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TRANSIT MYSTERY Strange sights BINOCULAR TOUR Dive deep into SHOOT THE MOON Take amazing as Mercury crosses the Sun p28 Virgo’s endless pool of galaxies p56 lunar images with your smartphone p38 TEST REPORT Meade’s 25-cm LX600-ACF P62 THE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE OF ASTRONOMY Lasers and advanced optics are transforming astronomy p20 HOW TO BUY THE RIGHT ASTRO CAMERA p32 p14 ISSUE 93 MAPPING THE BIG BANG’S COSMIC ECHOES $9.50 NZ$9.50 INC GST LPI-GLPI-G LUNAR,LUNAR, PLANETARYPLANETARY IMAGERIMAGER ANDAND GUIDERGUIDER ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY MADE EASY. Let the LPI-G unleash the inner astrophotographer in you. With our solar, lunar and planetary guide camera, experience the universe on a whole new level. 0Image Sensor:'+(* C O LOR 0 Pixel Size / &#*('+ 0Frames per second/Resolution• / • / 0 Image Format: #,+$)!&))'!,# .# 0 Shutter%,*('#(%%#'!"-,,* 0Interface: 0Driver: ASCOM compatible 0GuiderPort: 0Color or Monochrome Models (&#'!-,-&' FEATURED DEALERS: MeadeTelescopes Adelaide Optical Centre | www.adelaideoptical.com.au MeadeInstrument The Binocular and Telescope Shop | www.bintel.com.au MeadeInstruments www.meade.com Sirius Optics | www.sirius-optics.com.au The device to free you from your handbox. With the Stella adapter, you can wirelessly control your GoTo Meade telescope at a distance without being limited by cord length. Paired with our new planetarium app, *StellaAccess, astronomers now have a graphical interface for navigating the night sky. STELLA WI-FI ADAPTER / $#)'$!!+#!+ #$#)'#)$##)$#'&*' / (!-')-$*')!($%)$$+' "!!$#$)(,#%',).( StellaAccess app. Available for use on both phones and tablets. /'$+((()$!'%!#)'*")($'!$)##!'##"$'$*) stars, planets, celestial bodies and more /$,'-),',### -' ($),' /,,,$"$')*!!!()$$"%)!)!($%( STELLA is controlled with Meade’s planetarium app, StellaAccess. Available for purchase for both iOS S and Android systems. *Sold separately. FEATURED DEALERS: MeadeTelescopes Adelaide Optical Centre | www.adelaideoptical.com.au MeadeInstrument The Binocular and Telescope Shop | www.bintel.com.au MeadeInstruments www.meade.com Sirius Optics | www.sirius-optics.com.au May | June 2016 ISSUE 93, VOL. 12, NO. 4 Contents REGULARS 5Spectrum By Jonathan Nally 8NewsNotes 12 Discoveries 40 New Product Showcase 41 Cosmic Relief 74 Astro Calendar FEATURES Looking back in time p.14 14 Mapping the cosmos’ primordial sound waves OBERVING & EXPLORING Astronomers are combing through the largest map of 42 Binocular highlight galaxies ever produced to find M46 and M47 in Puppis the echoes of ancient sound By Gary Seronik waves. By Daniel Eisenstein 44 Tonight's sky 20 Untwinkling the stars A secret stellar flame How did the world’s largest By Fred Schaaf telescopes conquer the 46 Sun, Moon and planets tempestuous atmosphere? Mars and Saturn at opposition By Shannon Hall By Jonathan Nally 28 Anomalous appearances 47 Meteors Will modern observations of the Keep an eye out for sporadics Mercury transit stack up to the By Con Stoitsis historical record? By Thomas Dobbins 48 Double star notes p.56 Galaxies galoreinVirgo 32 Choosing a camera for More of the Centaur’s gems astrophotography By Ross Gould The question isn’t which is best, 49 Comets but which is best for your goals. Bright prospects for comet 52 Targets ByRichardS.WrightJr. viewing Sights in Leo’s starry sickle 38 Shoot the Moon with a By David Seargent By Sue French smartphone 50 Variable stars 56 Big fish, small tackle It’s easy to take high-quality Going all hyper over 766 Drop a line into the deep pool images of the lunar disk. Centauri of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster. By