Sky & Telescope July 2020 Magazine
In July’s issue of Sky & Telescope, we’re watching for comets and heading for Mars. Comet ATLAS may have been a disappointment, but that doesn’t mean we can’t sit back and enjoy stories of the astounding visage of Hale-Bopp while we keep our fingers crossed for Comet SWAN — and hope that stargazers will soon have a new comet to talk about for decades to come. When that day finally comes around, you can be ready to capture it in full detail with our guide to photographing these icy visitors. In the meantime, we can enjoy the collection of magnificent summer objects in Sagittarius, the same constellation in which Hale-Bopp was first spotted. While we watch the skies, the U.S., China, and the United Arab Emirates are launching for them with three new missions to study Mars. With upgraded cameras and Raman spectrometers, NASA’s Perseverance rover hopes to further the search for life, as China sets the foundation for future exploration and UAE’s Hope orbiter answers lingering questions about Mars’s atmosphere. Finally, Mars may be the Red Planet, but Io is red-hot. Join us as we explore the massive lava lakes, fountains, and eruptions of Jupiter’s volcanic moon.
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