Astronomy Now
Encyclopedia
Astronomy Now is a monthly British
magazine
on astronomy
and space. It features a mix of articles ranging from how to observe the night sky to the latest discoveries in the Solar System and in deep space. The first issue of Astronomy Now was published in April 1987 by Intra Press, initially as a quarterly publication, but it soon became monthly. Today it is published by Pole Star Publications Ltd, who have been the publishers for over a decade. Its cover price as of 2010 is £3.25 at newsagents or it can be bought on subscription.
, who co-founded the magazine with original publisher Angelo Zgorelec, along with Dr John Mason, Dr Peter Cattermole, Dr Ron Maddison, Iain Nicolson and Art Editor Paul Doherty. Subsequent editors have included Martin Beech, Timothy Lyster, Fiona Gammie, Steven Young, Pam Spence, Paul Parsons and Stuart Clark. The current editor is Keith Cooper and the assistant editor and website editor is Dr Emily Baldwin.
Written by Keith Cooper, this is a 100-page journey from our planet Earth, past the other planets of the Solar System and out into deep space, to the farthest depths of the Universe. Lavishly illustrated with full-colour images from the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Mars rovers, Cassini, the Voyager spcacraft and many other space missions, this is an introduction to our Universe, with detailed information on each planet, moon, star, nebulae and galaxy presented within. The Grand Tour was released in autumn 2006.
A collection of pictures of the night sky and guide to the art of astrophotography by Nik Szymanek
released in summer 2005, for those who want to follow in Nik's footsteps as an astrophotgrapher to those that simply want to admire Nik's graceful images of galaxies, nebulae, the Moon and the various exotic locations and mountain-top observatories.
Written by Neil English to coincide with the successful landing on the red planet by the twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity in 2004, and including their first pictures, this pictoral history of man's robotic exploration portrays Mars in all its dusty red glory.
The 3-D Universe features over 155 remarkable 3-D images of the Universe, many created from scratch by technical Illustrator Greg Smye–Rumsby, and with commentary from Kulvinder Singh Chadha, each copy comes with a pair of 3-D glasses.
Edited by the editor of Astronomy Now, and written by many of the magazine's regular contributors, the 132-page Yearbooks are released annually. They include a full observing guide for the full year ahead, plus a mix of interviews and articles on various aspects of astronomy.
The accompanying conference programme, organized by Ian Ridpath
and chaired jointly by him and Iain Nicolson, presents top speakers from the UK and overseas. Past speakers have included Ted Bowell, Jocelyn Bell Burnell
, Carol Christian
, Alberto Conti
, Brian Cox
, Monica Grady
, David A. Hardy
, David Hughes
, Mat Irvine
, Helen Keen
, Rob Kennicutt
, Jim Al-Khalili
, Ed Krupp
, David Levy
, Keith Mason
, Brian May
, Fulvio Melia
, Simon Mitton
, Stephen O’Meara, Martin Rees, Chris Riley
, Seth Shostak
, David Southwood, Jill Tarter
, and John Zarnecki
. Allan Chapman is a regular speaker. The 2009 AstroFest saw the return of Sir Patrick Moore to relive his memories of Apollo 11 forty years on, and in 2010 he appeared with Brian May.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
on astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
and space. It features a mix of articles ranging from how to observe the night sky to the latest discoveries in the Solar System and in deep space. The first issue of Astronomy Now was published in April 1987 by Intra Press, initially as a quarterly publication, but it soon became monthly. Today it is published by Pole Star Publications Ltd, who have been the publishers for over a decade. Its cover price as of 2010 is £3.25 at newsagents or it can be bought on subscription.
History
The first editor of Astronomy Now was Patrick MoorePatrick Moore
Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore, CBE, FRS, FRAS is a British amateur astronomer who has attained prominent status in astronomy as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter of the subject, and who is credited as having done more than any other person to raise the profile of...
, who co-founded the magazine with original publisher Angelo Zgorelec, along with Dr John Mason, Dr Peter Cattermole, Dr Ron Maddison, Iain Nicolson and Art Editor Paul Doherty. Subsequent editors have included Martin Beech, Timothy Lyster, Fiona Gammie, Steven Young, Pam Spence, Paul Parsons and Stuart Clark. The current editor is Keith Cooper and the assistant editor and website editor is Dr Emily Baldwin.
Regular sections
Each issue contains a host of regular sections that form the backbone of the magazine. These include:- News Update, reviewing major news stories over the last month.
- The Night Sky – details of how to find the planets, deep sky challenges, double star of the month, Moonwatch by lunar expert Peter Grego, a section for Southern Hemisphere observers, a 'sky tour' with star charts and graphics from technical Illustrator Greg Smye–Rumsby. Other regular contributors include Martin Mobberley, Owen Brazell, Tony Markham and the magazine's Night Sky Consultant, supernova-discoverer Mark Armstrong. In 2007 a 'Light Pollution Corner' was added, detailing advances in the battle against light pollution, written by Bob Mizon of the Campaign for Dark Skies.
