Free Republic

Explanation: The Great Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda (aka M31), a mere 2.5 million light-years distant, is the closest large spiral to our own Milky Way. Andromeda is visible to the unaided eye as a small, faint, fuzzy patch, but because its surface brightness is so low, casual skygazers can't appreciate the galaxy's impressive extent in planet Earth's sky. This entertaining composite image compares the angular size of the nearby galaxy to a brighter, more familiar celestial sight. In it, a deep exposure of Andromeda, tracing beautiful blue star clusters in spiral arms far beyond the bright yellow core, is combined...

As a presence in several evolving conflicts around the world, Marines must remain up-to-date on the newest technology in order to defeat the enemy and complete the mission at hand. For the sniper community, that title belongs to the Model 110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System. "What (Marines) were finding as we got into Iraq and Afghanistan is that the bolt-action M40 sniper rifle we had was not able to rapidly engage targets in a built-up environment," said Capt. Carlos Cuevas, precision weapons team lead, program manager, Product Group 13 (infantry weapons), Marine Corps Systems Command, Headquarters Marine Corps in Quantico, Va....

In this war, snipers matter in close-quarters urban fights. So does penetrating power. Accurate ranged lethality is equally important for squads in open areas, where engagement distances can easily make 5.56mm rounds ineffective. Bolt-action sniper rifles solve these problems, but can get your best people killed in close-up automatic firefights. Semi-automatic weapons have traditionally been less reliable and accurate, but offer the only reasonable approach that covers both extremes. The result has been the emergence of a hybrid approach, on both a people level and a technical level. On the human end, militaries like the Americans and British are adopting...