About Astronomy Now For over two decades, Astronomy Now magazine has provided a monthly source of information for amateur and professional astronomers alike. It is the U.K.'s best-selling astronomy magazine. Features A wide range of feature articles cover subjects such as observing, cosmology, the history of astronomy and space science. Focus articles A series of articles each month takes an in-depth look at specific areas of astronomy and space science.

Regulars Each month, Astronomy Now includes an 13-page section on the night sky, an extensive news section, readers' astronomical images, book reviews and advice for beginners and seasoned astronomers alike.

January 2009

Binary Stars

• Double acts • The Dog Star's little 'Pup' • X-rated binaries •

Binary stars come in all kinds of combinations, from strongly  interacting contact binaries to ‘hang loose’ doubles. We take a close look at four real life examples of multiple star systems: omicron  Eridani, epsilon Lyrae, Castor, and Mizar and Alcor. Neil English revisits one of the most famous double stars in the night sky – Sirius and it’s little pup: a white dwarf companion. When things get really heated  between binary stars, they can produce a whole range of high-energy phenomena visible at X-ray wavelengths and beyond. Welcome to the world of plasma outflows, X-ray binaries and colliding wind binaries.

Features

• A belting vista • Portraits of alien worlds • Try something new for 2009 • The many-faced nebulae • The dwarf of mystery • Islands in the Sun •

Portraits of alien worlds
AA flurry of photographs showing exoplanets orbiting their suns has heralded a new era in
the detection of alien worlds. Keith Cooper explores how this new frontier of science has  been made possible, and where it may take us next.

Try something new for 2009
We think the International Year of Astronomy is a great opportunity to see, do or understand  something new, so here are some of our suggestions for things you may like to try out.

The many-faced nebulae
Variable nebulae make interesting and important targets for monitoring, both visually and photographically. Martin Mobberley picks out some of the best.

The dwarf of mystery
The International Astronomical Union has promoted yet another Kuiper Belt object to dwarf planet status, and it is a cracker, as Kulvinder Singh Chadha finds out.

Islands in the Sun
Nick Howes visits a factory on the Isle of Man to discover how telescopes for solar
observing are constructed.

Regulars

• News update • Your views • Observations with Neil Bone •

The night sky • In the shops • Tech talk • Society news • Astrolistings • Ask Alan

• Picture gallery • Classifieds • Gearheads • Starting from scratch • Talking point •

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