Local Group - Astronomy Magazine - Interactive Star Charts, Planets, Meteors, Comets, Telescopes

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Astroimages for your desktop

Posted 15 years ago by Matt Quandt

We have a section on Astronomy.com where you can download stunning astroimages to put on your computer desktop wallpaper. Each month, we add a few more to the collection. Choose from stars, galaxies, nebulae, planets, observatories, comets, and other miscellaneous astronomical subjects. We'll be sure to let you know when we add to this great collection. Here are the latest: Makemake This outer solar system orb has been classified as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomica...

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Michael Bakich on KMOX radio in St. Louis Sunday night, 09.21.08

Posted 15 years ago by Matt Quandt

Astronomy magazine Senior Editor Michael Bakich will talk with Jon Grayson of KMOX radio (AM 1120) in St. Louis Sunday night at 9:10 Central. Jon invited Michael to be a monthly guest on the station's "Reality Check" program. Their conversation typically lasts 15-20 minutes. They discuss articles from the latest issue of Astronomy, what objects are visible in the sky this month, and other space-related topics. You can listen to Michael's previous conversations by visiting ...

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My return to Astronomy magazine

Posted 15 years ago by Liz Kruesi

So, I’m back at Astronomy magazine after a 2-year hiatus. Because some of that time was spent away from the field of astronomy (aside from looking up at the night sky and reading the big news stories), I’ve spent much of the last few days catching up on astronomical news. It doesn’t seem like I’ve been living in a cave the past 2 years: Many things are still unknown regarding the universe, we still haven’t found ET, and we haven’t found the Higgs boson.Some pretty neat stuff has, however, occurr...

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September 19, 2008: Venus, the Dumbbell Nebula, and NGC 7006

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

Here is the transcript for my podcast about how to see Venus, the Dumbbell Nebula, and NGC 7006 during the next few days. Check out the Astronomy.com's interactive star chart to see an accurate map of your sky. It'll help you locate some of this week's key targets. Astronomy magazine subscribers have access to a slew of cool functions with StarDome PLUS. --Start transcript-- Venus, the Dumbbell Nebula, and NGC 7006 are visible in the next few days. We’ll help you find them i...

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Update on the great planet debate with Alan Stern

Posted 15 years ago by Daniel Pendick

In my blog on June 18, planetary scientist Alan Stern commented on the recent reclassification of Pluto and other outer solar system bodies as “plutoids” instead of planets. We’ve been talking again, this time in response to a conference, "Great Planet Debate: Science as a Process," at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Baltimore August 12. It was a chance for scientists to discuss the issues underlying what is being called “the great planet debate,” or simply GPD. ...

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So you want to be a space tourist?

Posted 15 years ago by Matt Quandt

It’s easy to love magazines when you work at a magazine publishing company, and I LOVE magazines. A few subscriptions here at the office, and a few at home, keep my nose in some publication during most of my free time — which is significantly less now as I spend most of my time at home chasing my now-walking daughter around. Sometimes the issues pile up, and it takes me a while to get to them. Hence, why I’m about to direct you to an article in Wired magazine’s September issue. “Welcome to St...

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Contributing illustrator completes Eta Carinae 1843 outburst project

Posted 15 years ago by Karri Ferron

A frequent contributing artist for Astronomy, Lynette Cook has recently completed a project about the historical 1843 outburst of Eta Carinae for the Gemini Observatory. In a sequence of seven images, her conception of the expanding blast wave from Eta Carinae’s 1843 eruption reflects new research on the hypergiant star, led by Nathan Smith of the University of California, Berkeley. His observations suggest the cause of the 1843 outburst was an explosion, not a steady wind. You may remember C...

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On the road: PATS 2008, Day Two

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

I spent Day 2 at the Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS) mostly talking. I talked to manufacturers about new products, I talked to amateur astronomers about our magazine, I chatted with astroimagers about their photography, and I interacted with some of the event's keynote speakers. Everyone thought Day 1 of PATS was a success. About 800 paid admission tickets sold, and people milled about through the whole day. Jen Winter, president of DayStar Filters, said that, beyond the sal...

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On the road: The Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show, day one

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

Today, I'm at the Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS). Because this is the first time PATS has occurred, I really didn't know what to expect. Wow! There are a lot more dealers here than I thought would attend. Big ones like Celestron, Meade, Orion, Santa Barbara Instrument Group, Tele Vue, and Vixen. Small ones like, well, in many cases I hadn't heard of them. It's nice to attend a show and be surprised. I've already seen several cool, new products. Take the Nitrog...

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On the road: The Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show preview

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

This weekend, I’ll attend the Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS) in Pasadena, California. This promises to be a biggie, and I’m looking forward to seeing the latest telescopes, eyepieces, and accessories. Many of Astronomy magazine’s contributors also will be there, and I’m looking forward to seeing them all. Until now, most large equipment shows — like the NorthEast Astronomy Forum (NEAF) — have occurred on the East Coast. One exception happens each Memorial Day weekend. At that t...

