Astronomy January 2003

Under Alien Skies
By Philip Plait
Have you ever wondered how the sky might appear from other locations in the galaxy? Here's how such "alien skies" might differ from our own.
pg. 37

Mars on Earth
By Govert Schilling
Space scientists hope to land humans on Mars by 2020. But an ongoing experiment in Utah shows they still have a lot to master.
pg. 46

Join the Hunt
By Greg Laughlin, Tim Castellano
A new observing program based on CCD cameras lets backyard astronomers join the search for extrasolar planets.
pg. 54

The Comet Seekers
By Tom Polakis
Competing with robotic telescopes that are constantly scanning the skies, amateur comet hunters are yielding results through persistence.
pg. 74

Seeing Double
By Fred Ringwald
Find out which double stars should top your observing list.
pg. 78

Going Global
By Phil Harrington
With the ability to locate itself in seconds, the Celestron NexStar 8 GPS Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope offers stargazers a sleek, yet easy-to-use scope.
pg. 84

Sketching the Solar System
By Lee T. Macdonald
Learn the technique backyard astronomers use to enhance their observation skills.
pg. 88