1,000 PHOTOS WITHOUT ELECTRICITY MiniTrack LX2: The First Fully Mechanical Photography Mount LDQ)DWWLQQDQ]L 2019 6DVORQJ1LJKW6DVVROXQJRGD&RO5DLVHU ,WDO\ s3KRWR&ULVW 2019 :LGHƬHOGLPDJLQJDVGHSLFWHGDERYHLVSRVVLEOHZLWKHDVH7KHIXOO\ PHFKDQLFDO2PHJRQ0LQL7UDFN/;PRXQWZRUNVMXVWOLNHDFORFN1R SRZHUQHFHVVDU\1RFKDUJLQJ1REDWWHU\6LPSO\PRXQW\RXUFDPHUD RQWRWKH/;DQGZLQGLWXS(DVLO\FDSWXUHZLGHƬHOGLPDJHVRIWKH %DOOKHDGFDPHUDDQG FRVPRVRQ\RXUFDPHUD tripod not included! &ORFNZRUNPHFKDQLFV ,QWHJUDWHGWKUHDGLQJ 7KHPRXQWZRUNVOLNHDFORFNZLWK 7KH0LQL7UDFNƬWVHYHU\SKRWRJUDSK\ $129$129 PLQXWHWUDFNLQJDOOZLWKRXWSRZHU WULSRGDQGIHDWXUHVWZRWKUHDGV DQGEDWWHULHV6LPSO\ZLQGLWXSDQGJHW )RUH[DPSOH\RXFDQFRQQHFWWKH VWDUWHG 0LQL7UDFNWRDEDOOKHDGDQGFDSWXUH HYHU\SDUWRIWKHQLJKWVN\ 6OHHNDQGFRPSDFW 8SWR2]ORDGFDSDFLW\ :KHWKHURQDƮLJKWRURQWKHQH[WQLJKW The mount enables you to capture WLPHH[FXUVLRQ7KH0LQL7UDFNƬWVLQWR ZLGHƬHOGLPDJHVRIWKHQLJKWVN\)URP HYHU\EDJDQGVWLOOOHDYHVURRPIRUDQLFH ZLGHDQJOHWRWHOHSKRWROHQVHVVRPXFK WULSRGRUDVHFRQGWHOHSKRWROHQV LVSRVVLEOH Scan for 3RZHUIXOVSULQJV\VWHP 3RODUƬQGHUWXEH more info. 7KH0LQL7UDFNUHTXLUHVQR :LWKWKHSRODUƬQGHU FRXQWHUZHLJKWWKHVSULQJV\VWHP WXEH\RXFDQFDOLEUDWHWKH VXSSRUWVWUDFNLQJ6SDUH\RXUVHOIWKH 0LQL7UDFNTXLFNO\WRWKHSRODU ZHLJKWDQGEXUGHQ VWDU0RUHWKDQHQRXJKIRUD URXJKDOLJQPHQW MiniTrack LX2 Article No. Price in $ Photography Mount for the Northern Hemisphere WxHxD in mm 210x78x30, weight 15.2-Oz 55040 129.00 Photography Mount for the Northern Hemisphere incl. ball head 7KH3UHVVVD\V WxHxD in mm 210x78x130, weight 25.8-Oz 56106 159.00 “The resulting star shapes were impressive, showing no sign of trailing Photography Mount for the Northern and Southern Hemisphere ... We would recommend the MiniTrack to users of any experience level DVDVLPSOHPHDQVRIPRXQWLQJEDVLFLPDJLQJHTXLSPHQWIRUZLGHƬHOG WxHxD in mm 250x78x30, weight 17.3-Oz 57993 159.00 Omegon is part of nimax GmbH. Price changes and errors excepted. All rights reserved. imaging.” (BBC Sky at Night) Photography Mount for the Northern and Southern Hemisphere incl. ball head WxHxD in mm 250x78x130, weight 27.9-Oz 60258 189.00 Order online at www.omegon.com 2020 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE TOURS – Chile Solar Eclipse Tour 'HGLFDWHGWR (Dec 9 -16, 2020) &UDIWVPDQVKLS – Chile & Easter Island Eclipse (Dec 3 -15, 2020) $XWR$GMXVWLQJ *72 0RWRU*HDUER[HV $EVROXWH(QFRGHU – Brazil & Argentina Eclipse 2SWLRQ (Dec 6 -18, 2020) 9'& – Argentina Eclipse (Dec 9 - 18, 2020) – Argentina & Chile Eclipse (Dec 9 - 20, 2020) 2021 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE TOURS – Luxury Antarctica Eclipse Cruise (Nov 29-Dec 15, 2021) – Private Jet Antarctica Eclipse *72&3 Expedition &RQQHFWLYLW\ Eclipse Traveler 1-800-276-1168 ZZZDVWURSK\VLFVFRP 0DFKHVQH\3DUN,/86$ www.EclipseTraveler.com 3K A Family of Great Products, From a Family Business, For Your Family to Enjoy! With over forty years of design- ing and building our vision for eyepiece and refractor perfor- mance, along with photo/visual accessories to match, Tele Vue continues its mission to make your observing ”...even better than you imagined.” Call for expert and accurate technical advice. 32 Elkay Drive, Chester, New York 10918 845.469.4551 www.TeleVue.com WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 3 Online Content Code: ASY1910 Enter this code at: www.astronomy.com/code OCTOBER 2019 to gain access to web-exclusive content VOL. 47, NO. 10 ON THE COVER After landing on Mars in 2018, NASA’s InSight spacecraft is studying the Red Planet’s geology. CONTENTS 28 NASA/JPL-CALTECH FEATURES 18 38 52 COLUMNS Digging deep into Mars StarDome and Observe the ice giants Strange Universe 16 Although dozens of spacecraft Path of the Planets Cross Uranus and Neptune off BOB BERMAN have explored Mars’ surface, RICHARD TALCOTT; your bucket list this month — InSight is the first to target the ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROEN KELLY and then