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2017 has been another incredible year for space science

We’ve been looking back over the past 12 months. It’s been quite a year for space and astronomy: a total solar eclipse traversed the continental US, China pressed on with its plans for a space station, SpaceX announced a bigger rocket to get to Mars by 2024, and astronomers matched gravitational wave readings to an observable event for the first time ever. Elizabeth Pearson looks at more of the biggest stories to have happened this year on page 33.

Looking further back, on page 67 we celebrate the 50th anniversary of UK’s Isaac Newton Telescope. It had its first, first light at Herstmonceux, East Sussex, back in 1967 and is one of the few telescopes to have had a second. Also, on page 44 we mark the 100th birthday of sci-fi author and futurist Sir Arthur C Clarke.

And speaking of the future, if you’d like to help shape the content of this magazine in the years to come, follow the link to our reader survey and complete it online. We’d love to hear what we’re doing well and what could be better.

Season’s greetings and enjoy the issue!