Australian Sky & Telescope

Australian Sky & Telescope is a world-class magazine about the science and hobby of astronomy.  Combining the formidable worldwide resources of its venerable parent magazine with the talents of the best science writers and photographers in Australia, Australian Sky & Telescope is a magazine produced specifically for the Southern Hemisphere’s astronomers.

Protecting the night skies

Australian Sky & Telescope

NASA announces VIPER lunar rover

Exotic messenger probes the galactic halo

Nobel Prize honours exoplanet and cosmology discoveries

20 new moons found circling Saturn

Quasars light up the cosmic web

More black hole mergers found in LIGO data

The puzzling clouds of Venus

IN BRIEF

Observations confirm lensing planet found by amateur

Galileo & the Moon • Galileo’s observations helped overturn the millennium-old belief in an Earth-centred universe.

The river of stars • South Australis is now home to Australia’s first official Dark Sky Reserve.

Dark sky destination • New Zealand is aiming to become the first country to officially be declared a ‘Dark Sky Nation’.

The Neglected Planets • Decades after a lone spacecraft flew by, the Solar System’s ice giants and their many moons still guard plenty of secrets.

Martian weather is a killer • Storms, radiation and dust combine to create a deadly environment on the Red Planet.

Space missions in 2020

Your night sky guide for 2020

Essential astronomy reading • These Australian-produced titles are must-haves for all astronomy enthusiasts. Order yours today, and don’t forget your friends and family for Christmas!

USING THE STAR CHART

A stellar smorgasbord

Perpetual motion • Everything in the universe is constantly on the move.

VISTAS

Venus dazzles in the dusk • Earth’s sister planet reigns over January’s evening skies.

Meteor showers in 2020 • This year is shaping up well for meteor observers.

SKY PHENOMENA

LUNAR PHENOMENA

The interstellar interloper • 2I/Borisov has turned out to be a fairly normal comet.

Catch a unicorn’s star • Ride high in the summer sky with TT Monocerotis.

Limb huggers • These interesting craters require a strong northwest libration and steady atmospheric conditions.

The beacon of Taurus

Inconstant Nebulae • Variable nebulae have intrigued observers for centuries. Grab your telescope and see if you can spot any changes.

The MDW Sky Survey • A collaboration among three friends is providing a dramatic new look at the glowing hydrogen spread across our Milky Way galaxy.

GSO 25-cm f/12 Classical Cassegrain

GSO’s new 25-cm classical Cassegrain • This scope melds 21st-century technology with an optical plan nearly 350 years old. Some amateurs may find the results pleasantly surprising.

Mission to an interstellar object • It’s time to visit a body from another star system — without leaving ours.

Silvering mirrors • An idea whose time has come… again.

Biennial astro conference coming up • Held every second year, NACAA is the major event on the Australian astro calendar.

2019 CALENDAR

Andy Casely

Astrophotos from our readers

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR IMAGES

Greeting the queen of the night • Two friends linger late at a remote lake to savour a regal display.