Astronomy July 2009

How dying stars bring new planets to life
A doomed star can awaken frozen worlds and even forge new planets out of death's debris.
By Ray Villard

Invasion of the robotic telescopes
Step aside, puny humans! Faster and smarter telescopes are tkaing over much of the nightly drudgery of astronomical research. Soon they may make their own discoveries.
By Daniel Pendick

Illustrated: Light's dual personality
Is light a wave or a particle? Science says both.
By Liz Kruesi; illustrations by Roen Kelly
Go deep for faint nebulae with astroimager Dean Salman
A dark sky, wide-field scope, and filtered CCD camera enable this Arizona skyshooter to capture distant HII regions in the Milky Way.
By Dean Salman

Explore planetary nebulae in Cygnus
These dying stars offer colored rings, twisted filaments, and odd-shaped blobs.
By Phil Harrington

Get ready for the great Asian eclipse
The century's longest total solar eclipse promises to thrill those who stand in the Moon's shadow.
By Richard Talcott