Did you ever find yourself out under a clear, dark sky in November wondering what to look at? How about targeting a few objects in the constellation Pegasus , one of my favorite autumn constellations. Here are some suggestions: Galaxy NGC 7479 is one of the most popular objects for viewing in the constellation, as it shows a distinct, nearly face-on barred spiral structure. Photos of NGC 7479 appear frequently in astronomy magazines and on the web...

NASA recently released its 2009 edition of Spinoff , an annual publication that chronicles successfully commercialized NASA technology. It’s easy to get lost in the magazine or its Web counterpart. The 2009 issue features 49 “spinoffs” in the areas of health and medicine; public safety; consumer, home, and recreation; environmental and agricultural resources; and more. I enjoyed many of them, but my favorites are the life rafts that use water to prevent...

The International Space Station may not inspire everyone with awe, but it has kept humanity consistently in space at all times for just over 9 years. NASA photo I inadvertently let an anniversary slip by a few weeks ago. It wasn’t a major one (I’m not sleeping on the couch), but it was nifty enough that I wish I could have celebrated appropriately. I refer, of course, to the ninth anniversary of the last day every human being was on Earth. On October...

As the editorial staff of the world’s best-selling astronomy publication, we get a lot of e-mails. Some suggest story ideas, some praise a column, feature, or image, and many ask questions. Lately, lots of e-mail writers have enquired about astronomy-related stories they’ve heard on the radio or television or read on the Internet. For example, “Is it true that Mars will appear as large as the Full Moon to the naked eye in August?” or, “I’ve heard...

This isn’t going to happen in 2012! Baseless theories, like a proposed planetary alignment on the scale of this photo illustration, have led many to fear the year 2012 needlessly. Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (NASA) photo Rejoice, for the end is nigh. Not of the actual world, of course, but of 2012 ’s marketing campaign. As you are no doubt aware, Roland Emmerich’s end-of-the-world epic, 2012 , opened this weekend. As in Emmerich’s previous movies...

From noon, Friday, November 13, through 8 a.m. CST, Monday, November 16 , all the great features that are available only to registered users or Astronomy magazine subscribers will be available to everyone. For free! Find out what you've been missing! Check out these exclusive benefits: StarDome Plus — Locate specific objects like planets, comets, galaxies, nebulae, and more in your night sky with the expanded version of Astronomy.com’s interactive...

Next week (November 16–20), NASA’s Digital Learning Network will host a series of videoconferences with NASA employees who had a special connection with Apollo 11 to let students hear firsthand accounts from people who made the lunar landing possible. The 1-hour programs will be held each day at 1 p.m. EST from a different NASA location and will be webcast to the public . The schedule will run as follows: Monday: (from NASA’s Langley Research Center...

Faces of the Moon cover image Guest review from Contributing Editor and Columnist Glenn Chaple If you’ve ever doubted that the elegance of the night sky can be expressed poetically, you haven’t encountered Bob Crelin’s young readers’ book Faces of the Moon . With a marvelous blend of science and rhyme, Crelin tells the story of the Moon’s phases in a way that a youngster (and many adults) will understand and appreciate. Bob’s verse and artist Leslie...

Longtime astroimager and Astronomy magazine contributor Tony Hallas thinks about his upcoming acceptance speech. The Advanced Imaging Conference committee awarded Hallas its most prestigious award, the Hubble Award, for his service and the advances he brought to astroimaging. Michael E. Bakich photo In my previous blog, I described the first day at the 2009 Advanced Imaging Conference (AIC), which occurred October 30 through November 1 at the San...

Guest post from Contributing Editor Glenn Chaple In the November edition of my “Observing Basics” column , I wrote that Galileo would be “relieved to know that the Roman Catholic Church, which excommunicated him for his heretical teachings, has since exonerated him.” Three readers — Chris Cuoco (Grand Junction, Colorado), Ed Hahnenberg (Lake Leelanau, Michigan), and Fr. Ronald Gripshover (Fredericksburg, Virginia) — sent e-mails pointing out that...