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Hi, as someone who is just starting, apart from feeling slightly overwhelmed by the amount of information on the internet, i fancy subscribing to an astronomy magazine. I've tried Sky at Night which was interesting enough but didn't have a lot of content - are there any others you'd recommend please? I'm not after anything particularly academic but it would be good to grow my knowledge....

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Hi There,

Personally I don't think that any of the current publications are aimed towards the starter. They contain a huge amount of ads and some good kit reviews. If you have any specific questions post away, the good folk on SGL are a mine of information. The internet as you say is a great source.

They are also not particularly cheap. !!

A couple of books, 'turn left at orion' and 'sky&telescope pocket star atlas' will help guide you round the sky, download a planetarium, plenty out there but try Stellarium, its great and free. To be found here :--- http://www.stellarium.org/


Hwyl!

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"Astronomy Now" is the other main astronomy magazine published in the UK. There are a couple of American imports, "Astronomy" and "Sky and Telescope" both of which have good content but, to me, seem to be a bit thin for the money. In the main I used to read  Sky at Night, but recently it seems to have gone slightly down hill, whereas Astronomy Now seems to have really gone up a notch or two. Just my opinion of course.

If you are looking for information about particular bits of equipment though, (or any other specific aspect of astronomy come to that) you could do a lot worse than put in a search on the forum. You will find a lot of first hand views and  insights based on experience into things. I have found this far more valuable than short one-off reviews published in magazines. Yes it takes time to trawl through web pages but it does tend to be a learning experience! 

There are many good books on astronomy too, which will become a source of reference should you go forward with this interest. 

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I used to subscribe to Sky@Night and purchased other publications regularly. I don't do either any more though occasionally will get a mag if I know i'm going to need one (plane, waitingroom etc). there are some useful tips in most of them though I probably recommend s@n for its guides of monthly targets :)

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I recently took out a BBC Sky at Night £5 subscription, but have since cancelled that order,  the agent still thanked me for using the service, and explained that 2 more issues would still be sent out!

Having a magazine is great if you have no internet access when mobile. I also noticed more content /pages in Astronomy Now! and a cheaper cover price.

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Astronomy Now (AN) is about the best ive read. I doubt there is a magazine aimed at beginners. Most mags will have a bit of everything to suit all levels. I do agree that S@N magazine is a bit like one big catalogue of astro gear. AN also has adverts for astro gear, but it is full of content also. Worth the cost when compared, if you ask me.

To be honest though, all the content of the mags is freely available online if you know what you want to find and where to find it. If you look in the links section of this forum there are plenty of on-line resources.

I very rarely buy astro mags, but if and when i do............it is "AN". 

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Was in the UK last week and saw a magazine called 'All About Space'. The articles are reader friendly and the pics/images/diagrams quite colourful glossy and detailed, so I brought a couple of editions. Made for a cracking flight and airport-wait read :smiley:.

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Was in the UK last week and saw a magazine called 'All About Space'. The articles are reader friendly and the pics/images/diagrams quite colourful glossy and detailed, so I brought a couple of editions. Made for a cracking flight and airport-wait read :smiley:.

I found a few errors in a copy of All About Space I was looking at a few moths ago, so I was not impressed. I purchased copies of Astronomy Now & Sky at Night instead! - and I only buy them it they have something really interesting.

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Thanks all, i'm going to give Astronomy Now a go as well. This forum is a great resource, but i do like the feel of the printed page too

Have to agree with this, reading something on the screen just isn't the same.

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Im subscribed to AN and buy S@N as in hindsight i found S@N a better read plus i likee the bino and deep sky tours.

Having said that i do enjoy reading the beginners guide to the universe in AN.

No doubt ill end up subscribing to both :)

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Another advantage of the printed material for those considering,  is that your copy normally arrives on the doormat well  before their release in the shops, and there is always a saving over the counter pricing, so if you really want that magazine, get a subscription to save on cost.

As with any publication, you`ll buy an issue if the content is suitable at that time.

