On the cover: Distant galaxies, represented by the blue ovals, appear surrounded by the web-like filaments and nodes of dark matter condensed out of the early universe. (S. COLUMBI/IAP)

Who can ignore the temptation to look up into the clear night sky, to see the stars and constellations spread out across the heavens? Like "visual gravity," their pull and hold on our curiosity, wonder, and delight seem universal and eternal. They have seeded religions and myths since recorded history, probably even earlier. Of course, the science and practice of astronomy that have evolved today also are born of the endless speculation that the stars have inspired throughout the ages, each generation of observers building on the accomplishments of the last.

The stars' timeless capacity to excite, inspire, and teach is evident in both our feature articles this issue. In our own time, startling images, like the one from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope that appears on this month's cover, or those from Hubble Space Telescope, are carrying on this tradition. We are fortunate to be enthralled and enlightened in ways astronomers of old could never have imagined.

Tough Little German Sister

The Stars in Their Palms

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Every issue of StarDate also includes monthly star charts and stargazing highlights, plus stunning astronomical images.

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