go for their moons. Secret Sky 64 planet’s interior. JIM BELL MICHAEL E. BAKICH STEPHEN JAMES O’MEARA 44 Observing Basics 66 28 Hidden treats in the GLENN CHAPLE Explore Ceres’ Golden Triangle icy secrets Three double stars trace the Take a trip to the dwarf planet border of this celestial wonder, 56 2019 9 where minerals and water which harbors a treasure- Our ninth annual QUANTUM GRAVITY blanket the surface, flung there trove of beautiful targets. Star Products Everything you need to by volcanoes that spew ice. STEPHEN JAMES O’MEARA For the ninth time, know about the universe MICHAEL CARROLL Astronomy’s editors have this month: Finding 48 searched the marketplace for the Sun’s history on 36 Celebrate the deep equipment designed to help all the Moon, the concern Sky This Month southern sky of us enjoy our hobby a little over Starlink satellites, Uranus rides high in the Ram. A trip to Costa Rica can deliver more. PHIL HARRINGTON and more. MARTIN RATCLIFFE AND the lifelong dreams of a night ALISTER LING sky you have to see to believe. 70 DAVID J. EICHER Ask Astro IN EVERY ISSUE Will Earth’s magnetic poles flip? From the Editor 6 Astro Letters 8 Advertiser Index 67 Reader Gallery 72 Breakthrough 74 ONLINE FAVORITES Astronomy (ISSN 0091-6358, USPS 531-350) Go to www.Astronomy.com My Science Picture of News Dave’s Shop the Day The latest Universe is published monthly by Kalmbach Media for info on the biggest news and Co., 21027 Crossroads Circle, P. O. Box 1612, Perfect gifts for Gorgeous updates from The inside Waukesha, WI 53187–1612. Periodicals postage observing events, stunning photos, your favorite photos from the science scoop from paid at Waukesha, WI, and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to informative videos, and more. science geeks. our readers. and the hobby. the editor. Astronomy, PO Box 8520, Big Sandy, TX 75755. Canada Publication Mail Agreement #40010760. 4 ASTRONOMY • OCTOBER 2019 SINCE 1975 NEW AN EMPLOYEE-OWNED COMPANY PRODUCTS FREE SHIPPING on order of $75 or more & INSTALLMENT BILLING on orders over $350 Standard Shipping. Some exclusions apply. Exclusions apply. 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Eicher Art Director LuAnn Williams Belter EDITORIAL Senior Editors Michael E. Bakich, Richard Talcott It’s elemental Production Editor Elisa R. Neckar Associate Editors Alison Klesman, Jake Parks As astronomy enthusiasts, we’re most often focused on astronomy, astro- Editorial Assistant Hailey McLaughlin ART physics, planetary science, or cosmology. But I’d like you to stop for a Graphic Designer Kelly Katlaps moment and think about chemistry. Illustrator Roen Kelly Production Specialist Consider the very stuff you’re made from, for example. The average human has Jodi Jeranek CONTRIBUTING EDITORS 7 octillion atoms in their body. That’s 10 to the 27th power. Put another way, it’s Bob Berman, Adam Block, Glenn F. Chaple, Jr., Martin George, Tony Hallas, Phil Harrington, Korey Haynes, Jeff Hester, 7 billion billion billion atoms. Suffice to say, it’s a lot. These very same atoms were Liz Kruesi, Ray Jayawardhana, Alister Ling, Steve Nadis, created in the early stages of the universe or in the bellies of exploding stars long Stephen James O’Meara, Tom Polakis, Martin Ratcliffe, Mike D. Reynolds, Sheldon Reynolds, Erika Rix, Raymond Shubinski ago. As the great astronomer Carl Sagan said, “The nitrogen in our DNA, the SCIENCE GROUP calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made Executive Editor Becky Lang in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” Design Director Dan Bishop EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Right now, you have at least traces of 60 chemical elements within you. Oxygen Buzz Aldrin, Marcia Bartusiak, Timothy Ferris, Alex Filippenko, is the most abundant by mass; carbon follows second, and then hydrogen and Adam Frank, John S. Gallagher lll, Daniel