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 a user-friendly style that's perfect for astronomers at any level.
The beginning and the end
Astronomy
IT BEGAN WITH A BANG • Our universe’s earliest moments are the hardest to explore. But they hold the key to understanding the cosmos.
INFLATING THE UNIVERSE • In a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second, our universe underwent a growth spurt that shaped the structure we see today.
THE EMERGENCE OF MATTER • The universe forged the first elements within minutes of its birth through the process of Big Bang nucleosynthesis.
STARDUST
THE COSMIC DARK AGES • For millennia, a hydrogen fog permeated the universe, trapping light.
THE FIRST STARS ARE BORN • They lived fast, died young, and seeded the cosmos with material for future generations.
HOW TO BUILD A GALAXY • About 13 billion years ago, our galaxy formed in the wake of the Big Bang.
Twilight observing time • THE SOLAR SYSTEM’S CHANGING LANDSCAPE AS IT APPEARS IN EARTH’S SKY.
RISING MOON • The Maginus ray
METEOR WATCH • Shower by moonlight
STAR DOME
PATHS OF THE PLANETS
COMET SEARCH • Fading slowly
LOCATING ASTEROIDS • Chilling with the Bull
OUR SOLAR SYSTEM’S ORIGIN • Researchers know how the Sun shines — but how did it form?
THE ORIGINS OF LIFE ON EARTH • An asteroid impact may have killed the dinosaurs, but earlier cosmic strikes could have helped spawn life in the first place.
LOOKING FOR LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE • Possibilities for extraterrestrial life seem limitless, but a few scientific rules can help us find it.
FINDING PROOF OF LIFE
THE BIG CRUNCH VS. THE BIG FREEZE • Astronomers once thought the universe could collapse in a Big Crunch. Now most agree it will end with a Big Freeze.
THE MYSTERY OF DARK ENERGY • The universe isn’t just expanding, it’s accelerating.
EXPLORING THE SHAPE OF SPACE-TIME • The afterglow of the Big Bang reveals the geometry of the universe.
HOW BLACK HOLES DIE • Long after the last stars fade, black holes will herald the end of the universe with a spectacular show of fireworks.
A COLD, LONELY DEATH • Everything — from creatures to stars to black holes — will eventually decay into nothingness.
BLACK HOLE FLAVORS
Mercury dazzles before dawn
STAR DOME