Sky & Telescope Highlights
By Monica Young
News Editor, Sky & Telescope
As a magazine, Sky & Telescope serves its readers deep dives into observing and science topics. On our website, Sky & Telescope similarly dives deep into breaking astronomy and observing news. Staff and freelance writers cover a variety of topics, from what to see tonight, to news from the amateur community, to the latest exoplanet discoveries. We then compile these news stories into short-and-sweet pieces for the monthly News Notes department.
In every story, we pride ourselves on delving into the facts behind the headlines and giving context to the newest discoveries for the interested reader — whether they be an amateur, armchair, or professional astronomer.
Read a selection of our stories from the month of October, highlighted below, or visit our website for the latest astronomy news. (And stay tuned for our website’s new look and friendlier feel, coming in January!)
Well-Loved Astronomy Expo Comes to an End
The RTMC Astronomy Expo, a favorite yearly convo of amateur astronomers and telescope makers, is ending. The author takes a look back at the meeting's glory days.
Interstellar Comet Borisov “Indistinguishable” from Solar System Comets
The solar system's newest interstellar visitor, Comet 2I/Borisov, bears a striking resemblance to the icy population of the outer solar system.
Autumn Comets, Mira’s Eye, and the Orionid Meteor Shower
Four comets, a famous variable star, and sprinkles of dust from Halley's Comet are highlights of the October sky.
NASA Launches ICON to Explore Earth’s Ionosphere
NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) launched successfully on 11 October to explore the boundary between Earth and space.
More Black Hole Mergers Found in LIGO Data
Analysis by an independent team has ferreted out seven new candidates for gravitational-wave events from merging black holes.
Help Name Saturn’s 20 Newfound Moons
Astronomers have found 20 new moons circling Saturn — and you can help name them!
Nobel Prize Honors Exoplanets, Big Bang Discoveries
The 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics goes to cosmologist James Peebles and to exoplanet hunters Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz. The prize honors discoveries that have offered new perspectives on our place in the universe.
Best Image Yet of the Cosmic Web
Using the light cast by galaxies bursting with new stars, astronomers have mapped out a piece of the cosmic web only 2 billion years after the Big Bang.