August 1995

Subscribe today and save!
The world's best-selling astronomy magazine offers you the most exciting, visually stunning, and timely coverage of the heavens above. Each monthly issue includes expert science reporting, vivid color photography, complete sky coverage, spot-on observing tips, informative telescope reviews, and much more! All this in an easy-to-understand, user-friendly style that's perfect for astronomers at any level.

Features

Shuttling into the 21st Century

By Donald F. Robertson

How will NASA explore space when the shuttle gets too old - and too expensive - to fly safely?

pg. 32

Dog Days and Twinkling Stars

By Jeff Kanipe

Those lazy, hazy days of summer can be an observer's best friend.

pg. 40

Messengers from Mars

By Mark S. Robinson, Meenakshi Wadhwa

Enormous impacts blasted bits of the Red Planet all the way to Earth. What story do they tell of Mars' history and violent collisions between asteroids and planets in the early solar system?

pg. 44

Sky Almanac

By Deborah Byrd, Rick Shaffer

Comet d'Arrest peaks in brightness this month, putting on a fine display in small telescopes and binoculars. Meanwhile, Jupiter and Saturn dominate the naked-eye sky.

pg. 52

Find a Rock in Space

By Mark J. Coco

On any clear night, observers armed with a telescope can easily view dozens of the solar system's rocky asteroids.

pg. 62

An Astrophotographer's Goofs, Bloopers, & Practical(ly) Jokes

By Alan Dyer

Master the art of taking great night-sky photos by learning from the mistakes of an expert.

pg. 66

Make a Bino Mount

By David Rogers

Banish tired arms and shaky views with this sturdy, easy-to-build mount for your binoculars.

pg. 71

See You at the Hop

By Robert A. Garfinkle

Most beginners wonder if they'll ever find the night's many deep-sky wonders. Relax: A simple technique called star-hopping will have you navigating the universe in no time.

pg. 74

Departments

Behind the Scenes

Arrivals and Departures

Letters

AstroForum

Do We Need Organized Astronomy?

AstroNews

- And PSR 0329+54 Makes Three
- Not So Fast . . .
- Giant Mexican Telescope
- Intergalactic Carbon
- Young Disks Shed Light on Solar System
- Being (Tele)present
- X-ray Nova Shoots out High-Speed Jets

Amateur News

- Getting to Know Io
- California Astroimagers Confab

New Products

- Upgraded CCD Camera
- Newtonian Tube Assemblies
- CCD Focusing Eyepiece

Astronomy Books

Mr. Barnard's Universe

AstroBytes

Explore the Moon

Meetings and Events

Resources & Photofacts

Advertiser Index

Reader Reports