... By the time Isaac Newton entered college, the scientific revolution of the 17th century was well underway. ... Men like Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Descartes had all helped develop a new view of nature. ... Plato is my friend, Aristotle is my friend, but my best friend is truth." ... Isaac Newton was born on Christmas Day, 1642, the same year Galileo died. ... He was one of the most creative geniuses the world has ever seen and to many people the greatest scientist who ever lived. ...

... These colors are not only beautiful, they give us clues to the stars’ sizes, ages and life cycle status. ... While stellar life is interesting, stellar death results in many of the objects that amateur astronomers love to observe including planetary nebulae, supernova remnants and black holes. ... Dr. Russell Pinizzotto is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Merrimack College in North Andover, MA. ... Copyright (c) Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston, Inc. ...

Forty-two years ago (to me if to no one else The number is of some interest) it was a brilliant starry night And the westward train was empty and had no corridors So darting from side to side I could catch the unwonted sight Of those almost intolerably bright Holes, punched in the sky, which excited me partly because Of their Latin names and partly because I had read in the textbooks How very far off they were, it seemed their light Had left them (some at least) long years before I was. ...

... The first book is about observing ­ really a great "how to" guide designed to make one aware of all that can be fine tuned with respect to observing skills. ... For any of you who attended Bill Murray's excellent talk at our March meeting this is a "must read." ... We are truly fortunate to be able to mark the conclusion of the 2002 ­ 2003 series of meetings at Peyton Hall by having as a guest speaker, Dr David N. Spergel of Princeton University's Department of Astrophysical Sciences. ...

Rep ort by the ESA-ESO Working Group on Galactic p opulations, chemistry and dynamics Abstract Between the early 40s, when Baade showed the first evidence for the existence of two distinct stellar populations, and today, with our Galaxy surprising us with new substructures discovered almost on a monthly basis, it is clear that a remarkable progress has been achieved in our understanding of the Galaxy, of its structure and stellar populations, and of its chemical and dynamical signatures. Yet, some questions