Hi everybody

Here's the latest article from the Astronomy site at BellaOnline.com.

Voyagers - Preparing for the Grand Tour
In 2013 Voyager 1 became the first starship as it slipped into interstellar space, the space between the Sun and the stars. What was a NASA probe doing twelve billion miles from home? What was the origin of its 36-year mission?

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art181534.asp

This is the first part of a series of articles over the coming months that look at Voyagers 1 and 2 which were two of the most surprising, successful and enduring of all the space missions.

*Discovery of Neptune*

Monday, September 23, is the 167th anniversary of the discovery of Neptune. “Neptune Facts for Kids” http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art33048.asp and “Uranus and Neptune – Twin Planets” http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art33048.asp will tell you more about Neptune. Much of what we know about the planet came from Voyager 2, the only space mission to visit it.

*Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013*

The results of this competition were announced last night at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. This is the overall winner: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/250090585531075796/ It's a beautiful panorama taken at Cape Palliser in New Zealand with the Milky Way arching across a starry sky. I'll be writing more about this, but meanwhile here are some thoughts on last year's exhibition: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art178104.asp

*Happy Autumnal Equinox*

The autumnal equinox falls on Sunday September 22 in the northern hemisphere. The southern hemispher will have the spring equinox then and will be on the way to leaving winter behind. To find out more about the equinox and the autumn celebrations, see http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art178064.asp.

For a variety of astronomy images, follow me on Pinterest at: http://pinterest.com/astrobella/

To participate in online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Astronomy located here - http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=323

Please visit astronomy.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Astronomy.

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I welcome your feedback!

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I wish you clear skies.

Mona Evans, Astronomy Editor
http://astronomy.bellaonline.com

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