Astronomy November 2013

The science of comets
by Matthew Knight
Scientists have sent 12 missions to explore comets. Here's what they're learned about these relics from the early solar system.

Comets: From superstition to science
by Gary W. Kronk
For thousands of years, scientists thought comets lived within Earth's atmosphere, and nearly everyone believed these celestial visitors delivered death and destruction with their tails.

Illustrated: Anatomy of a comet
by Sarah Scoles, Roen Kelly
Slip into a coma, sweep up a dust tail, and brace yourself against the solar wind.

20 bright comets of the past 50 years
by Karri Ferron
Each of these cosmic visitors of the past half-century told a unique story and captured the attentions of observers and imagers.

Comet ISON blazes into glory
by Richard Talcott
This frozen ball of gas and dust puts on a show in the predawn sky before reaching peak brightness in late November as it skims above the Sun's surface.

Totality crosses Africa
by Joel K. Harris
Exotic locations, safaris, and an eclipse's shadow across the Dark Continent will lure travelers to this event November 3.

A field trip to the stratosphere
by Sarah Scoles
Associate Editor Sarah Scoles takes a ride with SOFIA, a telescope that always flies first class.