Sky & Telescope's Weekly Bulletin - Jun 30

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SKY & TELESCOPE'S WEEKLY BULLETIN - June 30, 2006
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Welcome to SKY & TELESCOPE's Weekly Bulletin. Images, the full stories
abridged here, and other enhancements are on our Web site at
http://SkyandTelescope.com

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THIS WEEK'S NEWS
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Black Hole Kicked Out of the Galaxy

July 29 | A black hole zipping through Ursa Major may have been
dropkicked out of the Milky Way's disk by an asymmetrical supernova,
astronomers report. The black hole and its small companion star caught
astronomers' interest because of their location out in the galactic
halo, more than 5,000 light-years above the galaxy's disk. Stars in
this region tend to be ancient leftovers from the galaxy's early
years, low in heavy elements. But the companion star orbiting the black
hole is soaked in heavy elements - even more so than our Sun - a
sign that it was born in the disk. . . .

http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/article_1749_1.asp

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Hubble Back in Business

July 30 | The Hubble Space Telescope's main camera is back online
today, almost two weeks after a problem with its power supply forced it
into safe mode. Engineers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
switched the $86-million Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) to its
backup electronics this morning, and they expect that it will now
function normally. They plan to spend the next week recalibrating its
detectors to make sure. They will resume science observations on Sunday
night in between recalibration work.

Strangely, the power mishap may actually improve the quality of ACS
observations. . . .

http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/article_1750_1.asp

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OBSERVING - SKY AT A GLANCE
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June 30 - July 8

Can you still spot Mercury after sunset? It glimmers to the lower right
of an easier sight: the diagonal lineup of Regulus, Mars, and Saturn in
the western twilight.

http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing...icle_110_1.asp

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OBSERVING - THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS
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Spot a Near-Earth Asteroid Whizzing By on Sunday Night!

Late Sunday night (i.e. on the morning of Monday, July 3rd) for North
America, a half-mile-diameter asteroid will brighten to 11th magnitude
as it passes Earth. Use our charts to find it:

http://skyandtelescope.com/observing...cle_1751_1.asp

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SHOP AT SKY (Advertisement)
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Double Stars for Small Telescopes
By Sissy Haas

More than 2,100 of the sky's most alluring double and multiple stars
are listed with coordinates, brightnesses, colors, and informative
commentaries. Make this an essential part of your astronomy library for
only $29.95.

http://www.ShopatSky.com/index.asp?P...OD&ProdID=1163

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Pocket Sky Atlas
By Roger W. Sinnott

When we couldn't find the ideal portable star atlas, we decided to
create it ourselves! There has never been such a detailed atlas
that's so handy. Take it anywhere for only $19.95.

http://www.shopatsky.com/index.asp?P...campa ign=PSA

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Amateur Telescope Making article bundle

Grab your tools and roll up your sleeves! We've chosen 10 Amateur
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your equipment. Download them now for only $14.95.

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Stuart Goldman
Associate Editor http://SkyandTelescope.com
Night Sky Magazine http://NightSkyMag.com
49 Bay State Rd.
Cambridge, MA 02138