Astronomy - June 2015

CONTENTS

4 ASTRONOMY • JUNE 2015

24 COVER STORY

Jim Lovell:
In his own words
The only person
to fly to the Moon
twice but never
trod its surface
has some amaz-
ing stories to tell.
RICHARD TALCOTT

30

The nature of
empty space
Let’s talk about nothing.
BOB BERMAN

36
The Sky this Month
Venus meets Jupiter at dusk.
MARTIN RATCLIFFE AND
ALISTER LING

38

StarDome and

Path of the Planets

RICHARD TALCOTT;

ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROEN KELLY

44

Ask Astro

Blast radius.

46

A new fight for

the night

Blue LEDs may have warranted

a Nobel Prize in physics, but the

lights are bad news for astrono-

mers. ERIC BETZ

52

Explore the Antares

region

This summer, discover the

spectacular area around one of

the sky’s brightest stars. MICHAEL

E. BAKICH; IMAGE BY TONY HALLAS

54

First look at the 2017

total eclipse

Excitement is building for the

first total solar eclipse in the U.S.

in 26 years. MICHAEL E. BAKICH

58

To catch a

shooting star

A renowned meteorite hunter

turns his gaze to the sky as part

of a growing network of fireball

trackers. ERIC BETZ

62

We test Stellarvue’s

compact refractor

This 2.4-inch scope is so portable

that you’ll use it night and day.

TOM TRUSOCK

COLUMNS

For Your Consideration 10

JEFF HESTER

Strange Universe 11

BOB BERMAN

Observing Basics 14

GLENN CHAPLE

Secret Sky 18

STEPHEN JAMES O’MEARA

Astro Sketching 64

ERIKA RIX

Cosmic Imaging 66

ADAM BLOCK

QUANTUM GRAVITY

Snapshot 9

Astro News 12

IN EVERY ISSUE

From the Editor 6

Letters 11, 14, 66

Web Talk 22

New Products 68

Advertiser Index 71

Reader Gallery 72

Breakthrough 74

FEATURES

Astronomy (ISSN 0091-6358, USPS 531-350) is pub-
lished monthly by Kalmbach Publishing 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, 21027 Crossroads
Circle, P. O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187–1612.
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JUNE 2015

VOL. 43, NO. 6

News

The latest

updates from

the science

and hobby

Astronomy

101

Basic science

concepts

explained

Reader Photo

Gallery

Share your

astroimaging

efforts

50 Greatest

Mysteries

Explore the

biggest cosmic

questions

ONLINE

FAVORITES

Go to http://www.Astronomy.com

for info on the biggest news and

observing events, stunning photos,

informative videos, and more.

Visit Astronomy.com/toc

for bonus material — it’s

exclusive to Astronomy

magazine subscribers.

46

NASA

ON THE COVER

During their fourth lunar orbit,

Apollo 8 astronauts saw “Earthrise”

from a lunar perspective.

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