Sky and Telescope - November 2017 - 2

CONTENTS

THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO ASTRONOMY

FEATURES
COVER STORY:

The Race to Mars
Timing is everything in space
exploration, and in 2020 the time
will be right to launch an armada of
explorers to the Red Planet in search
of signs of life. By Benjamin Skuse

24 Treasures of the Tarantula
Researchers eagerly study a
prodigious star-making factory in
our galactic backyard.
By Greg Bryant

30 The 1794 Volcano
on the Moon
Sometimes an astronomical mystery
seems very easy to solve. Perhaps too
easy? By Andrew Livingston

34 The Road Less Traveled
These nine compact galaxy groups
show that stepping outside your
comfort zone can be worth the
effort. By Ted Forte

Tarantula Nebula

November 2017
OBSERVING
41 November's Sky at a Glance
42

Lunar Almanac & Sky Chart

Binocular Highlight
By Mathew Wedel

Planetary Almanac

VOL. 134, NO. 5

S&T TEST REPORT
62 Celestron's CGX Mount
By Dennis di Cicco

COLUMNS / DEPARTMENTS
4 Spectrum
By Peter Tyson

45 Under the Stars
By Fred Schaaf

46 Sun, Moon & Planets

6 From Our Readers
7 75, 50 & 25 Years Ago
By Roger W. Sinnott

8 News Notes

By Fred Schaaf

12 Cosmic Relief
48

Celestial Calendar
By Alan MacRobert

By David Grinspoon

72 Astronomer's Workbench

68 Bright-Sky Imaging
There are plenty of things to shoot
under moonlit and urban skies.
By Ron Brecher

ON THE COVER

By John H. Rogers

55 Deep-Sky Wonders
By Sue French

Find us on
Facebook & Twitter

ON THE COVER

52 Exploring the Solar System

N ASA / JPL / USGS

74 Gallery
83 Events Calendar
84 Focal Point
By Govert Schilling

ONLINE

ORBITAL PATH PODCAST
Explore all things astronomy with
NASA's Michelle Thaller in her
weekly podcast.
skyandtelescope.com/
orbital-path
A mosaic of Viking
images shows
Mars's Aram Chaos
and environs.

Going Deep
By Ken Hewitt-White

By Jerry Oltion

EQUIPMENT GUIDES
Find advice on choosing the best
tools for all of your backyard
astronomy adventures.
skyandtelescope.com/
equipment/basics

ASTRONOMY EVENTS
Check out our calendar for upcoming
exhibits, star parties, and more -
or add your own event to our listings!
skyandtelescope.com/
astronomy-events

SKY & TELESCOPE (ISSN 0037-6604) is published monthly by Sky & Telescope, a division of F+W Media, Inc., 90 Sherman St., Cambridge, MA 02140-3264, USA. Phone: 800-253-0245
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N O V E M B E R 2 0 17 * S K Y & T E L E S C O P E

N ASA / ESA / ESO / D. LENNON, E. SA BBI, A ND OTHERS

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/ http://www.skyandtelescope.com/equipment/basics http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-events http://www.skyandtelescope.com

Sky and Telescope - November 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky and Telescope - November 2017