November 2012

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The world's best-selling astronomy magazine offers you the most exciting, visually stunning, and timely coverage of the heavens above. Each monthly issue includes expert science reporting, vivid color photography, complete sky coverage, spot-on observing tips, informative telescope reviews, and much more! All this in an easy-to-understand, user-friendly style that's perfect for astronomers at any level.

Features

How the solar system came to be

By Richard Talcott

The Sun and its planets likely formed in a nebula containing between 1,000 and 10,000 stars, one of which exploded as a supernova less than 1 light-year away.

pg. 24

Web Extra: Birth of a solar system

By Richard Talcott

Planets form from the dusty disks surrounding newborn stars

When Earth felt cosmic rain

By Liz Kruesi

Some 4 billion years ago, tens of thousands of space rocks slammed into the inner solar system. The Moon’s surface holds hints to deciphering what happened in a treacherous 200-million-year stretch.

pg. 30

Web Extra: Understanding the Nice model

By Liz Kruesi

This computer simulation gives scientists hints as to why the solar system looks the way it does.

Did life change Earth’s geology?

By Jolyon Ralph

Scientists have discovered that a single episode called the Great Oxygenation Event created the spectacular diversity of minerals we have on Earth.

pg. 44

Web Extra: The first solar system minerals

By Michael E. Bakich

Mineralogists so far have discovered the following 11 minerals in presolar grains.

Why you should care about the Higgs boson!