Astronomy May 2010

Bonus Poster: Axel Mellinger's Milky Way mosaic
An amateur astronomer captures our galaxy in glorious detail.
By Michael E. Bakich

Exploring the galaxy-black hole connection
Every large galaxy seems to have a supermassive black hole at its heart. Yet no one knows exactly how they feed off each other.
By Steve Nadis

The new search for life in the universe
Astrobiologist Christopher Chyba tells the inside story of how astronomers are searching for other life.
By Christopher Chyba

Galaxies near the dawn of time
The Hubble Space Telescope's latest and greatest deep-field image uncovers a population of compact and ultra-blue galaxies more than 13 billion light-years from Earth.
By Richard Talcott

Target 30 obscure celestial gems
This list of faint, fainter, and faintest deep-sky targets will take your observing skills to the next level.
By Michael E. Bakich

10 top summer binocular treats
You won't need a large telescope to spot these celestial wonders.
By Phil Harrington

Fun observing the Sun
Double your observing time by targeting our daytime star.
By Michael E. Bakich

Vixen's new refractor outperforms its specs
The AX103S APO MAX offers fine craftsmanship and superb optics in a small package.
By Glenn Chaple