"Water on Mars" in Sky & Telescope

Visit your newsstand to get a copy of my latest article for Sky & Telescope, which is, I'm proud to say, the cover article of their September issue. It's about the history of water on Mars. This was a fun one to research because it made me realize how much our understanding of Mars' history has deepened over the last decade or so, and it's made me more excited about what Curiosity and Opportunity are doing on the surface now. I've already heard from two professors who say they plan to use the article in their upcoming introductory planetary science classes, which is really flattering! I asked the editor, Robert Naeye, if professors need to request permission or pay a fee in order to distribute photocopies to their students, and he said not. (But putting a copy on a website to download is a no-no.)

And since this is a blog entry of shameless self-promotion, I may as well also mention that I'm getting out to do more speaking about space, including one public event at the Cincinnati Observatory's ScopeOut telescope festival (September 14). Want to invite me to your event or to talk to students and/or faculty at your university? I promise to deliver an impassioned speech about water on Mars, or how we're living in the golden age of robotic planetary exploration, or how you can make your conference presentations better, or other topics, with lots of pretty pictures!