Astronomy January 2005

The year in astronomy
Water in Mars’ past, a comet flyby, and the first Neptune-size exoplanets yet — these and other astronomy stories made headlines in 2004. FRANCIS REDDY

COSMOLOGY
Second light
Although the first stars born after the Big Bang are long gone, astronomers hope to find a few remaining relics of the second generation. STEVE NADIS

PROFILE
NASA's visionary
Director of NASA’s Astronomy and Physics Division, Anne Kinney has gone from small-town Wisconsin to big-time extragalactic space exploration. WILLIAM SCHOMAKER

GALACTIC ASTRONOMY
Lucifer’s planets
Astronomers have detected two small planets, roughly Neptune’s size, orbiting normal stars. They could be ice-giant planets or rocky super-Earths — the first seen outside our solar system. RAY VILLARD

DEEP-SKY OBSERVING
Lure of the Pleiades
This beautiful star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters, has captivated human imagination throughout history, but figuring out what’s going on in this region of space takes top-notch science. RAYMOND SHUBINSKI

TELESCOPE REVIEW
Coronado’s Personal Solar Telescope
Offering fantastic views of the Sun at a great price, this may be the solar scope you’ve dreamed about. JEFF MEDKEFF

TELESCOPE REVIEW
Orion’s IntelliScope XT10
This 10-inch telescope sells for less than $700 and has a Dobsonian mount that accepts a computerized object locator. ADRIAN R. ASHFORD