A Letter From the Publisher: Mar. 23, 1987

Sometime during his vacation in Guatemala this week, Staff Writer Michael Lemonick will unpack his amateur astronomer's 4-in. reflecting telescope, set it on its tripod and focus low on the southern horizon. His target: the pinprick of light from Supernova 1987A, the exploding star that is the subject of his cover story in this week's issue. Lemonick, who lives in Princeton, N.J., has made a hobby of stargazing for the past two years. "I usually set up the telescope in my backyard, but Princeton is just too far north to see 1987A. If you travel all the way to Chile, you...

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