Equipment: Guides & Recommendations
Optimized for Astrophotography: Tele Vue “IS” Astrographs
Among the most highly rated apochromatic telescopes we’ve ever tested, the Tele Vue Nagler-Petzval line has been reengineered for astrophotography.
Equipment: Guides & Recommendations
When Old is New: Pentax 100 SDUF II
Pentax has long been a source of quality telescopes and astrophotography equipment for Japanese amateurs. Now, thanks to the efforts of the folks at Oceanside Photo & Telescope (a.k.a. OPT), the Pentax line is coming to America.
Equipment: Guides & Recommendations
Laid-Back Observing: Bigha StarSeeker
Even a quick glance tells you what the Bigha StarSeeker is all about. What it won’t tell you, however, is how well this motorized chair for binocular observing is engineered.
Dorrit Hoffleit, 1907-2007
A world-renowned expert on variable stars, astrometry, and the history of astronomy — and a prolific contributor to Sky & Telescope — has passed away at age 100.
Equipment: Guides & Recommendations
Portable Pier Lift
Pier-Tech now produces a heavy-duty portable telescope pier that’s perfect for star parties and observatories alike.
Equipment: Guides & Recommendations
SBIG for Macs
Now Macintosh users can fully utilize CCD cameras from Santa Barbara Instrument Group.
April's Stargazing Celebrations
This week amateur astronomers across the U.S. and around the world will host events designed to involve the public in appreciating the night sky.
Earth's "Other Moon"
Last year Earth's gravity apparently captured a tiny asteroid that ventured too near our planet. But this "second Moon" will only hang around until June, when it'll get shoved back out into interplanetary space.
Astro Image in the News:
The Red Square Nebula
New observations using giant telescopes and state-of-the-art cameras have revealed a star in the constellation Serpens that's throwing out matter in a startlingly symmetrical shape.
A Bright Naked-Eye Asteroid Occultation
On Tuesday evening, April 17, 2007, observers in Georgia and Florida will get a chance to watch asteroid 411 Xanthe cover the 4.2-magnitude star Iota Cancri.
Hot New Products for 2007
One of the most popular features we publish in Sky & Telescope is our annual Hot Products roundup, in which we call special attention to noteworthy astronomy products introduced into the marketplace during the past year.
Jupiter's Tumultuous Changes
Cloud patterns on Jupiter are undergoing a major upheaval. Have a look with your telescope before dawn.
Utah Park Earns "Dark Sky" Status
Southeastern Utah's Natural Bridges National Monument has long been known for its breathtakingly dark nighttime skies. And now that reputation — along with some improved park lighting — has earned Natural Bridges recognition as the world's first International Dark-Sky Park.
Porter Garden Telescope Changes Hands
At the Boston auction house of Skinner, Inc., one of the most coveted of telescope collectibles recently went on the block. Barely more than a dozen of these elegant bronze garden ornaments from the 1920s are known to exist today.
Call for Observations of X-ray Binaries and CVs
From late April through mid-May 2007, professionals are seeking amateur observations of four X-ray binaries and a cataclysmic variable star.
South Pole Telescope Readied for Operation
On February 16th, at the bottom of the world, engineers pointed a brand-new telescope toward Jupiter, cooled its detectors to an unfathomable ¼° above absolute zero, and collected "first light."
Seeking the Origins of Cosmic Rays
Where do cosmic rays come from? Although they were first identified on a balloon flight in 1912, their sources have been hard to find. But recently a slight, unexplained excess of cosmic rays — only 0.1% above the sky average — was identified coming from the direction of Cygnus.
New Manual for Occultation Observers
The International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA) announced on April 3, 2007, the release of a free e-book, Chasing the Shadow: The IOTA Occultation Observer's Manual.
This Rock Really Rolls Along
Despite a nearly full Moon, backyard astronomers around the world turned their telescopes skyward this past weekend to track down asteroid 2006 VV2.
New Disturbance in Jupiter's North Temperate Belt
On March 29, 2007, two new white spots appeared on Jupiter. Keep watch as they develop over the coming weeks.
