Now that the August 2009 issue of Astronomy is in the mail or already in hand, we’ve updated Astronomy.com with our newest web extras to give subscribers exclusive complementary information to this special issue about our return to the Moon. Take a sneak peek inside the August 2009 Astronomy magazine . If you subscribe to Astronomy , make sure you’re registered with Astronomy.com so you can access these great extras. Here are this issue's highlights...

Special post from Imelda B. Joson and Edwin L. Aguirre In the years since its inception, the Northeast Astro-Imaging Conference (NEAIC) has evolved into the largest gathering of its kind on the East Coast. Astrophotography aficionados from North America, Europe, and Asia have attended or spoken at the 2-day conference, held each year at Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York. “This year’s NEAIC was a resounding success,” said Jim Burnell...

In this video , I discuss the objects you can see with your naked eyes and binoculars in this spring’s sky. The season offers several bright planets, notable constellations, and bright deep-sky objects. You can locate all the night-sky sights I talk about with Astronomy.com's interactive star chart StarDome . Watch the video, " Observe easy-to-find objects in the spring sky ." Venus As darkness falls during the first half of March, your...

A dark night and a small- to medium-sized telescope are all you need to enjoy the deep-sky splendors that dot Earth’s skies. Oh, and one other thing — a good guide that describes what to look for and what you’ll see through the eyepiece. We’re excited to offer one of the best deep-sky observing guides of the past decade. Author and Astronomy magazine Contributing Editor Tom Polakis created an exclusive series of articles for the magazine called “Celestial...

Comet C/2007 N3 (Lulin) remains on track to be the brightest comet of the year. It should peak around 5th magnitude during the second half of February, when it will slide past Spica, Saturn, and Regulus. To track the comet from your location as it crosses the night sky, check out Astronomy.com's interactive star chart — StarDome . To find and track Comet Lulin with StarDome : On the lower right of the dome display, under "Options," click...

Earlier today, planetary scientists discussed preliminary findings from the MESSENGER spacecraft’s second flyby of Mercury. The October 6 encounter revealed about 30 percent of the planet previously unseen by spacecraft — an area larger than South America. MIT researcher Maria Zuber spoke about results from the laser altimeter used to measure topography. Her biggest surprise: The thin strip of area surveyed seen during the January flyby. Brian Anderson...

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...

Twilight ringed the horizon above the Ob Sea during the August 1 total solar eclipse. Rich Talcott photo The weather forecast for August 1 in Novosibirsk, Russia , didn’t look promising. On the evening of July 31, the most favorable prediction called for partly cloudy skies, while the more pessimistic predicted a 70 percent chance of rain. Fortunately for Astronomy Editor Dave Eicher and me — and more than 150 fellow eclipse chasers with our MWT Associates...

On Tuesday evening, April 8, you can experience one of the most beautiful events the sky can deliver. Head outside no later than an hour or so after sunset (around 8:30 P.M. local daylight time) and look to the west. Your eyes should land immediately on the slender crescent Moon, oriented with its cusps standing nearly straight up from the horizon. Point your binoculars at the Moon to reveal a stunning sight: the bright Pleiades star cluster (M45...

It seems to me that Saturn’s moon Rhea is a leading candidate for Rodney Dangerfield of the solar system. I tell you, it doesn’t get much respect. Even in the Saturn system, where Rhea is the second-largest moon, it ranks pretty low. You hear about Titan, with its thick atmosphere and methane lakes. Enceladus is known for its liquid-water geysers and Iapetus for its strange black and white hemispheres. Even tiny Mimas, with its cute “Death Star” crater...