September 2008
Volume 4. Number 5. Issue 31
COVER STORY
Polar Prospector
NASA's latest Mars lander has begun digging for water ice just beneath the surface.
By J. Kelly Beatty
NEWS & FEATURES
News Notes
• The Throat of a Black-Hole Jet
• The Milky Way Remapped
• Supernova Caught in the Act
and more...
Spotlight On...So Where's The Chicken?
Star formation and more is visible in this celestial farmyard.
By Steve Crouch
Skyscape
A Historic Descent.
Planetary Peculiarities
Intriguing discoveries keep on coming from the rapidly expanding universe of extrasolar planets.
By Ken Croswell
Insight
Ten things you may not know about the Sun.
Tuning In to the Universe
Coming radio telescopes will tackle big questions like the origin of life and the nature of space and time.
By Joseph Lazio, Michael Kramer, and Bryan Gaensler
Gearheads in Paradise
The Northeast Astronomy Forum brings people and products together like no other place on Earth.
By Dennis di Cicco and Sean Walker
Caesar's Invasion of Britain
A team of astro-sleuths discovers that most historians have misdated this historic Roman amphibious landing.
By Donald W. Olson, Russell L. Doescher, and the Texas State Honours Students
PRODUCTS & REVIEWS
New Product Spotlight
• The SkyX Student Edition
• Sky Quality Meter
• Universal Paracorr
AS&T Test Report
A Bigger Blast for the Buck
With its 6-inch (15-cm) aperture and weighing 10kg, this isn't your kid's StarBlast.
By Gary Seronik
Books & Beyond
• What's the Deal?
• Watching the King
• and more...
OBSERVING & EXPLORING
Binocular Highlight
Messier 15 in Pegasus
By Les Dalrymple
Tonight's Sky
Spring's Milky Way
By Greg Bryant
Sun, Moon, and Planets
September's Spectacular Planetary Trio
By Greg Bryant
Tiny Players on Jupiter's Stage
Jupiter's moons and their shadows perform dramatic telescopic acts almost every night.
By Joseph Maugeri and Alan MacRobert
Celestial Calendar
Vesta in the Whale's Mouth
By Greg Bryant
Celestial Calendar
Quarter Moon Action
By Steve Kerr
Celestial Calendar
Springtime Comets
By David Seargent
Exploring The Moon
Unseen Seas
By Charles A. Wood
Targets
The Graceful Swan
By Sue French
Deep Sky Delights
Eagle Planetaries
By Les Dalrymple
Double Star Notes
Double Stars in Piscis Austrinus
By Ross Gould
ACTIVITIES & PEOPLE
NACAA 2008
This year's National Australian Convention of Amateur Astronomers was a resounding success.
By Glenn Dawes
Club Profile
Astronomical Society of Albury Wodonga
By David Thurley and Petra de Ruyter
Community News
Astronomy Online
Microsoft's Cosmic Marvel
By Stuart J. Goldman
Telescope Workshop
Milsom's Terrific Travelscope
By Gary Seronik
Ask AS&T
• Focusing a Digital Camera
• The Rotating Moon
• and more...
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Spectrum
Where's the Green Light on Lasers?
By Greg Bryant
Letters
• A Love Story
• Readers' Impressions
• and more
Subscription Offer
Receive 9 issues for the price of 8! See our offer
Gallery
Manufacturer & Dealer Directory
Focal Point
Red Planet Resolve
By Brent J. Bos
Index to Advertisers