Astronomy October 2013

Top 10 exoplanets
By Richard Talcott
Astronomers have discovered nearly 1,000 planets orbiting other stars. Here we highlight 10 of them.
pg. 22

How Planck has redefined the universe
By Liz Kruesi
This new spacecraft has mapped the universe's matter, refined its composition and age, and revealed thousands of radio sources.
pg. 28

What makes a Great Comet?
By Joseph Marcus
Slight tweaks in the celestial recipe make a good comet great.
pg. 44

Comet ISON brightens before dawn
By Richard Talcott
This celestial visitor approaches naked-eye visibility.
pg. 50

Order from chaos — Genesis samples the solar wind
By Meenakshi Wadhwa
This NASA spacecraft captured and returned atoms from the Sun to Earth. What happened next took "recovery" to a whole new level.
pg. 54

10 great autumn binocular sights
By Phil Harrington
Head outside to explore a nearby galaxy, a stellar waterfall, and more.
pg. 58

Spice up your images with Hydrogen-alpha data
By Rod Pommier
Make your images shine by adding light through this narrow-band filter.
pg. 60

"Astronomy" tests Denkmeier's Binotron-27
By Mike Reynolds
High-quality optics and superb mechanics make this accessory a winner.
pg. 64