Take a new look at the Moon – it may surprise you!
The Moon is our constant companion in the night sky, its cycle of waxing and waning so engrained that ancient humans set calendars by it, and modern humans may only give it a passing glance. Yet look closer at the Moon – with binoculars or a telescope, if you have them – and you’ll see its surface bears the scars of a violent and tumultuous past. This month, Will Gater picks out eight of these dramatic surface features to give us a remarkable insight into the Moon’s history, from colossal collisions to volcanic activity, and myriad asteroid and comet impacts. Read his feature, then go out and see the Moon in a new light!
Astronomy author Govert Schilling talks about new light in his report on the Vera Rubin Observatory. He paid a visit to this revolutionary new telescope, currently nearing completion in Chile, to find out about its mission to create the most comprehensive study of the southern sky ever made, using the largest digital camera ever built. Capturing a whopping 200,000 images each year, this is going to be a database so deep that it will enable scientists to uncover how clusters of galaxies have evolved and reveal the influence of dark matter, the mysterious force thought to be driving the Universe’s expansion.
Turning to setups you’re more likely to use at home, Paul Money investigates deep-sky imaging using Go-To altaz mounts. If you thought an equatorial mount was essential for far-distant targets, what he has to say may interest you!
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