- Absolute Beginners – Carole Stott's two-page guide for newcomers to astronomy.
- In the Shops, the magazine's reviews section where telescopes, binoculars, mounts, eyepieces and all other kinds of astro-paraphernalia are assessed by regular reviewers including Steve Ringwood and Ade Ashford. There is also a two-page book reviews section, including a regular interview with a book author.
- Picture Gallery – astrophotos submitted by the magazine's readers, with commentary on the 'picture of the month' by astrophotographer Nik SzymanekNik SzymanekNicholas Szymanek, better known as Nik Szymanek, is a British amateur astronomer and prolific astrophotographer, based in Essex, England. He is known for his deep sky CCD images and his contributions to education and public outreach....
. There is also a regular section showcasing the work of the Faulkes Telescopes led by Daniel Duggan. - Society News – News and information about UK astronomical societies, plus "Astrolistings" - an extensive programme of forthcoming events and lectures held by societies across the UK.
- Tech talk – Martin Mobberley's guide to overcoming technical problems for the hands-on observer.
- Ask Alan is the part of the magazine where readers get their astronomy questions answered by Dr Alan Longstaff, (a freelance tutor at the Royal Observatory, GreenwichRoyal Observatory, GreenwichThe Royal Observatory, Greenwich , in London, England played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation, and is best known as the location of the prime meridian...
).
Feature articles
The articles in the magazine are aimed at both amateur and armchair astronomers, as well as being of general interest to professional astronomers. Examples of articles published in the last two years include in-depth reviews of missions such as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, MESSENGER's flybys of Mercury, Planck, Herschel, the Hubble Space Telescope and more, and articles on the latest theories in cosmology, galaxy and star formation, planets and moons, plus telescopes and the latest observing technology.Focus
As well as the five or six feature articles in each issue to go alongside the regular sections, each issue contains a 'Focus' section to provide an in-depth look at a chosen area. Recent 'Focus' topics have included the lives of stars, gas giants, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, emanations from the Sun, gamma ray astronomy and maps of the Universe .Special editions
In addition to the twelve monthly issues of Astronomy Now per year, there are also occasional special issues. A Yearbook is also released each autumn.- The Grand Tour of the Universe
Written by Keith Cooper, this is a 100-page journey from our planet Earth, past the other planets of the Solar System and out into deep space, to the farthest depths of the Universe. Lavishly illustrated with full-colour images from the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Mars rovers, Cassini, the Voyager spcacraft and many other space missions, this is an introduction to our Universe, with detailed information on each planet, moon, star, nebulae and galaxy presented within. The Grand Tour was released in autumn 2006.
- Infinity Rising
A collection of pictures of the night sky and guide to the art of astrophotography by Nik Szymanek
Nik Szymanek
Nicholas Szymanek, better known as Nik Szymanek, is a British amateur astronomer and prolific astrophotographer, based in Essex, England. He is known for his deep sky CCD images and his contributions to education and public outreach....
released in summer 2005, for those who want to follow in Nik's footsteps as an astrophotgrapher to those that simply want to admire Nik's graceful images of galaxies, nebulae, the Moon and the various exotic locations and mountain-top observatories.
- Exploring Mars
Written by Neil English to coincide with the successful landing on the red planet by the twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity in 2004, and including their first pictures, this pictoral history of man's robotic exploration portrays Mars in all its dusty red glory.
- The 3-D Universe
The 3-D Universe features over 155 remarkable 3-D images of the Universe, many created from scratch by technical Illustrator Greg Smye–Rumsby, and with commentary from Kulvinder Singh Chadha, each copy comes with a pair of 3-D glasses.
- Yearbooks
Edited by the editor of Astronomy Now, and written by many of the magazine's regular contributors, the 132-page Yearbooks are released annually. They include a full observing guide for the full year ahead, plus a mix of interviews and articles on various aspects of astronomy.
AstroFest
AstroFest is an annual exhibition and conference celebrating astronomy and space exploration, held by Astronomy Now magazine at Kensington Conference and Events Centre in west London. It is a two-day event, taking place over a Friday and a Saturday usually in the first half of February. A trade show consisting of dozens of exhibitors and telescope dealers covers three floors of the town hall. Visitors can meet the Astronomy Now editors and contributors and discuss the magazine with them.The accompanying conference programme, organized by Ian Ridpath
Ian Ridpath
Ian William Ridpath is an English science writer and broadcaster made famous for his investigation and explanation of the Rendlesham Forest Incident of December 1980....
and chaired jointly by him and Iain Nicolson, presents top speakers from the UK and overseas. Past speakers have included Ted Bowell, Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Susan Jocelyn Bell Burnell, DBE, FRS, FRAS , is a British astrophysicist. As a postgraduate student she discovered the first radio pulsars with her thesis supervisor Antony Hewish. She was president of the Institute of Physics from October 2008 until October 2010, and was interim president...
