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best astronomy mag

garethmob

By garethmob
in The Astro Lounge

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garethmob

garethmob

Posted
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hey guys, i not really sure if this fits in here i couldnt think though where else

i know this is probally a very hotted discusion, (im going from my other hobby marine fish keeping where there is practical fishkeeping mag but also fishkeeping and the better of the lot coral but only found in america :) )

is there one thats one above the rest? i watch sky at night every month and have skimmed the mag in smiths but i find at times it has catered for bringing the more younger generation into the fold. is there one thats as good?

sorry if its in the wrong place

Gareth

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Black Knight

Black Knight

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I'll bite :)

I think it depends largely on what sort of astronomer you are. Personally I think SatN magazine caters quite well to new astronomers or casual observers, but lacks a lot of the in-depth or technical stuff more experienced observers may be after. I love their Night Sky guide though.

Astronomy Now has a little more 'meat', if you like. Just my opinion though ... ;)

/dons flameproof suit :D

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brantuk

brantuk

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I'm with Black Night on that - both great magazines but cater for slightly different audiences. The monthly night sky guide in the center pages of both magazines is allways useful.

I take them both and at any given time I read the one that matches my mood - keeps me occupied for a month lol :)

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jonathan

jonathan

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I'll bite :)

I think it depends largely on what sort of astronomer you are. Personally I think SatN magazine caters quite well to new astronomers or casual observers, but lacks a lot of the in-depth or technical stuff more experienced observers may be after. I love their Night Sky guide though.

Astronomy Now has a little more 'meat', if you like. Just my opinion though ... ;)

/dons flameproof suit :D

I would agree with this completely - I have bought Sky at Night magazine on a few occasions and as a beginner learned quite a lot from it's beginner guides (which some forum members here will often give the opposite advice to! But I think some or all of that is down to personal preference), and I also like the monthly sky guides.

I flicked through Astronomy Now once and it reminded me more of Model Aircraft magazine - the kind of thing where they would have a monthly section with detailed plans for constructing your own <insert item here>, where as Sky at Night will be a bit more vague on the subject (they did do a series about building your own observatory but I don't remember seeing detailed plans and instructions, it was more akin to watching Ground Force compared to Gardener's World).

The beginner buying guides - hmm, well I found that they only went for the cheap end really, not touching on the more expensive telescopes like the one I bought as my first. Some of us have the money to splash (saved up for a long time!), I had to do my own extensive research and come to my own decision, and ended up with a telescope that I don't think I ever saw mentioned in Sky at Night except in adverts.

I will probably still buy Sky at Night for the monthly sky guides as I need something to tell me what I should be looking out for, and this is the easiest way as I can just pick it up and read it without having to spend time sitting at a computer or thumbing through a book.

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pete_l

pete_l

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I gave up buying magazines years ago - though I lasted longest with Sky and Telescope (on the occasions W.H. Smith decided to stock it, since I never bought "on spec" only if there was something interesting). Now I get all my info and astro-news from websites :) as I find them more convenient and generally better at addressing the "non-beginner" audience.

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southernman

southernman

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For what it's worth I purchase sky at night , astronomy now and the Australian version of sky and telescope for it's local content. Being geographically isolated the first two don't get 'down under' in time to be relevant. Although their other content is highly commendable.

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Astro_Baby

Astro_Baby

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I can't sit on me hands.......I did try honest :)

I used to buy SaN when I started again because it's kind of aimed at beginners and gave me a few clues about what kit was out there, it's reviews, while not cutting, at least gave me some direction. I still find it's sky guide for the month handy. These days I tend to buy AN for it's articles but I tend to browse it on the shelf and only buy if there's something of interest.

I find S&T the overall more interesting mag plus they usually do the earliest reviews of stuff.

The downer with S&T I think is the vast amounts of ads in it but I guess that's what pays for the magazine.

So it's kind of horses for courses really. On the whole I prefer to wad reviews from people on here who have actually paid for the kit because they are more likely to be honest about it.

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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Oh heck, Astro baby's response reminds me of a conversation I had with a mate years ago while he was working in Strasbourg. The French were going to change the priority system on roundabouts on that Sunday. "Uh-Oh, what are you going to do?" I asked.

"Do?" he said, "I am going to take a deck chair and a bottle of wine and settle down on a flyover interchange just outside the city..."

Since I write the odd thing for Astronomy Now (don't damn them for this!!!) I will say no more. Well, one thing; an explanation by Alan Longstaff is... an explanation.

Olly

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Earl

Earl

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I picked up a pile of mags a few months back to compare and they were all about the same to me, a mix of good and bad.

there is something about a paper mag in your hands but in all fairness Google will always provide far more information.

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Nillchill

Nillchill

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I have bought both magazines, both have very good articles, Astronomy Now does seem to cater for the more technically minded, however, the whole premiss of the SatN TV programme and the subsequent magazine has always been to bring Astronomy to the Masses and I think it fits into that mould perfectly, and it is always very good to read Sir Patrick's little insights. Personally I subscribe to SatN but buy Astronomy Now when there appears to be good articles.

hope this helps

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Tantalus

Tantalus

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I used to buy both SAN and AN, but then I decided to save money and cut one out. IMO both magazines have their pluses, but in the end I found Astronomy Now gave me the better read, though I miss Keith Hopcroft's humour and Sir Patrick's input.

I've never read the american mags yet but I'll try them following some of the comments here.

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