Some interesting points and comments here. I have been out of the hobby for a few years so I too let my Astronomy subscription lapse. Recently, I rejoined the hobby and was wondering if I should re-subscribe or not to one of the magazines. I may do it for a year just to see... but honestly, I have been spoiled by the diverse and quick nature of internet forums and the like. I agree with those that claim that on the internet you end up with too many opinions... as in "That scope is a great value" to "That scope sucks" and everything in between. So, what do you beleive??
Anyways, IMO, Astronomy magazine & Sky and Telescope for that matter should concentrate on:
Viewing techniques
Starhopping through specific constellations and/or areas of the sky that are currently in view. Astronomy used to do this each issue, IIRC.
Gear reports that arent written seemingly by paid schills. I mean, if the eyepiece performs badly, please tell us so even if its made by Meade or Televue.
Dont go overboard with cosmology stuff.... I mean, I want to understand the Universe and God too, but I dont want to read about cosmic radiation or radio waves from 15 billion years ago every issue, ya know?
At the risk of sounding too simple.... just get back to the basics. I mean the magazines are called Astronomy and Sky & Telescope so IMO 99% of the articles and features should be just about those topics. Forget global warming or "sciency" articles(BARF). Forget red-shifting stars that we cant observe anyways. Forget building your own scopes... sorry but the majority of subscribers arent going to build a scope so using pages for this just doesnt make sense.
-------------------- Stellarvue NG 80mm ED Meade 7x50 Binos
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