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TOP 10 Overlooked Telescope Targets p. 66 THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO ASTRONOMY Amateur Science: Humans vs. Robots p. 38 APRIL APRIL 2013 APRIL 2013 2013 Exploring Caves Where astronauts will live p.18 Space in The Great Comet That Wasn’t p. 32 An Imager’s Messier Marathon p. 72 Liquid-Mirror Telescope p. 26 Visit SkyandTelescope.com D e l o s See the Delos series, S&T Hot Product 2013, at the Northeast Astronomy Forum April 20 & 21 Every Tele Vue eyepiece has an image to live up to. Looks like Delos succeeded. Tele Vue has many awards for our eyepiece innovations over thirty years. Our new Delos line, with 20mm eye-relief and 72 ° field of view has just added a couple more! Sky & Telescope found that, like all Tele Vue eyepieces, they perform “...even better than you imagined.” S&T writes, “Essentially perfect optics. The view is very pure. When it comes to eyepiece design, the Delos seems to have hit all the sweet spots.” Astronomy agrees, awarding Delos a 2012 Star Product. “Tele Vue has constructed an eyepiece that stands with the best deep-sky and planetary eyepieces on the market.” Tele Vue eyepieces do it all, with quality and performance to last a lifetime—guaranteed. And when owning the best doesn’t cost much more, Tele Vue is the easy choice. Try a Delos and discover “love at first light.” See us at the: NEAF NORTHEAST ASTRONOMY FORUM 22 nd Annual Tele Vue ® Visionary 32 Elkay Drive, Chester, New York 10918 845.469.4551 www.TeleVue.com Suffern, NY • April 20-21 See us at the: NEAF NORTHEAST ASTRONOMY FORUM 22 nd Annual Suffern, NY • April 20-21 April 2013 VOL. 125, NO. 4 On the cover: Caves will be the safest places for early colonists to live in space’s hazardous environments. OBSERVING APRIL 43 In This Section 44 April’s Sky at a Glance 45 Binocular Highlight By Gary Seronik 46 Planetary Almanac There’s more to find online @ SkyandTelescope.com S&T : PATRICIA GILLIS-COPPOLA 47 Northern Hemisphere’s Sky By Fred Schaaf 48 Sun, Moon & Planets FEATURES 18 Exploring Caves on Other Worlds SKY AT A GLANCE Our popular column highlights celestial delights for the upcom- ing week. Also available as an app — with sky charts included! SkyandTelescope.com/ataglance Future colonists on the Moon and Mars By Fred Schaaf COVER STORY will initially live in caves. That’s why 50 Celestial Calendar scientists today are on the lookout for By Alan MacRobert underground passages. By Robert Zimmerman 54 Exploring the Moon By Charles Wood 26 Liquid Astronomy 56 Deep-Sky Wonders The Large Zenith Telescope’s mercury By Sue French mirror provides critical insights for next- gen instruments. S&T TEST REPORT 60 S&T Test Report By Eagle Gamma By Dennis di Cicco 32 Remembering Comet Kohoutek “The Comet of the Century” proved ALSO IN THIS ISSUE to be anything but. 6 Spectrum By Dean Regas SKY WEEK By Robert Naeye 38 The Future of Amateur Science 8 Letters In a roboscope-dominated future, backyard NASA / HUBBLE HERITAGE TEAM / STSCI / AURA 9 75, 50 & 25 Years Ago observers will still play an important role FIND PRODUCTS & SERVICES Our easy-to-use directory will help you fi nd what you need. SkyandTelescope.com/directory By Roger W. Sinnott in astronomical research. By Pamela Gay 10 News Notes 66 Top 10 Neglected 16 Cosmic Relief Deep-Sky Wonders By David Grinspoon ASTROPHOTO GALLERY Enjoy readers’ best images and upload your own. SkyandTelescope.com/gallery Hidden in plain sight, why aren’t 42 New Product Showcase these familiar old favorites? By James Mullaney 64 Telescope Workshop By Gary Seronik 72 Imaging the Messier Marathon 77 Gallery TIPS FOR BEGINNERS New to astronomy? Here’s everything you need to jump into the fun. SkyandTelescope.com/letsgo Two telescopes, 110 targets, and one night to shoot them all. 86 Focal Point By Alex McConahay By David A. Kantorowitz SKY & TELESCOPE (ISSN 0037-6604) is published monthly by Sky & Telescope Media, LLC, 90 Sherman St., Cambridge, MA 02140- 3264, USA. Phone: 800-253-0245 (customer service/subscriptions), 888-253-0230 (product orders), 617-864-7360 (all other calls). Fax: 617-864-6117. Website: SkyandTelescope.com. © 2013 Sky & Telescope Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, Massachusetts, and at additional mailing offi ces. Canada Post Publications Mail sales agreement #40029823. Canadian return address: 2744 Edna St., Windsor, ON, Canada N8Y 1V2. Canadian GST Reg. #R128921855. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sky & Telescope, PO Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. Printed in the USA. Find us on Facebook &Twitter sky & telescope 4 April 2013 UNIVERSALLY SUPERIOR A SOLID FOUNDATION, DESIGNED FROM THE GROUND UP Engineered with imaging in mind, the new Advanced VX series from Celestron sets a new standard in mid-level telescopes. Advanced VX provides you with many of the features found on Celestron’s most sophisticated German equatorial mounts, including improved motors, Periodic Error Correction, and an autoguiding port. With the most desired features at an affordable price, Advanced VX allows anyone to explore astroimaging. + Integer gear ratios and permanently programmable Periodic Error Correction eliminates residual tracking errors from the worm gear + Allows viewing or imaging across the meridian without interference from the motor’s housings + New motors offer improved tracking performance & more power to overcome load imbalances + Updated industrial design offers more rigidity, less flexure and improved aesthetics + Enhanced ergonomics with large alignment handles and oversize knobs + Expanded latitude range, can be used between 7 – 77 degrees latitude + Improved electronics with increased memory for future expansion + NexStar+ hand control offers multiple language programming (English, French, Italian, German, Spanish) + SkyQ Link compatibility for wireless control of your Advanced VX telescope Learn more about the Advanced VX mount and available optical tubes in the Advanced VX series by scanning the QR code with your smart phone or visit www.celestron.com/advancedvx See us at the: NEAF NORTHEAST ASTRONOMY FORUM 22 nd Annual CELESTRON PREMIER SELECT DEALERS OPT Telescopes – 800.483.6287 – www.opttelescopes.com B&H Photo – 800.947.9970 – www.bhphotovideo.com Hands On Optics – 866.726.7371 – www.handsonoptics.com Astronomics – 800.422.7876 – www.astronomics.com Adorama – 800.223.2500 – www.adorama.com High Point Scientific – 800.266.9590 – www.highpointscientific.com Optics Planet – 800.504.5897 – www.opticsplanet.com Telescopes.com – 888.988.9876 – www.telescopes.com Focus Camera – 800.221.0828 – www.focuscamera.com Woodland Hills – 888.427.8766 – www.telescopes.net Suffern, NY • April 20-21 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |