Astronomy October 2003

The long goodbye
After eight fruitful years of exploring Jupiter and its moons, the Galileo spacecraft makes a final flyby of Amalthea before plunging into the planet’s atmosphere. — Michael Carroll

Style & substance
The Orion Nebula is the Great White Way of the sky — it’s the nearest place where big stars are born. Find out what astronomers are learning about this bustling stellar district.
— Ray Jayawardhana

The outsider
Columbia University astronomer David Helfand is out to change the way science is done. And that means stepping on some pretty big toes. — Bob Berman

Tucana and Hydrus
If the star clusters and nebulae of the Milky Way aren’t enough to satisfy your deep-sky desires, the Toucan and Little Water Snake offer some extragalactic treats as well.
— Tom Polakis

The Straight Wall
The Straight Wall is one of the most observed features on the moon. This area, however, offers a number of other interesting highlights just waiting to be seen.
— Robert Burnham

Stars on the stars
Celebrities generally use mirrors for self-reflection, but we found music, sports, and television stars who also use mirrors (and lenses) to scan the skies. — Susan Karlin

Off-axis vision
The special characteristics of this telescope put it in a class by itself. Discover if this is the best of both worlds as Astronomy reviews the DGM OA-3.6ATS. — Phil Harrington

Simple telescopic shooting
Visual observing is great, but perhaps you’d like to capture images of what you see. Use this fact-filled guide to cross over into the realm of astrophotography. — John Shibley