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 "Absolute beginners", a two-page article for those just getting started in astronomy.

September 2008 issue BUY ONLINE

Features

Mount up!
If you have purchased a nice telescope, that's all well and good, but do you have the mount to do it justice? If not, Neil English shows what you are missing.

The legacy of the Crayford focuser
This September sees the fortieth anniversary of the Crayford Eyepiece Mount, invented by British amateur John Wall, who describes the work that went into its construction and the road to international astronomical fame.

Tycho's third way

Caught between two enormously important events in the history of astronomy – Copernican theory and the invention of the telescope – Tycho Brahe found himself unable to believe wholeheartedly in Copernicus' revolution, yet didn't have the instruments to prove his own theory. Chris Cooper tells the story of Tycho's 'third way'.

How clearly can I see?
If you've just bought a telescope and are disappointed in its ability to see detail, don't worry; as Ian Morison shows, the biggest culprit in the battle to see the Universe in startling clarity is ou own atmopshere.

Children of the Lens
Gravitational lenses are an incredible product of Einstein's Theory of General Relativity, acting as a magnifying glass on distant galaxies. Keith Cooper finds out what gravitational lenses can tell us about the Universe.

TOP

Focus: Maps of the Universe

Maps of the universe
Astronomers are cartographers of the night sky, charting the new and unknown frontiers of the Universe.

Here be dragons
Where once were uncharted landscapes, are now planets and moons rich in character and personality, with features to rival the greatest natural landmarks on Earth, describes Emily Baldwin.

Mapping Titan
Ralph Lorenz discusses his work in lifting the veil from Saturn’s smog-enshrouded moon, Titan.

Galactic exploring
We explore our Galaxy on the night sky, but to map it in three dimensions requires a different perspective, explains Keith Cooper.

TOP

Regulars

News update
Supernova explodes into controversy; water inside the Moon; new dwarf planet; new contender for brightest star; fate of Jupiter's little red spot; M101's dead zone; Mars' ancient lakes; the nova that nobody saw; are meteorites spun off asteroids by sunlight?

Your views
More debating on isues such as computers in astronomy and highlights of August's partial solar eclipse.

Observations with Neil Bone
Neil Bone tells the story of the long-lost 'Bone 1' cluster, a.k.a. Stock 23.

Absolute beginners
Carole Stott decodes starlight and finds that it tells us a great deal about the Universe.

The night sky
Uranus is at opposition; meanwhile there are a number of lunar grazes and Pegasus gets the 'sky tour' treatement.

In the shops
Nick Howes reviews the latest range of solar telescopes from Solarscope.

Tech talk
Do we really need to resort to equipment such as CCDs when we have the trusty old 'mark I' eyeball? Martin Mobberley compares the naked eye to the abilities of a CCD.

Society news
Want to add a bit of razzamatazz to your speaker evenings? Then have you considered a celebrity speaker? Neil Bone talks to Ken Willoughby who has managed to get various Apollo astronauts to come and talk in Pontefract.

Astrolistings
With summer coming to an end, the society scene is gearing up once again in advance of the long nights of winter, and you can find out what your local society is up to in our comprehensive society events guide.

Ask Alan
Dr Alan Longstaff answers more of your astro-related enquiries.

Classifieds
Buy and sell your astronomy equipment here.

Picture gallery
More of our readers' superb astronomical images.

TOP