New Magazine

[Redpaul]

Just picked a new mag of the shelf in Tesco. "All About Space". It's a good read, full of interesting fact and figures, and would be excellent for beginners. It's a "special launch issue", not sure if that pun was intended or not.

Paul

[DirkSteele]

A couple of people from the magazine showed up to the last BSIA meeting (one journalist and one from publishing) promoting the new launch. Certainly looked interesting from the quick flick through I had.

[Ifmfo]

I think there's another topic about this, I can't remember where I saw it, but one of the contributors to the magazine has joined SGL and joined in the discussion about it.

[swamp thing]

Here is the other thread you are revering too:

[petermarknimmo]

What's it called?

[RichieBoyUk]

I'd be interested in the name too, sounds like something I'd like to pick up.

[JamesF]

As the OP says, it's called "All About Space".

James

[paul schofield]

All about space, looks interesting, might have to look at that. Got to be overdue a new astronomy publication. Thanks for posting.

[sologuitarist61]

I think there's another topic about this, I can't remember where I saw it, but one of the contributors to the magazine has joined SGL and joined in the discussion about it.

I think that is good and I am pleased that they have done so, by getting more interested in astronomy, the content in the mag may well grow.

[Spacerock]

The magazine has a website here: http://www.spaceanswers.com/ - you can subscribe for 3 issues for £3. Covers more general space related topics - I picked up the first issue to read on a plane and found it to be an easy read, a bit less in depth that the other mags.

[petermarknimmo]

Picked up mine from WHSmith today. Seems like a good read but it is a little less in depth than the other mags and I couldn't help but notice a couple of wrong fact. Apparently europa is now one of saturn's moons...

[LukeSkywatcher]

"Apparently Europa is now one of saturn's moons..."

Have the IAU been messing around again with classifications?

[The Sailor]

Like I said in the other thread, I will keep my pennies and pick up any advice from SGL, anything other than astronomy related in the magazine I can pick up in Google .

Jim

[Matt Scunthorpe]

I'm with Jim on this one, most magazines are far too expensive for what they are, unless you like something in your hand, its alot easier to use SGL or search for things.

[sologuitarist61]

Still not been able to find a copy in Cornwall yet

[The Sailor]

They don't know where it is Richard

Jim

[JonnyP]

I'm with Jim on this one, most magazines are far too expensive for what they are, unless you like something in your hand, its alot easier to use SGL or search for things.

£4 ish for a magazine, roughly the same price as a small bottle of beer in London during the Olympics? Hardly too expensive, surely?

In fact I'd say that is rremarkably cheap for a mag like Astronomy Now which contains a lot of useful information each month.

[The Sailor]

JonnyP, not really the money as far as I am concerned, I would buy it if it were just astronomy but it is about space, a very wide subject most of which is available from a net search. I am sure that there will come a time when astronomy will get less page and other space items will eat into it, for me SGL is a mine of information at my fingertips without having to go and buy a magazine hoping I will see something of astronomy interest in it.

Jim

[John]

I don't think magazines can compete with forums like SGL, other than being handier to while away a long train journey. The interactive nature of a busy forum coupled the rapid access a vast reservoir of experience, and at no cost other than the internet connection, is an unbeatable combination in my opinion.

I used to be an avid subscriber to a number of UK and US astro magazines but I've not bought one for about 3 years now. I just don't feel that there is a need that they would fill for me.

[JonnyP]

Jim, I was talking about the cost of mags generally, but I agree about this particular one not having much astronomy content.

I have bought it, and have almost finished it, and while there is some interesting stuff in there, most of the content feels aimed at readers who know little about the 'space' sciences. It will be interesting to see how it develops (and whether I can justify buying a mag just for the nice pictures).

It Is good to see science of any kind being actively promoted though!

[JonnyP]

I don't think magazines can compete with forums like SGL, other than being handier to while away a long train journey. The interactive nature of a busy forum coupled the rapid access a vast reservoir of experience, and at no cost other than the internet connection, is an unbeatable combination .