Richard Jakiel By Alan Plummer By Mathew Wedel 4 AUSTRALIAN SKY & TELESCOPE MAY | JUNE 2016 SPECTRUM JONATHAN NALLY In praise of the Moon he Moon is usually the first astronomical body that astronomers get to know. Just ask Galileo, who aimed his telescope at the lunar surface and set off Ta scientific revolution that would eventually sweep away aeons of celestial superstition and the Earth-centric model of the cosmos. The Moon is up there in the sky, unchanging, sometimes at night, sometimes during the day, and the beauty of it is that you don’t need a telescope to begin your initialreconnaissance—thenakedeyealoneisenough.Butprogressiontobinoculars andthenatelescoperevealsaworldfullofsurprises—mountains,valleys,rilles, p.66 Photographing the Moon craters big and small, and majestic sweeping plains. There’s enough there for a lifetime of study. It’sagreattargetforphotographytoo.Andwithalmosteveryonecarryingacamera THE ASTRONOMY SCENE around in their pocket these days, there’s really no excuse for not giving it a go. 62 Test report Whetherit’sasimplepanoramicviewoftheMoonshiningbrightlyoverabayor amountain,oracloseupshottakenbyholdingasmartphoneuptotheeyepieceof Meade’s 25-cm LX600-ACF By Dennis Di Cicco atelescope,easylunarphotographyisnowavailabletoeveryone.Onpages38-39we walk you through the steps of simply lunar photography, while for more detailed work, 66 Imaging Luna see our in-depth article beginning on page 64. Plus, if you’re in the market High-resolution close-ups of foranewcamera,ourbuyersguidebeginningonpage32willgetyougoinginthe theMooncanbeasatisfying right direction. challenge for modest apertures. By Robert Reeves Jonathan Nally, Editor 72 Telescope workshop [email protected] A50-cmdreamtelescope By Gary Seronik 76 Gallery THE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE OF ASTRONOMY Reader's astrophotos Australian Sky & Telescope is on Facebook. Complementing our 79 Marketplace website, Facebook helps keep you alerted to astronomy news and information about Australian Sky & Telescope. 80 Indextoadvertisers EDITORIAL Printed by Webstar 82 Focal Point EDITOR Jonathan Nally Australia distribution by Network ART DIRECTOR Lee McLachlan Services. New Zealand distribution by Plutoisnottheend CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Gordon & Gotch. © 2016 F+W Media, By Emily Lakdawalla John Drummond, David Ellyard, SKY & TELESCOPE Inc. and Paragon Media. No part of Ross Gould, Steve Kerr, INTERNATIONAL this publication may be reproduced, Alan Plummer, David Seargent translated, or converted into a machine- EMAIL [email protected] EDITOR IN CHIEF readable form or language without Peter Tyson the written consent of the publisher. SUBSCRIBE TO AS&T ADVERTISING EDITORIAL Australian Sky & Telescope is published ADVERTISING MANAGER Jonathan Nally SENIOR EDITORS by Paragon Media under licence from 75 Subscription offer EMAIL [email protected] Alan M. MacRobert, J. Kelly Beatty F+W Media, Inc. as the Australian edition of Sky & Telescope. Australian Sky & SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES EQUIPMENT EDITOR Sean Walker Subscribe and receive FREE SCIENCE EDITOR Camille M. Carlisle Telescope is a registered trademark of TEL 02 9439 1955 F+W Media, Inc. USA. Articles express Hubble Space Telescope DVD! EMAIL [email protected] WEB EDITOR Monica Young OBSERVING EDITOR the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editor or Paragon PARAGON MEDIA PTY LIMITED Susan N. Johnson-Roehr Media. ISSN 1832-0457 ABN 49 097 087 860 SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ON THE COVER TEL 02 9439 1955 FAX 02 9439 1977 Robert Naeye, Roger W. 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