2 MARCH 2018 • SKY & TELESCOPE
FOR BEGINNERS
Find advice, free resources, and
ways to grow your interest into a
lifelong passion.
skyandtelescope.org/letsgo
MONTHLY SKY PODCAST
Listen as we guide you through
this month’s celestial sights.
Great for those learning how
to navigate the night sky!
skyandtelescope.org/podcasts
INTERACTIVE SKY CHART
Find out what the sky looks like for
your time and place. You can also
print the chart as a handout.
skyandtelescope.org/
interactive-sky-chart
RON BRECHER
SKY & TELESCOPE (ISSN 0037-6604) is published monthly by AAS Sky Publishing, LLC, owned by the American Astronomical Society, 1667 K Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC
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ONLINE
China’s Long March 5
rocket launches from
Hainan Province.
ON THE COVER
PHOTO: JOHN SHI
FEATURES
14 A Galaxy-Hop Around M
Join the author as he explores
the Pinwheel Galaxy and surround-
ing objects. By Alan Whitman
22 Treasures of the
Sharpless Catalog
Sample some of the delights in the
fi rst comprehensive catalog of
nebulae. By Ron Brecher
Cover Story:
34 China Launches to
Center Stage
A bold series of successful and
proposed missions are catapulting
China to prominence in space.
By Andrew Jones
58 Stellar Archaeology
Astronomers are illuminating the
universe’s early days by studying
chemical patterns in the oldest
stars. By Brian Ventrudo
66 Exploring the Deep Sky
with Video
With a little tech, you can see
farther and share the view.
By Rod Mollise
S&T TEST REPORT
30 Explore Scientifi c’s FirstLight
8-inch Dobsonian
By Ken Hewitt-White
COLUMNS / DEPARTMENTS
4 Spectrum
By Peter Tyson
6 From Our Readers
7 75, 50 & 25 Years Ago
By Roger W. Sinnott
8 News Notes
57 Books by S&T Authors
71 New Product Showcase
72 Astronomer’s Workbench
By Jerry Oltion
74 Gallery
84 Focal Point
By Joe Ulowetz
OBSERVING
41 June’s Sky at a Glance
By Diana Hannikainen
42 Lunar Almanac & Sky Chart
43 Binocular Highlight
By Mathew Wedel
44 Planetary Almanac
45 Under the Stars
By Fred Schaaf
46 Sun, Moon & Planets
By Fred Schaaf
48 Celestial Calendar
By Bob King
52 Exploring the Moon
By Charles A. Wood
54 Deep-Sky Wonders
By Sue French
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO ASTRONOMY
CONTENTS
2 JUNE 2020 • SKY & TELESCOPE
June 2020 VOL. 139, NO. 6
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