May 2005
Volume 1. Number 5
COVER STORY
The Final Countdown
NASA's space shuttle is about to lift off again, this time into a very uncertain future.
By Colin Burgess
NEWS & FEATURES
News Notes
• A Galaxy That Thrives On Chaos
• Exoplanet Discoveries
• Galaxy Maps Reveal Long-Sought Waves
and more...
Spotlight On...A Puzzling Polar-Ring Galaxy
An odd looking galaxy reveals itself to be the site of a cosmic collision.
By Vera Rubin
The Hubble Crisis
The Hubble Telescope is fighting for its life. Will it be saved?
By Colin Burgess
Magnetar Unleashes Staggering Superflare
For a split second in December, more than a dozen spacecraft recorded the second-brightest object ever seen.
By Robert Naeye
A Decade of Brown Dwarfs
Straddling the divide between stars and planets, these dynamic objects are writing a new chapter in the history of astronomy.
By Gibar Basri
OBSERVING & EXPLORING
Binocular Highlight
A Jewel Among Jewels
By Les Dalrymple
Tonight's Sky
Modern Star Groups of the South
By Greg Bryant
Sun, Moon, and Planets
Morning And Night Planets
By Jonathan Nally
Exploring the Moon
The Naked-Eye Moon
By Charles A. Wood
Deep Sky Delights
Out of the Milky Way
By David Frew
Celestial Calendar
Dynamic Jupiter: An Observing Guide
By Alan MacRobert
Targets
Catch the Brightest Quasar
By Alan MacRobert
Celestial Calendar
The Comets of Autumn
By David Seargent
Observer's Log
Photographing the Lunar 100
By John Robinson & Arthur Coombs
PRODUCTS & REVIEWS
AS&T Test Report
A Preview of Meade's RCX400
Is this the biggest thing to hit the telescope market in years?
By Dennis Di Cicco
Books & Beyond
• Meeting Astronomy's Great Minds
• The Many Faces of Mars
and more...
ACTIVITIES & PEOPLE
The Astronomy Scene
The Quest for Celestial Fire
By Andrew Wood
Astrophotography
Photograph the Sun Safely
By Peter Ward
Activities
Gallery
Hobby Q&A
• Sphere or paraboloid?
• Why do some stars appear larger in photos than others?
• Why does Titan have a dense atmosphere?
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Spectrum
NASA at the Crossroads
By Jonathan Nally
Letters
• Smitten by the Sun
• The Dream
• Now That's Curious...
Mission Update
By Jonathan McDowell
Subscription Offer
Focal Point
Where there's smoke...
By Steve Massey
Index to Advertisers