In celebration of the birthday of its most diligent watcher, the Sun has let loose an unusual and quick-fire series of eruptions. The spacecraft circles the globe once a day. In little more than a month following its launch, the Thuraya 1 geomobile communications satellite has successfully completed its initial round of testing, including the first telephone calls. 100 shuttle launches As NASA launched the 101st space shuttle flight on Nov. 30, we looked back to the past 20 years of blastoffs in a special gallery feature. For the latest spaceflight news and features visit our sister-site, Spaceflight Now .
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Subscriptions Subscribe to Astronomy Now and have Britain's best selling astronomy magazine delivered to your door every month. Subscribe now and save more than 10 percent off the newsstand price. The night sky Our night sky pages contain details of this month's celestial highlights.