Sky & Telescope March 2011

FEATURED ARTICLES

Astronomy's Crystal Ball
A recent report will set the research agenda for the coming decade.
By Robert Zimmerman

Binocular Sights for City Nights
Plan well, and even a light-polluted sky offers rewards for binocular astronomy.
By Hugh Bartlett

It's a Duesy
Here's the tale of how a nearly forgotten telescope became the showpiece of an amateur astronomy club in Missouri.
By Mike Boessen

Arsenic and Old Lakes
What does the discovery of arsenic-eating microbes really tell us about finding life elsewhere?
By David Grinspoon

BEYOND THE PRINTED PAGE

Three Low-Cost Telescopes
Yes, you can buy high-quality scopes for $100. Here's some extra information that we couldn't squeeze into the pages of our test report.
By Tony Flanders and Joshua Roth

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

A Gap But Not a Void
The Cassini Division in Saturn's rings is not devoid of material.
By Thomas Dobbins

The Mercury Mirage
One of Giovanni Schiaparelli's most celebrated telescopic discoveries is reconsidered in the light of modern CCD cameras.
By William Sheehan, John Boudreau, and Alessandro Manara

Demystifying Flat Fields
Understanding the workings of flat-field calibration will greatly improve your CCD images.
By Peter Kalajian

Oddities in Northern Orion
Look beyond the constellation's well-known showpieces.
By Sue French

Table of Contents
See what else March's issue has to offer.