Astronomy November 2004

The looming death of Hubble
Even if NASA can refurbish the Hubble Space Telescope by robot, a successful mission will leave astronomers without an optical space telescope within a decade. ROBERT ZIMMERMAN

GALACTIC ASTRONOMY
The amazing lives of two stars
Big stars and little stars may share a parent cloud, but these disproportionate siblings experience vastly different lives. MARCIA BARTUSIAK

Red Sun dying
In a few billion years, the Sun will become a red giant and our solar system’s habitable zone will move to Pluto. Such a far-out zone could represent an important niche in today’s search for extrasolar life. S. ALAN STERN

Build an astro-shed
Have you thought about building an observatory but are concerned your backyard may be too small? Here’s a great way to maximize your equipment while minimizing its impact on your land. RUBEN KIER

Rambling in the lunar Alps
Interesting and challenging features await observers on the northeastern edge of the Moon’s Imbrium basin. ROBERT BURNHAM

Classroom astronomy
The Astronomical Society of the Pacific’s Project ASTRO matches astronomers with schoolteachers to bring astronomy to young students. JEREMY MCGOVERN

The Tele Vue-60
It’s been years since our last review of a 2.4-inch refractor, but we found a scope that deserves a report. After reading about Tele Vue’s new 60mm refractor, you may decide to add it to your observing arsenal. RAYMOND SHUBINSKI