, Carol Christian
Carol Christian
Carol Christian is an American astronomer, educator, and Information Technologist. Her astronomical work is focussed on stellar populations. She has worked extensively in studying the use of emerging technologies for science education....
, Alberto Conti
Alberto Conti
Alberto Conti , is an astrophysicist at the Space Telescope Science Institute. He is one of the creators of the concept.-Professional career:Conti was born in Palmanova, Italy...
, Brian Cox
Brian Cox (physicist)
Brian Edward Cox, OBE , is a British particle physicist, a Royal Society University Research Fellow and a professor at the University of Manchester. He is a member of the High Energy Physics group at the University of Manchester, and works on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at...
, Monica Grady
Monica Grady
Monica Mary Grady is a leading British space scientist, primarily known for her work on meteorites. She is currently Professor of Planetary and Space Science at the Open University....
, David A. Hardy
David A. Hardy
David A. Hardy , is the longest-established living space artist, having illustrated his first book in 1954....
, David Hughes
David Hughes (astronomer)
David W. Hughes was a professor of Astronomy at the University of Sheffield, where he worked since 1965. Hughes has published over 200 research papers on asteroids, comets, meteorites and meteoroids...
, Mat Irvine
Mat Irvine
Mat Irvine was born on 7 July 1948. He was a Technical Consultant and Visual Effects Designer who worked on television, primarily for the BBC, from the 1970s to the 1990s....
, Helen Keen
Helen Keen
Helen Keen is an English alternative comedian and writer born in Yorkshire, now living in London.-Career:In 2005, along with writing partner Miriam Underhill, she won the first Channel 4 New Comedy Writing Initiative award. Judges included station executives, as well as Annie Griffin, Victoria...
, Rob Kennicutt
Robert Kennicutt
Robert Charles Kennicutt, Jr. FRS is an American astronomer. He is the Plumian Professor of Astronomy at the Institute of Astronomy in the University of Cambridge. He was formerly Editor-in-Chief of the Astrophysical Journal...
, Jim Al-Khalili
Jim Al-Khalili
Jim Al-Khalili OBE is an Iraqi-born British theoretical physicist, author and science communicator. He is Professor of Theoretical Physics and Chair in the Public Engagement in Science at the University of Surrey...
, Ed Krupp
Ed Krupp
Edwin C. Krupp is an American astronomer and author. He has been the director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles for over thirty years, since first taking over the position in 1974 from his predecessor, William J...
, David Levy
David Levy
David Levy may refer to:* David A. Levy , U.S. Representative from New York* David Benjamin Levy , American musicologist** 3673 Levy, an asteroid named in his honour* David H. Levy , Canadian astronomer and science writer...
, Keith Mason
Keith Mason (scientist)
Keith Mason is the Chief Executive of the Science and Technology Facilities Council of the United Kingdom. He assumed the post on 1 April 2007 after the merger of the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils and the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council , having...
, Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
, Fulvio Melia
Fulvio Melia
Fulvio Melia is an Italian-American astrophysicist and author. He is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Arizona and Associate Editor of the Astrophysical Journal Letters...
, Simon Mitton
Simon Mitton
Simon Mitton is an astronomer and writer. He is based at St Edmund's College, Cambridge. He has written numerous astronomical works. The most well known of these is his biography of fellow Cambridge astronomer Fred Hoyle.-Career:...
, Stephen O’Meara, Martin Rees, Chris Riley
Christopher Riley
Christopher Riley is a British writer, broadcaster and film maker specialising in the history of science. He has a PhD from Imperial College, University of London where he pioneered the use of digital elevation models in the study of mountain range geomorphology and evolution...
, Seth Shostak
Seth Shostak
Seth Shostak is an American astronomer. He grew up in Arlington, VA and earned his physics degree from Princeton University and a Ph.D...
, David Southwood, Jill Tarter
Jill Tarter
Jill Cornell Tarter is an American astronomer and the current director of the Center for SETI Research, holding the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI at the SETI Institute.-Education:...
, and John Zarnecki
John Zarnecki
John C. Zarnecki is an English Sir Arthur Clarke Award winning professor and researcher in space science. Currently working at the Open University since 2000, he was previously a professor and researcher at the University of Kent...
. Allan Chapman is a regular speaker. The 2009 AstroFest saw the return of Sir Patrick Moore to relive his memories of Apollo 11 forty years on, and in 2010 he appeared with Brian May.