December 2024 Issue | Astronomy.com https://www.astronomy.com/issues/2024/december-2024/ Astronomy news, photos, observing events, and space missions. Mon, 09 Dec 2024 15:13:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.4 https://www.astronomy.com/uploads/2024/10/cropped-favicon-32x32.jpg December 2024 Issue | Astronomy.com https://www.astronomy.com/issues/2024/december-2024/ 32 32 Can you view Pluto in a backyard telescope? https://www.astronomy.com/observing/can-you-view-pluto-in-a-backyard-telescope/ Mon, 09 Dec 2024 19:00:00 +0000 https://www.astronomy.com/?p=155628// Is it possible to view Pluto from a backyard telescope? Ethan SpykerWadsworth, Ohio If I’m being honest, Pluto is difficult for an amateur astronomer to see. A standard 8-inch telescope just won’t do the trick. That’s because Pluto hasn’t been brighter than 14th magnitude since the fall of 2004. It reached perihelion (its closest approach toContinue reading "Can you view Pluto in a backyard telescope?"

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]]> The Moon as it never was https://www.astronomy.com/science/the-moon-as-it-never-was/ Mon, 09 Dec 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.astronomy.com/?p=155246// In 1874, James Nasmyth and James Carpenter published a remarkable book: The Moon: Considered as a Planet, a World, and a Satellite. Lavishly illustrated with spectacular images of lunar features based on their own observations and exquisite plaster models, it served as a platform for the authors to advance their views on the nature andContinue reading "The Moon as it never was"

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]]> REVIEW: The Celestron Origin is the smartscope powerhouse we’ve been waiting for https://www.astronomy.com/observing/appraising-the-origin-home-observatory/ Thu, 05 Dec 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.astronomy.com/?p=155173// I’m in love. I don’t often begin a review by saying that a product has wooed me, but the Celestron Origin Home Observatory has done just that.Not that I’m surprised. Since it first introduced the venerable C8 Schmidt-Cassegrain in 1970, Celestron has established itself as a leading manufacturer of cutting-edge telescopes and accessories for amateurContinue reading "REVIEW: The Celestron Origin is the smartscope powerhouse we’ve been waiting for"

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]]> Is it time to rename the Hubble constant? https://www.astronomy.com/science/renaming-the-hubble-constant/ Tue, 03 Dec 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.astronomy.com/?p=155086// Most people associate the discovery that faraway galaxies are receding from us — and thus, that the universe is expanding — with Edwin Hubble, thanks to his landmark 1929 paper. It was one of the most fundamental discoveries in the history of science. But Hubble did not discover the expansion. In the 1910s, a LowellContinue reading "Is it time to rename the Hubble constant?"

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]]> Does dark matter affect our solar system? https://www.astronomy.com/science/does-dark-matter-affect-our-solar-system/ Mon, 02 Dec 2024 19:00:00 +0000 https://www.astronomy.com/?p=155623// Why do we not see effects of dark matter in our solar system and other nearby star systems? Curran RodeAmmannsville, Texas Dark matter refers to material that does not absorb, reflect, or emit any electromagnetic radiation. Astronomers have ascertained the existence of dark matter through the gravitational influence it exerts over visible matter. In fact,Continue reading "Does dark matter affect our solar system?"

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]]> Watch Jupiter’s moons in action this month https://www.astronomy.com/observing/examining-galileos-toes/ Mon, 02 Dec 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.astronomy.com/?p=155340// It may be cold this month, but now is a great time to get outside and explore Jupiter’s beauty and might. The fifth planet will not only reach opposition on Dec. 7, it will also be at perigee (closest to Earth) on Dec. 6, putting on its biggest and brightest show of the year. KnownContinue reading "Watch Jupiter’s moons in action this month"

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]]> Festive astronomy products for everyone on your list https://www.astronomy.com/observing/festive-new-products-for-everyone-on-your-list/ Sun, 01 Dec 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://www.astronomy.com/?p=155350// Universal manual Penguin Random HouseNew York, NY The beauty and science of space combine in the book Smithsonian Atlas of Space. This 400-page hardback, created by NASA’s Chief Historian Roger D. Launius, features illustrations, maps, and images detailing humanity’s understanding of the universe from ancient times to modern day. It also includes profiles of someContinue reading "Festive astronomy products for everyone on your list"

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]]> December 2024: What’s in the sky this month? Jupiter reaches its best Northern Hemisphere opposition in a decade https://www.astronomy.com/observing/sky-this-month-december-2024/ Sun, 01 Dec 2024 06:00:00 +0000 https://www.astronomy.com/?p=155381// Jupiter reaches its best apparition in a decade for northern observers and offers a wealth of detail. Joining in late evening is brilliant Mars, now a month from opposition. Saturn is visible in the early evening, along with Venus soon after sunset. Uranus and Neptune remain visible with binoculars, and Mercury makes a fine morningContinue reading "December 2024: What’s in the sky this month? Jupiter reaches its best Northern Hemisphere opposition in a decade"

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