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September 12, 2008: The constellation Delphinus, the Double Double, and the Blue Snowball

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

Here is the transcript for my podcast about how to see the constellation Delphinus, the Double Double, and the Blue Snowball during the next few days. Check out the Astronomy.com's interactive star chart to see an accurate map of your sky. It'll help you locate some of this week's key targets. Astronomy magazine subscribers have access to a slew of cool functions with StarDome PLUS. --Start transcript-- The constellation Delphinus, the Double Double, and the Blue Snowball ...

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LHC gets hip

Posted 15 years ago by Karri Ferron

For those of you physics and cosmology enthusiasts who are into learning through alternative methods (or you’re just someone who likes some clever music and lyrics), you’ve got to check out the Large Hadron Rap video on YouTube. Of course, that’s if you aren’t one of the more than 1.5 million people who’ve viewed it already. The nearly 5-minute scientific rap goes to the credit of Kate MacAlpine, a 23-year-old American trainee at CERN. She wrote lyrics explaining the goals of the Large Hadr...

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Brightest stellar explosion ever seen

Posted 15 years ago by Daniel Pendick

Yesterday, I participated in a press teleconference announcing new observations and research on the brightest bang ever seen in the sky. Astronomers on Earth saw it March 19, 2008, but it actually happened 7.5 billion years ago when a massive star collapsed and formed a black hole, producing an event astronomers call a gamma-ray burst. For about 40 seconds, its optical flash was visible to the naked eye. You’ll see lots of coverage of this in the science press today and tomorrow.Astronomers from...

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Check out this great planetary nebula image

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

As Astronomy’s photo editor, I get some cool images pretty much on a daily basis. Monday, I opened my e-mail to find that one of the magazine’s long-time imagers, Keith Quattrocchi, in association with Matt Helm, has imaged a hitherto undesignated planetary nebula in the constellation Cygnus. And, it’s a cool one. Helm first discovered the object after imaging an HII region (a cloud of glowing hydrogen) only 48' from the Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888), one of the most famous of all deep-sky obj...

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Astronomy previews the Large Hadron Collider's big day

Posted 15 years ago by Matt Quandt

I sat down with Astronomy magazine Senior Editor Rich Talcott to learn more about the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and its September 10 test. For additional background information on the LHC, visit Astronomy.com.UPDATE: LHC successfully passed its September 10 test. Here is the transcript of my conversation with Rich: What is the Large Hadron Collider? Well the LHC, as the name implies, is something that’s big, that’s going to collide elementary particles called hadrons. And basica...

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NASA chief's memo sparks heated discussion

Posted 15 years ago by Daniel Pendick

NASA head Michael Griffin has made some public comments recently expressing concern that retiring the shuttle program in 2010 will leave us utterly dependent on a foreign power (Russia) for access to the International Space Station. See Astronomy magazine's Executive Editor Dick McNally’s comments on the subject August 15, a week after Russia invaded Georgia, touching off a diplomatic feud with the United States, "Russia, Georgia, and the International Space Station." The memo...

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Biggest public telescope east of the Mississippi

Posted 15 years ago by Daniel Pendick

Here’s some interesting news sent to us from Warren Westura, an amateur astronomer and member of the United Astronomy Clubs of New Jersey (UACNJ). Seems they’ve got themselves a truly magnificent new telescope, a 48-inch reflector donated by the U.S. Air Force! Get this: It’s surplus equipment from the Reagan-era “Star Wars” missile defense research program. This is something any observer in Warren’s neighborhood should know about. Here’s his letter to us, lightly edited. “We are a group...

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September 5, 2008: The Scutum Star Cloud, the Wild Duck Cluster, and Barnard’s Galaxy

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

Here is the transcript for my podcast about how to see the Scutum Star Cloud, the Wild Duck Cluster, and Barnard’s Galaxy during the next few days. Check out the Astronomy.com's interactive star chart to see an accurate map of your sky. It'll help you locate some of this week's key targets. Astronomy magazine subscribers have access to a slew of cool functions. --Start transcript-- The Scutum Star Cloud, the Wild Duck Cluster, and Barnard’s Galaxy are visible in the next few...

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SpaceFest 2009

Posted 15 years ago by Karri Ferron

An interesting pamphlet came across my desk about Spacefest 2009, and I thought some of you might want to check it out. After a successful debut in 2007, the sponsor of Spacefest, space memorabilia source Novaspace, has put together a sequel. The 2009 event will take place February 19-22 at the Town & Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego. The gathering will have an autograph show featuring pioneering astronauts such as Moonwalkers Buzz Aldrin (member of Astronomy magazine'...

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Women in astronomy resource guide

Posted 15 years ago by Karri Ferron

I have to commend Andrew Fraknoi and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific on a great new web resource that came across my desk yesterday. “Women in Astronomy: An Introductory Resource Guide to Materials in English” is an excellent index for astronomy and history enthusiasts who want to learn more about how the female gender has impacted our study of the universe. It contains print and web references for the general topic of women in astronomy, in addition to references for 32 specific women. ...

