Sky & Telescope January 2012

FEATURED ARTICLES

How Alien Astronomers Could Find Earth
We could make it easier for our counterparts on distant planets to find evidence of our existence. But it would be a massive undertaking for us.
By Joseph Lazio

Hot Products for 2012
Cruise the editors' 27 picks for gear you might not want to go without this year.
By The Editors of Sky & Telescope

In the Footsteps of the First Recorded Transit of Venus
In the English village where Jeremiah Horrocks predicted and watched an epochal sky event, he's still a hometown hero centuries later.
By Eli Maor

The June Transit of Venus
On June 5-6, Venus will cross the Sun for the last time this century. Be prepared.
By Fred Espenak & Jay Anderson

BEYOND THE PRINTED PAGE

A Visit to the First Venus Transit Sighting
Sometimes there's nothing like being there. Listen to author Eli Maor talk about his visit to Much Hoole to see where Jeremiah Horrocks first saw Venus cross the Sun.
By The Editors of Sky & Telescope

Alien Multimedia
Listen to radio astronomer Joseph Lazio talk about the chances of detecting aliens — or being detected by them.
By The Editors of Sky & Telescope

Lunar Librations
Librations and other lunar data for January 2012
By The Editors of Sky & Telescope

Errata
The Moon is new at 2:39 a.m. EST on January 23rd, not January 22nd as stated on page 43.
By The Editors of Sky & Telescope

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Brilliance by the Numbers
Learn why winter stars look brighter than those in other seasons.
By Fred Schaaf

A Fine Year for the Icy Quads
Follow these tips for winter meteor observing to make the most of this year's Quadrantid shower.
By Alan MacRobert

A 21st-Century RFT
Think you know what a Rich-Field Telescope is? Think again. Gary Seronik takes you through one example that can grant breathtaking night sky sights.
By Gary Seronik

Table of Contents
See what else January's issue has to offer.