The August issue of
Astronomy is available now on newsstands everywhere.
Buried treasureWhen archaeologists uncovered a 4,200-year-old building in Peru, astronomy was not on their agenda — until they found a series of markers that may have been used as an agricultural calendar. Anthropologist and team leader
Robert Benfer called on astronomy professor
Larry Adkins to decipher the find. The two recount their discoveries at the Temple of the Fox in "The Americas' oldest observatory."
Journey past JupiterFrom January to June, NASA's
New Horizons spacecraft — on a fast track to Pluto — probed giant storms, erupting volcanoes, ring clumps, and ionized particles as it flew past Jupiter. S. Alan Stern, the principal investigator of the mission, details New Horizons' journey in "Jupiter up close and personal." The flyby captured images of Jupiter's four Galilean moons, the planet's stormy atmosphere, and much more.
Spotting Sharpless objectsAstronomy Senior Editor
Michael E. Bakich helps readers "Take the Sharpless Catalog challenge" in the August 2007 issue. This list of glowing hydrogen clouds provides rewarding targets for eye and camera alike. Although most Sharpless targets lie beyond the visual range for many amateur telescopes, charge-coupled device (CCD) technology makes the catalog "user-friendly."
Also in the August 2007 Astronomy:- "Lighthouse of the skies" — The U.S. Naval Observatory has blazed a path between sea and sky since its birth in the mid-19th century.
- "Spreading astronomy around the world" — The 118-year-old Astronomical Society of the Pacific is on a mission.
- "Astronomy tests Celestron's CPC 1100 GPS" — This 11-inch powerhouse puts thousands of celestial targets within your view.
- The August 2007 Astronomy also includes Ask Astro, Astro news, Bob Berman's strange universe, Glenn Chaple's observing basics, Phil Harrington's binocular universe, Stephen James O'Meara's secret sky, The sky this month, New products, and Reader gallery.