I disagree with that as I find that Internet use tends to be very narrow in its focus.

Sure, if I ask a question on SGL, I'll get answers, but very often those answers will be posted by people who have no knowledge of the subject and are just Internet experts. You know,the sort of person who posts an opinion about kit he's never even seen, never mind used! It happens on a huge number of threads on any net forum, and it drives me up the wall.

Magazines are also pretty good at doing the science. Once again, I could find a lot of info on the net about, say, the transit of Venus, but a decently written mag article will pull all of that info in and present it nicely.

One more point in favour of mags is that you often find something that you knew absolutely nothing about, whether in the ads or an article that might provoke an interest in something you'd never have looked at on the net.

The net hasn't killed off mags yet as can be seen by the fact that new mags are still being released. Both media have their uses.. Of course mags have more limited use the more you know about a hobby.

Can you tell that I like magazines?

[sologuitarist61]

Jim, I was talking about the cost of mags generally, but I agree about this particular one not having much astronomy content.

I have bought it, and have almost finished it, and while there is some interesting stuff in there, most of the content feels aimed at readers who know little about the 'space' sciences. It will be interesting to see how it develops (and whether I can justify buying a mag just for the nice pictures).

It Is good to see science of any kind being actively promoted though!

Isn't this a fact with all publishing/broadcasting these days though. They seem incapable of giving the facts without silly graphics (like supernova simulations which are always accompanied by a loud rumbling and the sound of me shouting at the TV 'there is no noise in space, it is a vacuum'), I guess they think they have to make it all accessible to the 'average' man in the street, which is all well and good if the average man is interested but is extremely annoyijng to those in the know that can pick holes in almost everything the narrator says.

[John]

.....Can you tell that I like magazines?

I can tell that, and so did I a few years back

With a magazine being a business venture though, the question is, are there enough folks, like yourself, prepared to regularly fork out for one to sustain another title ?.

On the quality of contributions to threads on here, a number of our members write for the magazines as well so there is some extremely knowledgeable advice available here

I don't see much of the "people with no knowledge of the subject" posting on here to be honest. On other forums maybe, but not on SGL

[JamesF]

I don't see much of the "people with no knowledge of the subject" posting on here to be honest. On other forums maybe, but not on SGL

I agree with John. Personally, if I'm responding to a post with information that I can't verify myself (or just plain don't understand because I think it might still be helpful then I try to make that clear. It's quite apparent from the depth of many people's postings here that they genuinely do understand what they're talking about.

I like to buy the occasional magazine because sometimes they throw up odd bits and pieces that don't tend to get discussed elsewhere. For instance, on my desk at the moment I have copies of Model Engineer and Model Engineer's Workshop (came as a pair) and Sky at Night, all bought because I just needed a bit of a change of reading material. In MEW there's an article on the correct use of metalworking files and whilst I was initially surprised that such a topic could even merit a few thousand words, I actually learnt useful information from it. It also referenced a previous article on the correct use of hacksaws, so I researched that and learned something new there, too. In the process I also learnt that metalworking and woodworking squares are not made to the same design and why. And it's all stuff that will get applied to my bodging from now on.

Just like engineering, astronomy is such a large subject area that some things rarely get a mention on SGL either because those people who are interested don't have the time to talk about it in any great detail or because no-one thinks to talk about them unless someone else happens to ask. Magazines are good for reminding you that whilst SGL is a wonderfully broad church, it is not astronomy in its entirety

James

[The Sailor]

Interesting James and I have to agree with some of the comment, myself I have had a number of hobbies but had to finish them because of various restrictions. With each of these hobbies I have found sites on the internet which have helped me enormously, here on SGL I have found the same but I do not restrict myself to here. My Favourites in my Internet Explorer is packed with sites where I have looked for help on my astronomy hobby, very diverse sites but answers galore which have help me to advance in astronomy. I honestly do not buy any magazines simply because I do not have the time and also I need an answer ASP.

Jim