Astronomy - USA (2020-01)

CONTENTS 44

4 ASTRONOMY • JANUARY 2020

20
Top 10 space stories
of 2019
New Horizons visited the most
distant solar system world yet,
we learned how a year in space
affects the human body, and
astronomers produced the first
photo of the shadow around a
black hole. ALISON KLESMAN

32
Stand under the
ring of fire
The annular eclipse June 21
tracks a narrow path across
our planet. Choose the right
spot to see it. MICHAEL BAKICH

36

Sky This Month

Venus meets Neptune.

MARTIN RATCLIFFE AND

ALISTER LING

38

Star Dome and

Paths of the Planets

RICHARD TALCOTT;

ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROEN KELLY

44

In pursuit of Planet Nine

A slew of oddly orbiting

objects seems to suggest a

massive and as yet unseen

world is skulking in the outer

reaches of our solar system.

JAKE PARKS

50

Tour five great Australian

observatories

If you plan a trip to the Land

Down Under, be sure to check

out these great astronomical

sites. DAN FALK

56

Inside the Perseus

Molecular Cloud

Myriad stars, bright

and dark nebulae, and

clusters lie peppered

throughout the bright

winter constellation Perseus.

STEPHEN JAMES O’MEARA

68

Ask Astro

Planets with two suns.

COLUMNS

Strange Universe 18

BOB BERMAN

Secret Sky 60

STEPHEN JAMES O’MEARA

Binocular Universe 62

PHIL HARRINGTON

Observing Basics 64

GLENN CHAPLE

IN EVERY ISSUE

From the Editor 6

Astro Letters 8

New Products 66

Advertiser Index 67

Reader Gallery 70

Breakthrough 74

FEATURES

JANUARY 2020

VOL. 48, NO. 1

Astronomy (ISSN 0091-6358, USPS 531-350)

is published monthly by Kalmbach Media

Co., 21027 Crossroads Circle, P. O. Box 1612,

Waukesha, WI 53187–1612. Periodicals postage

paid at Waukesha, WI, and additional offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to

Astronomy, PO Box 8520, Big Sandy, TX 75755.

Canada Publication Mail Agreement #40010760.

Go to http://www.Astronomy.com

for info on the biggest news and

observing events, stunning photos,

informative videos, and more.

ONLINE

FAVORITES

9

QUANTUM GRAVITY

Everything you need to

know about the universe

this month: our second

interstellar visitor, water

vapor on an exoplanet,

atomic clocks for deep

space, and more!

ON THE COVER

This year’s big astronomy story:

Astronomers made the first direct

image of a black hole’s shadow, in

elliptical galaxy M87. EVENT HORIZON

TELESCOPE COLLABORATION; NASA’S GODDARD

SPACE FLIGHT CENTER/JEREMY SCHNITTMAN

My Science

Shop

Perfect gifts for

your favorite

science geeks.

Sky This

Week

A daily digest

of celestial

events.

Ask Astro

Archives

Answers to all

your cosmic

questions.

Trips and

Tours

Travel the world

with the staff of

Astronomy.

Online Content Code: ASY

Enter this code at: http://www.astronomy.com/code

to gain access to web-exclusive content