Pluto-Oct16release
Craterless icy plain on Pluto (NASA)

January/February 2016 Issue

The top 10 events of 2016, new images from Pluto, Comet Catalina, lunar eclipse gallery, the Moon’s geologic history and more.

Buy a digital copy of the January/February 2016 issue.

Top 10 Sky Sights For 2016

A rare transit of Mercury and a close approach of Mars highlight the year. Alan Dyer

Pluto + Charon In High Resolution

New images reveal stunning detail on Pluto and its large moon.

Profile: A Rising Canadian Star

From a childhood interest in astronomy, a student embraces a career as a professional research astronomer using some of the world’s largest telescopes.

Gallery: Eclipse Pix

September’s total eclipse of the Moon was well observed across Canada.

Editor’s Report: Planetary Traffic Jam

A sequence of early-morning conjunctions attracted plenty of attention. Terence Dickinson

Exploring the Night Sky: Planets Parade in the Winter Dawn

Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn all appear in the early-morning sky performing a series of mutual meetings, some with the waning Moon. Alan Dyer

Northern Nights: A Touch of Frost

Ken invokes a favourite poetic verse as part of his celestial season’s greeting. Ken Hewitt-White

Other Worlds: Probing the Secrets of Black Holes

A century after black holes were first theoretically suggested, our understanding of them should soon get a big boost. Ivan Semeniuk

Scoping the Sky: ‘Crystal Ball’ in Taurus

NGC1514, a shell of gas 800 light-years away, is small and very faint. Can we see it in a backyard telescope? Ken Hewitt-White

On The Moon: Lunar Layers of Time

Unravelling the Moon’s geologic history involves ingenious detective work and a handful of solid evidence. Gary Seronik

Wilderness Astronomer: Old Man on His Back Ranch

How an astro-club road trip created Canada’s newest dark sky park. Peter McMahon

Constellation Corner: Canis Major

Orion’s faithful hound plays near the snowy south horizon. Ken Hewitt-White

And more!