Sky & Telescope June 2010

NASA Mission Set to Explore Pluto p. 30 THE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE OF ASTRONOMY S&T TEST REPORT New Astro Camera: Easy to Use, Great Results p. 54 JUNE 2010 Hubble’s 20 Y ears in Space Great discoveries overies past, present, and future p. 20 Summer Tour of Planetary Nebulae p. 70 A Binocular Comet at Dawn p. 60 Visit SkyandTelescope.com TeleVue.com ® 200+ Products for a Universe of Needs ( and we just added the longest Ethos focal length, 21mm! ) In this multifaceted hobby, the one interest amateur astronomers share is the desire to own well engineered products that work as intended, and deliver performance that stands the test of time. After all, isn’t that ultimately the true value of your purchase? It has been nearly thirty years since Tele Vue Plössls hit observing fields and we’re proud their performance is still rated “tops in the field.” Thirty years from now we expect our new Ethos eyepieces will still be as highly regarded as today. The same holds true for our current, highly acclaimed APO refractors, whose forbearers pioneered the concept of multipurpose, high performance, portable telescopes. Explore www.TeleVue.com. Discover a Universe of products engineered, manufactured and inspected to be “even better than you imagined.” APO refractors 60-127mm Paracorr Coma Corrector Naglers—82° AFoV Powermate Tony Hallas:NP101is New 21mm Ethos—100° AFoV Joins the 6, 8,10, 13 & 17mm Family! Dioptrx Starbeam Focusmate—6:1 reduction Nagler Zooms Tim Puckett:NP127is “Positively revolutionary...If you like wide-field eyepieces, you really have GOT to own the Ethos - ATT Nov/Dec 2009 Tim Puckett:NP127is Filters Dielectric Diagonals Plössl—50° AFoV Jim Burnell:NP127is Sol Searcher Camera Adapters Panoptic—68° AFoV Air-Chair Barlows Tele Vue Logo Wear Tele Vue Vi s i o n a r y Bino Vue CCD Imaging System Radian—60° AFoV ® 32 Elkay Drive, Chester ork 10918 Chester,, New Y York worldmags & avaxhome 845.469.4551 www Vue.com www.. Tele eleV "Apogee has a well-deserved reputation of being a leader in the field of CCD imaging technologies. The quality of their products is second to none, and I have been extremely pleased with their service." --Steve Cannistra NGC 3031 (M81) Image Courtesy Jay Gabany Apogee Instruments Alta U16M camera RCOS 20” Astrodon filters Great Image! The Rest of the Story: For more than 15 years we’ve been refining our designs to meet the increasing needs of our most demanding customers. From the beginning, we’ve offered professional shutters from Vincent and Melles Griot and coated fused silica windows. Along the way, we’ve added deeper cooling to 75C below ambient, knife edge baffles, IR pre-flash, and high precision filter wheels unequaled in astronomy. With our lifetime guarantee on the inner chamber seal and two year parts and labor warranty, you can feel confident that you’re buying a time-tested platform from a company that stands behind their products. And with expert advice on your whole system from our Tim Puckett, you’ll be certain that you’re getting the best system for your needs. 1020 Sundown Way, Ste 150 Roseville CA 95661 Tel: 916-218-7450 Fax: 916-218-7451 www.ccd.com ©2010 Apogee Instruments Inc. Alta is a registered trademark of Apogee Instruments Inc. worldmags & avaxhome Since 1975 We are the largest directto-consumer brand of quality outdoor optics. With 35 years in the business, we’ve earned our reputation for providing exceptional product value and unparalleled customer service. Orion® 10" f/8.0 Ritchey-Chrétien Astrog