Astronomy April 2012

How we know black holes exist
By Liz Kruesi
Despite their invisibility, black holes noticeably modify their environments by producing high-speed jets and abnormally quick stellar movements.
pg. 24

Probing Titan’s seas of sand
By Rosaly Lopes
Whether on Saturn’s largest moon or Earth, the ripples of sand dunes tell scientists about the local weather and surface phenomena.
pg. 30

Turning clouds of darkness into stars of light
By Bruce Dorminey
Small, dark, and ubiquitous, Bok globules offer astronomers an inside look at how low-mass stars form.
pg. 44

The Modoc Plateau beckons amateur astronomers
By Tony Hallas
This California location has beautiful scenery, lots of amenities, and spectacular dark skies.
pg. 52

Use Facebook to get more out of your hobby
By Michael E. Bakich
These nine tips will help you get the most out of this social network, connecting you to astroimagers, astronomy clubs around the world, and even space missions
pg. 56

How the constellations came to be
By Michael E. Bakich
The starry figures that fill our sky result from more than 6,000 years of human imagination.
pg. 58

Astronomy tests Orion’s color video camera
By Chris Schur
The StarShoot Deep Space Video Camera displays celestial objects in real time and captures video frames.
pg. 60