
On Sale Now!

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 The February 2010 issue of Astronomy Now, the UK's best-selling astronomy magazine, is now on sale at all good newsagents.

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Top Stories

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Are heavyweight stars born like our Sun?
...Obscured by dust, catching the rapid formation of massive stars in the act is nigh on impossible, but new Gemini observations hint that these stellar heavyweights may be born in a similar way to lightweights like our Sun...
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Amateur astronomers discover stellar outburst
...Two amateur astronomers based in Florida yesterday helped set in motion a global network of ground- and space-based telescopes to point to a violent explosion of one of our Galaxy's distant stellar inhabitants...
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New stellar streams discovered in Andromeda
...New stellar streams observed in the halo of nearby galaxy Andromeda that show an intensification of the density of stars represent the tell tale signs of past galactic collisions...
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Vampire star prime candidate for Type Ia supernova
DR EMILY BALDWIN ASTRONOMY NOW Posted: November 17, 2009

Using ESO's Very Large Telescope, astronomers have made the first time-lapse movie of an unusual shell of material ejected by a 'vampire star' that is a prime candidate progenitor star of a Type Ia supernova.
The NACO adaptive optics instrument on ESO's VLT allowed sharp images of the V445 Puppis system to be derived. The system is a prime candidate for a progenitor of Type Ia supernovae. Image: ESO/ P. A. Woudt.
In November 2000 V445 Puppis underwent an outburst after consuming some of its companion's matter and over a period of two years, ESO's VLT monitored this cannibalistic act, revealing some dramatic changes. Initially a bipolar shell with a narrow waist and lobes on each side is present. Two knots are seen at the extreme ends of the shell moving at some 30 million kilometres per hour, while the shell itself races through space at about 24 million miles per hour. Thick dust obscures the two central stars.
The double star is a prime contender to be a much sought-after progenitor of the breed of exploding star known as a Type Ia supernovae. “One of the major problems in modern astrophysics is the fact that we still do not know exactly what kinds of stellar system explode as a Type Ia supernova,” says Patrick Woudt, of the University of Cape Town and lead author of the paper reporting the results. “As these supernovae play a crucial role in showing that the Universe’s expansion is currently accelerating, pushed by a mysterious dark energy, it is rather embarrassing.”
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2010 Yearbook
Our latest 132-page Astronomy Now special edition is an extravaganza of astronomy for the year ahead, with a complete 30-page guide to observing the planets, moon, meteor showers, two solar eclipses, and the deep sky in 2010.
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Hubble Reborn
Hubble Reborn takes the reader on a journey through the Universe with spectacular full-colour pictures of galaxies, nebulae, planets and stars as seen through Hubble's eyes, along the way telling the dramatic story of the space telescope, including interviews with key scientists and astronauts.
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3D Universe
Witness the most awesome sights of the Universe as they were meant to be seen in this 100-page extravaganza of planets, galaxies and star-scapes, all in 3D!
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Infinity Rising
This special publication features the photography of British astro-imager Nik Szymanek and covers a range of photographic methods from basic to advanced. Beautiful pictures of the night sky can be obtained with a simple camera and tripod before tackling more difficult projects, such as guided astrophotography through the telescope and CCD imaging.
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Starry Night
Explore the Universe with these new versions of the award-winning Starry Night Software. Available now from the Astronomy Now Store.
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Exploring Mars
Astronomy Now is pleased to announce the publication of Exploring Mars. The very best images of Mars taken by orbiting spacecraft and NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers fill up the 98 glossy pages of this special edition!
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Mars rover poster
This new poster features some of the best pictures from NASA's amazing Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.
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