Astronomy October 2006

The new search for distant planets
At 200 exoplanets and counting, astronomers are much closer to discovering worlds that might resemble our own. GEOFFREY W. MARCY

How do you make a giant exoplanet?
Scientists endlessly debate theories of how giant planets form, but only observations will settle the question. ALAN P. BOSS

Planets without suns
Isolated giant planets, unbound to any star, may be the Milky Way’s most common worlds. MARIA ROSA ZAPATERO OSORIO

Atlas of extrasolar planets
The worlds beyond our solar system show a rich diversity no one suspected. RICHARD TALCOTT; ILLUSTRATION BY LYNETTE COOK

Where is life hiding?
Location holds the key to finding extraterrestrial life. MARGARET TURNBULL

The most important cosmologist you’ve never heard of
Henry Tye transforms cosmology as inflation’s unsung hero. His latest pursuit: Where did our universe come from? STEVE NADIS

The sharpest image
Put away your eyeglasses. Tele Vue’s DioptRx lenses correct astigmatism. MIKE D. REYNOLDS

Shooting through the light
Learn how one astroimager succeeds in a light-polluted sky. JAMES R. FOSTER

Head of the glass
Ease of use and terrific optics place the Stellarvue SV4 high on any observer’s want list. PHIL HARRINGTON