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Michael Bakich on KMOX in St. Louis Sunday night

Posted 15 years ago by Matt Quandt

Astronomy magazine Senior Editor Michael Bakich will talk with Jon Grayson of KMOX radio (AM 1120) in St. Louis Sunday night at 9:10 Central. Jon invited Michael to be a monthly guest on the station's "Reality Check" program. Their conversation typically lasts 15-20 minutes. They discuss articles from the latest issue of Astronomy, what objects are visible in the sky this month, and other space-related topics. You can listen to Michael's previous conversations by visiting ...

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August 29, 2008: The Summer Triangle, the North America Nebula, the Bow-Tie Nebula

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

Here is the transcript for my podcast about how to see the Summer Triangle, the North America Nebula, and the Bow-Tie Nebula during the next few days. Check out the Astronomy.com's interactive star chart to see an accurate map of your sky. It'll help you locate some of this week's key targets. Astronomy magazine subscribers have access to a slew of cool functions. Targets for August 29-September 4 Naked-eye: Summer TriangleSmall telescope: North America Nebula8-inch or larger ...

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A new topographic map of Mercury

Posted 15 years ago by Daniel Pendick

Last week, I told you we would show you a new map of Mercury based on the January MESSENGER flyby. Here it is, kindly provided by one of NASA’s master mappers, Robert Gaskell of the Planetary Science Institute in Altadena, California. This image is an anaglyph — a flat image that simulates a three-dimensional view — of the fault scarp Beagle Rupes as it cuts across the crater Sveinsdóttir. The area shown here is about 160 miles (257 kilometers) square. The view angle is 45 degrees. This an...

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Watch Mercury's master mapper's asteroid animations

Posted 15 years ago by Matt Quandt

In Dan Pendick's blog, "Mercury's master mapper," he told you we were converting two high-resolution animations from Robert Gaskell, a participating scientist in the MESSENGER mission to Mercury, of the asteroids Eros and Itokawa. Well, we're done converting them to Flash, and you can now view them. We've housed the converted animations on Astronomy.com, so click on the asteroid names below to watch them: Asteroid Eros Asteroid Itokawa Special thanks to Robert Gas...

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It’s October issue time at Astronomy.com

Posted 15 years ago by Karri Ferron

The October issue of Astronomy is in the hands of subscribers and hits newsstands next Tuesday. For readers, it means interesting new articles and amazing photographs; for me, it means the time has come to update Astronomy.com to reflect our new issue. Updating the web site for each issue was a new responsibility given to me just two weeks ago. And while I consider myself pretty computer savvy, analyzing words on paper is definitely more of my strong suit (hence the job position of copy edito...

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Oh the people you'll meet on astronomy tours

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

It’s funny who you get to know on an eclipse trip. I’ve met corporate executives, small-business owners, professional photographers, and lots of others. On our recent trip to Siberia to view the August 1 total solar eclipse, we met Ed Piwowarski, a guy who paints movie sets. My wife and I are both big movie fans, so we asked him what movies he had worked on. He mentioned several box-office hits, some independent films, and others not so well known. Over the course of the nearly 2-week trip,...

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The poetic side of science writing

Posted 15 years ago by Daniel Pendick

Many people — at least, many of the people science writers write for — read to satisfy a basic curiosity about the universe. How does the world work? What’s out there in the unfathomable great beyond of outer space? Astronomy readers, in particular, enjoy getting their minds bent around improbable ideas like black holes, multi-dimensional universes, and lakes on Titan filled with that stuff in your barbecue grill gas tank. But can writing about science be more than the imparting of inter...

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Galaxy Zoo project and you

Posted 15 years ago by Matt Quandt

My wife and I attended a friend’s wedding this past weekend. When I told the groom’s mother what I did, she let forth the following: “Oh, you work for Astronomy magazine?! My husband is totally hooked on the Galaxy Zoo Project!” Turns out “totally hooked” is an understatement. Her husband told me he has cranked out thousands of galaxy classifications in the last 6 weeks. Each night, he sits at his computer, turns on some music, and gets crankin’. Apparently, he's one of thousands of de...

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August 22, 2008: Three things to look for in this week’s night sky

Posted 15 years ago by Michael Bakich

Here is the transcript for my podcast about how to see Jupiter, M57, and NGC 1 during the next few days. Targets for August 22–28 Naked eye: Jupiter Small telescope: M57, the Ring Nebula 8-inch or larger telescope: NGC 1 --Begin transcript-- Just starting out? Let’s get started with this week’s naked-eye object. And it’s an easy one — Jupiter. All you have to do is look toward the south after sunset. If your sky is clear, you’ll spot Jupiter blazing forth. Right now, it’...

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Mercury’s master mapper

Posted 15 years ago by Daniel Pendick

In centuries past, explorers would visit terra incognita — unknown lands — and bring new information back home to feed the master mappers of Europe. It hasn’t changed all that much — except the explorers are robot spacecraft and the master mappers of the solar system are scientists. Late Tuesday afternoon, I saw a NASA press release about one of NASA’s master mappers, Robert Gaskell. He’s a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, and a participating scientist i...

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