Sky At Night magazine

[baggywrinkle]

Along with the possible demise of the SAN on BBC what will happen to this publication?

I have been getting copies on and off for the last year, I do read other astronomy magazines when I can get hold of them and in general the SAN mag does not really compare that well.

In the last year they have been milking Patrick Moore's good name for all it is worth. In the September issue, two articles on the man which though intreresting enough might have been better as one with more articels actually on the subject of astronomy.

The other magazines I have been reading are:

Sky & Telescope (Aussie and US editions)

Astronomy Now

Online New Scientist.

[ian_j_kirk]

the magazine issued a statement on facebook saying that the rumours about the tv show are not connected and they will still be publishing the mag

[alan potts]

I have bought a few copies when I have been in the UK, I can't say it's a magazine that I would run to shops to buy the day it came out. I find things in it a bit too basic too often, I am not saying I know everything either. The Sky at Night was Patrick Moore and to be fair he made the program his own, having said that i do feel the team that have been carrying the program for some years have made a dam good effort in stamping their own style on it, and I feel it is working. Shame the BBC don't see it the same way.

I feel the magazine will continue or is that funded by the BBC.

[Cornelius Varley]

The magazine and the forum have no association with the BBC and I am certain they will continue.

Quote from the SkyatNight website

"The licence to publish Sky at Night Magazine was acquired from BBC Worldwide by Immediate Media Company on 1 November 2011. We remain committed to publishing a magazine and website of the highest editorial quality, in accordance with BBC editorial and commercial guidelines and connecting with BBC programmes."

[steppenwolf]

Be assured that the magazine will continue quite happily if the TV programme does go and that is not 100% confirmed anyway.

The magazine's name is licensed from the BBC but even without the programme it is still a very strong brand. It doesn't follow the TV programme closely in terms of content from month to month so this wouldn't be an issue.

In the last year they have been milking Patrick Moore's good name for all it is worth.

Frankly I despair at comments like this.

[baggywrinkle]

I stand by what I said, they have been milking the name.

It is coming up to a year since he died and the SAN mag seems to use the name as a sales leader. Sorry that to me is desparate marketing.

He was a great presenter and no one can take that away, he brought astronomy to hundreds of thousands of people with his straight forward manner.

But that is no excuse for his name to be exploited so commercially rather than working on good articles.

[Laurie61]

I took a subscription out for the S@N mag when they announced the magazine launch, have every issue up to 97 but then decided I would have a change and go for A.N. The magazine does rely quite heavily on the TV show, the monthly S@N program is on the cover disc plus archive programs.  Having presenters from the program in the mag, Chris Lintott, Pete Lawrence are regulars, must add weight to the publication that would be lost if the show disappeared ?

[steppenwolf]

Having presenters from the program in the mag, Chris Lintott, Pete Lawrence are regulars, must add weight to the publication that would be lost if the show disappeared ?

Yeah but then they have real life heros like me who write at least three articles for the magazine each month and have never made a TV appearance  - well apart from that rather embarrassing interlude on 'Embarrassing Bodies' .... :grin:

[Steve H]

I tend to go to the magazine section at Tesco, briefly flick through Sky at Night and then Astronomy Now before buying the one that takes my eye the most. Got to admit I have far more copies of Astronomy Now on the coffee table 

[Paranoidsam]

It might just be my imagination, but since Patrick died the magazine seems to have gone downhill. 

There seems to suddenly be a lot of pointless articles with cartoon pictures... as if it's now more aimed at children. 

[Helite]

Well I still have my subscription to S@N magazine and am quite happy with it. Like any magazine some articles interest me, some don't, just like ANY other magazine. I also pick up Astronomy now and I am also a big fan of All about Space (not really an astronomy mag) . Each publication has their merits.

As for "milking" Patrick Moore's name, well I just cant agree with that, talking about astronomy in the UK (or even worldwide) without mentioning Moore is like taking about gravity without mentioning Newton. It is not that long ago that Patrick died, people still have a lot to say about him. I think all these articles just show how important he was to the subject.

As for there being cartoon pictures that seemed to be aimed at children, well why not? Children are as entitled as anyone else of access to information they understand, anything that promotes astronomy to the next generation can only be a good thing surely? Trying to make a magazine that caters for EVERY level of stargazer can be no easy task. 

In the last year I have read a lot of complaints about TS@N show and how it had gone downhill and the presenters were poor and a lot of negative tripe, now it is threatened with the axe the majority of astronomers are up in arms about it, I wonder how many of those who complained about it this past year have actually gone and signed the petition?

No one is forced to buy the magazine, but at least we have the choice of doing so if we feel like it, the more availability of different levels of information about the subject we all take part in the better, and we should all be pleased about that.

[Pig]

I have never even seen a copy, I will have to get one and have a read

[Robny]

S@N is my regular read and I also am very happy with it, I particularly like the basic nature of it, suitsme down to the ground

I've tried Astronomy Now but at this moment in time find it too over bearing andlose interest quickly due to not understanding some of the science.

I'm sure hope/hope it will continue and I'll continueto buy it.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 4

[Laurie61]

As a subscriber from day one I received a special copy on their fifth anniversary, which was nice