April 1995

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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

Fire Fountains of Aristarchus

By Graham Ryder, Cassandra Coombs

Geysers of volcanic fury dwarfing any on Earth spawned rivers of molten lava that carved the Moon's Aristarchus Plateau.

pg. 34

Galaxy Time Machine

By David J. Eicher

Looking far into the past, Hubble finds elliptical galaxies looking just like they do today but the forerunners of spirals appearing oddly distorted or fragmented.

pg. 44

Only Six with Rings

By Sally Stephens

Astronomers remain perplexed by these odd-looking galaxies with rings circling their poles.

pg. 48

Sky Almanac

By Deborah Byrd, Rick Shaffer

Saturn returns to the morning sky in April, but the real highlights are eclipses of the Moon and Sun.

pg. 56

Descent into Darkness

By David J. Eicher

Vivid memories and stunning photos rewarded those who witnessed November's spectacular total solar eclipse.

pg. 66

Twelve Splendid Spirals

By Alan Goldstein

Even a 6-inch scope can show you striking detail in spring's best spiral galaxies.

pg. 70

Glows, Bands, and Curtains

By John Shibley

Intricate shapes and a rainbow of colors highlight the beauty and complexity of the northern lights.

pg. 76

Alignment by Laser Light

By John Shibley

Fine-tune the optics of your reflecting telescope with this handy collimating tool.

pg. 82

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AstroNews

- Red Dwarfs Can't Explain Dark Matter
- Research Supports Smaller Universe
- A Less Dusty Galaxy?
- X Rays Cast Doubt on Cold Dark Matter
- The Most Distant Galaxy Known
- Americans Get the Mir Experience
- Unexpected Signals from Jupiter
- Moon Reveals New Stars
- An Early Look at the Cosmic Background
Radiation

Amateur News

- A Party Under Enchanted Skies
- Celebrating Solid Gold Brass

New Products

- Soviet Border Binoculars
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View the Hidden Surface of Venus

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Reader Reports

A Trek to the Southern Sky