Exoplanet research is currently the boom area of astronomy, and observations of proto-planetary discs are giving us better and better indications of how planets form and evolve. The exoplanet count is now over 370 and counting, some of which have some very peculiar characteristics. From a planet where every 11 days a furious hurricane rips through its atmosphere, to a scorched rocky planet that revolves around its star in just over 20 hours, a planetary system with three asteroids and one with dead planets, the weird and wonderful world of exoplanets provides this month's Focus.

Closer to home we reveal that it's not just the Earth that hosts water, but also our seemingly grey and barren Moon – Keith Cooper has the breaking news and what it means for the future of lunar exploration. In other features Emily Baldwin presents the latest collection of postcards from Mars, Steve Ringwood recounts how, with a little elbow grease and a lot of patience, he turned a rusting ten-inch Newtonian into a fully-functional telescope once more, and Neil English celebrates the life of William Dawes, the pioneering nineteenth century astronomer who gave his name to the Dawes Limit.

Elsewhere Steve Ringwood reviews the Celestron Firstscope 76, Jeremy Perez explains how to draw lunar craters, and we offer an extensive 14-page guide to observing the night sky this November. All this plus the usual features including Starting from Scratch, Ask Alan, Tech Talk, and Key moments in astronomy.