Inside the April 2025 Issue

By: Editors of Sky & Telescope March 13, 2025 5

The cover of the April 2025 issue with a black hole on it

Primordial Black Holes, Messier Marathon, and Farewell NEOWISE

In the April 2025 issue of Sky & Telescope, we’re joining the hunt for primordial black holes. Could tiny black holes from the dawn of the universe be the secret behind dark matter? And as NASA’s NEOWISE gives its last hurrah as a near-Earth object hunter, we cover the spacecraft’s story, from its origins as an infrared sky scanner to its rebirth as an asteroid and comet hunter. Next, let’s get out and do some sky scanning of our own by taking on the famous Messier marathon. While we won’t be doing any running, this race to the celestial finish line will still leave you breathless with its incredible sights. If you do decide to capture a few of those deep-sky objects with your camera, we have a guide to aligning your camera sensor to make sure your stars are perfectly round.

FEATURE ARTICLES:

Farewell to NEOWISE

The WISE/NEOWISE mission gave us an inimitable view of the infrared sky.

By Amy Mainzer

Mastering the Messier Marathon

Few have seen all 110 Messiers in a single night, but with careful planning you could be one of them.

By Jan Hattenbach & Ronald Stoyan

The First “American Astronomical Society”

Well before today’s AAS was founded, astronomy practitioners in Brooklyn organized a different group with that same name.

By Trudy E. Bell

Black Holes from the Dawn of Time

Black holes created in the earliest moments of cosmic history might explain multiple mysteries.

By Camille M. Carlisle

Correcting a Tilted Sensor

Here’s how you can get perfect stars across your camera’s entire field of view.

By Chris Schur

Beyond the Printed Page:

Ancient Mars

Read all about the icy rivers that may have flowed on ancient Mars.

Artificial Solar Eclipses

Check out this pioneering observatory that uses two spacecraft to create artificial solar eclipses.

Messier Marathon

Use this tool to plan your own Messier marathon.

Faint Fuzzies

Observe more SHK compact groups with this handy guide and a really big scope.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

Alphard and the Golden Branch

Slip into the night sky’s “infernal region” with Hydra, the Water Snake.

By Stephen James O’Meara

Lyrids Pulse in April

A sprinkle of late-night meteors arrives mid-month.

By Bob King

Nectarian Nocturnes

Spend some time exploring this lava-filled basin.

By Charles A. Wood

Maxing Out Your Exposure

A handy rule of thumb and some experimentation can help you create memorable night-sky shots.

By Richard S. Wright, Jr.

See what else April’s issue has to offer.

Comments

Mark-Spearman

March 16, 2025 at 11:56 am

I renewed in January, the first print issue I received is May. I called and was told that I had missed the February issue but would receive the March (and April) issues. But now I am told the first issue would be May and I just received it. There is no reason for it to take that long. You should have sent me March and April back issues.

And now I cannot read the April issue on line because of Nxtbook is "working on it."

I have been a subscriber since 1967 and this is the worst service I have ever experienced. I will switch to Astronomy if it does not get better.

Mark Spearman, PhD
Regina Caelorum Observatory
Wheelock, Texas