Way
• No UFOs Please: We're British
and more...
Skyscape
Turning one galaxy into five.
The Science of Gemini
Aussie astronomers are using two of the world's biggest telescopes to make remarkable discoveries.
Jekyll & Hyde Galaxies
Galaxies go through abrupt personality changes. And black holes are to blame.
By Robert Irion
The Dunes of Titan
It sounds like science fiction, but our Solar System really does have a dune world.
By Jonathan Nally
Rings of Fire
Strange yet beautiful, these nebulae glow like interstellar jewellery.
By Jonathan Nally
The Darkness
Eclipse chasers will go to any lengths to get a few minutes of darkness. Are they all mad?
By Peter Ward
OBSERVING & EXPLORING
Southern Binocular Highlight
NGC 6067 on a Magic Carpet
By Les Dalrymple
Sun, Moon, and Planets
Dusk and Dawn Beacons
By Jonathan Nally
Tonight's Sky
Fireworks in Lupus
By Greg Bryant
Comets
Winter Challenges
By David Seargent
Occultations
Now You See It...
By Steve Kerr
Meteors
Five Times Lucky
By Adam Marsh
Exploring the Moon
The Moon's False Volcanoes
By Charles A. Wood
PRODUCTS & REVIEWS
AS&T Test Report
Digital Image Processing
Easy and affordable software for your astrophotos.
By Alan Dyer
Books & Beyond
• A Forgotten Hero
• Copernicus and Modern Astronomy
and more...
ACTIVITIES & PEOPLE
First Light: For Beginners
Become a weatherwise stargazer
By Todd Gross
The Astronomy Scene
A star party under dark skies
By Perry Vlahos
Astrophotography
Use infrared to peer through galactic dust
By Don Goldman
Ask AS&T
• If the Universe is expanding, why are some galaxies heading our way?
• Do the planets ever line up on one side of the Sun?
• Scorpio or Scorpius: which is right?
Discoveries
Landing on the Moon and Mars
By David Ellyard
Activities
Gallery
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Spectrum
United We Stand
By Jonathan Nally
Letters
• DIY Home Observatories
• Next Gen Oz Astronauts
and more...
Subscription Offer
FREE DVD! See our offer
Data Pages
Focal Point
Like a First Kiss
By Darren Osborne
Index to Advertisers