July 2011

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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

Spitzer’s galaxy show

By Robert Benjamin

NASA’s orbiting infrared scope has changed our understanding of individual galaxies, galaxy formation, and the universe’s evolution.

pg. 22

Web Extra: More lovely Spitzer images

By Bill Andrews

Not only do these galactic pinups help astronomers learn how the universe works, but they’re also pretty easy on the eyes.

The search for more Plutos

By Dean Regas

Astronomer Mike Brown discovered the largest known solar system object beyond Pluto. Now he and his colleagues have expanded their search for distant worlds to the southern sky.

pg. 30

Web Extra: What lies beyond the planets

By Richard Talcott

Clyde Tombaugh’s discovery of Pluto in 1930 seemed to round out our planetary system, but astronomers have since found a vast expanse of similar objects in the Kuiper Belt.

Illustrated: Fixing the twinkle of stars

By Liz Kruesi, Roen Kelly

Adaptive optics helps ground-based telescopes take crystal-clear images. Here’s how it works.

pg. 28

Discover summer’s hidden deep-sky wonders

By Michael E. Bakich

This select group of 10 summer gems boasts everything from colorful nebulae to ultra-faint galaxies.

pg. 46

Visit Northern California’s top astronomy sites

By Yvette Cendes

From mountaintop observatories exploring the distant cosmos to long tunnels probing matter’s heart, Northern California has sites for any astronomy buff.

pg. 50

Web Extra: Pioneering astronomy at Lick Observatory

By Richard Talcott

It wasn’t easy building the first mountaintop observatory, but the effort was worth it.

Shoot the Sun, Moon, and planets

By Michael A. Covington

Surprisingly simple cameras will let you capture the solar system.

pg. 54

Web Extra: Access an astroimaging archive

By Michael E. Bakich

In the July issue of Astronomy, Michael Covington wrote “Shoot the Sun, Moon, and planets.” This story was the fifth and last in his astrophotography series aimed at beginning amateur astronomers.

In case you missed any of the previous installments, we’ve posted them online at Astronomy.com.

Astronomy tests QSI’s 583 CCD camera

By Bob Fera

Quantum Scientific Imaging’s compact CCD camera produces high-quality images.

pg. 58

Columns

Bob Bermans Strange Universe