About Astronomy Now For over two decades, Astronomy Now magazine has provided a monthly source of information for amateur and professional astronomers alike. It is the U.K.'s best-selling astronomy magazine. Features A wide range of feature articles cover subjects such as observing, cosmology, the history of astronomy and space science. Focus articles A series of articles each month takes an in-depth look at specific areas of astronomy and space science.

Regulars Each month, Astronomy Now includes an 13-page section on the night sky, an extensive news section, readers' astronomical images, book reviews and "Absolute beginners", a two-page article for those just getting started in astronomy.

May 2008 issue

Features

Special report: National Astronomy Meeting 2008
Astronomy Now recently spent a week in Belfast at the National Astronomy Meeting, organised by the Royal Astronomical Society. Here's a round up of the meeting's major events.

Great balls of stars
Late spring is the season for hunting down globular clusters, those distant spheres of ancient stars that reside near the edge of our Galaxy. Martin Mobberley is on hand to help you get some globulars this May.

Open skies

The computer is a powerful tool in an observer's quest to conquer the skies, but software to aid you in your crusade can be expensive. But it doesn't have to be, and Nick Howes offers up some suggestions for some freeware on the Internet that can do the job just as well.

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Focus: Reaching for the Moon

Reaching for the Moon
The Moon is our nearest, and most intimate, neighbour, and yet we still have a great deal to learn about it. However, the coming decades should answer some of those questions.

The Man in the Moon
How did the Man in the Moon get his good looks? Emily Baldwin examines how the Moon got its facelift.

Doing the Moon Waltz
The Earth and the Moon are entangled in a grand dance, waltzing around one another. Kulvinder Singh Chadha explains how this causes everything from ocean tides to lunar librations.

Destination: Moon
Kulvinder Singh Chadha looks at future missions to the Moon, starting with India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft.

Moon rocks come down to Earth
Emily Baldwin investigates meteorites from the Moon.

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Regulars

News update
Five years of WMAP; The volcanic history of Mars; Saturn's moons surprise; The most distant naked eye object ever.

Your views
Feedback from readers across a range of astronomical talking points.

Observations with Neil Bone
Neil describes his recent trip to Scotland.

Absolute beginners
Why do stars twinkle? By Carole Stott.

The night sky
Mercury at greatest eastern elongation; Get started with variable stars; A tour of Hercules.

In the shops
We review two great new cameras from The Imaging Source, as well as the new book from Michio Kaku.

Picture this

Opportunity's first steps into Victoria Crater on Mars.

Tech talk
Martin Mobberley provides his expertise on star-testing your telescope.

Society news
How to organise a star party. Compiled by Neil Bone.

Ask Alan
Dr Alan Longstaff answers more of your questions, plus there is the chance to win more astronomy books from Springer with our 'Readers' Riddle'.

Classifieds
Buy and sell used astronomical equipment.

Picture gallery
Including the picture of the month: M31.

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