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I get AN only when there's a special event covered, or if I want some new ideas on deep sky objects to find. Sometimes I get it for reviews of gear if I'm looking for something specific - but not so much now cos I have all bases pretty much covered.

It's very informative and not so many ads - but for a complete beginner I'd recommend S@N for a few months first to get into the swing of things. Then progress to AN. :)

(And yes - printed material is nice and saves eye strain - I use pc screens far to much these days).

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Hi, as someone who is just starting, apart from feeling slightly overwhelmed by the amount of information on the internet, i fancy subscribing to an astronomy magazine. I've tried Sky at Night which was interesting enough but didn't have a lot of content - are there any others you'd recommend please? I'm not after anything particularly academic but it would be good to grow my knowledge....

Not a magazine, but a " great " way to learn the night sky without being bombarded with too much information is this book. Its actually a visual tutorial for learning the night sky rather than a textbook. If you can't find a copy, see if you can check it out or request it from your local Library. I don't recall anyone here ever mentioning it ?  The book is called .......

" Stikky Night Skies "  by Laurence Holt Books Inc.  ISBN 1-932974-01-6

Well worth searching for to learn the night sky.

Edit: Here are a couple of photos to give you an idea.

post-21902-0-07126700-1436122614.jpg

post-21902-0-47662400-1436122625.jpg

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Not a magazine, but a " great " way to learn the night sky without being bombarded with too much information is this book. Its actually a visual tutorial for learning the night sky rather than a textbook. If you can't find a copy, see if you can check it out or request it from your local Library. I don't recall anyone here ever mentioning it ?  The book is called .......

" Stikky Night Skies "  by Laurence Holt Books Inc.  ISBN 1-932974-01-6

Well worth searching for to learn the night sky.

Edit: Here are a couple of photos to give you an idea.

Looks fab thanks, I fancy testing myself

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Basically the way it works is, the book shows you a progressive step by step view of a constellation and the night sky. First without background stars, then the constellation is outlined on the next page, and as you progress the following pages add the background stars, and also in different positions to challenge you to locate the constellation. You can then turn the page to find out if you got it right. Once you have mastered one constellation, move on to the next. What's great about the book, is its designed so you can learn at your own pace, referring back to the previous pages as needed.   :smile:

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I was also wonder

I recently took out a BBC Sky at Night £5 subscription, but have since cancelled that order,  the agent still thanked me for using the service, and explained that 2 more issues would still be sent out!

Having a magazine is great if you have no internet access when mobile. I also noticed more content /pages in Astronomy Now! and a cheaper cover price.

I was also wondering about that £5 offer. I picked up the phone to order it and then I thought, there must be a catch and if you can only wait to the fourth issue to cancel then id probably forget!

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Juno6........you can cancel at any time. I just chose to cancel early because I had changed my mind about subscribing. There was a flyer inside the magazine, also a page, but you could even go on-line. For someone wanting to subscribe, 4 copies for a £5 is a great deal, then you also save on the cover price, and I think the deal was,  I had to re-new my subscription every 6 Months? 

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I've bought both, but only when flicking through and seeing something that interests me.  If you are the sort of person who doesn't mind reading on a device and you have other interests you might want to have a look at Readly £9.99 per month to look at a lot of different magazines including back issues. I'm about one magazine away from subscribing myself, I have used a trial and it works well.  They currently have Sky at Night and All about Astronomy on their list (They may have some American magazines too)

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Juno6........you can cancel at any time. I just chose to cancel early because I had changed my mind about subscribing. There was a flyer inside the magazine, also a page, but you could even go on-line. For someone wanting to subscribe, 4 copies for a £5 is a great deal, then you also save on the cover price, and I think the deal was,  I had to re-new my subscription every 6 Months? 

I only wanted the 5 issues for £5 as im cheap. Got the flyer in front of me and I think the offer is until 15th July. Id like to be able to subscribe for the offer price and cancel in the same phone call if possible :)

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