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How to see the planets in the night sky March 2021. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Observing guide How to see the planets throughout March 2021

Astrophotography Which camera should you buy?

European Space Agency calls for new astronaut applicants

Vesta begins March east of the star Chertan (Theta θ Leonis) and tracks northwest, reaching its brightest at opposition on 4 March in the constellation of Leo, the Lion. Credit: BBC Sky at Night Magazine

See asteroid Vesta at opposition in the night sky

Will we ever find life beyond Earth? Credit: Karen Teramura, UH LfA

Will we ever find life beyond Earth?

What's new?

New to astronomy?

Our simple guides will help you make the most of your time under the stars

What to see in the night sky in 2021. Credit: Christianto Soning / EyeEm / Getty Images

Stargazing 2021 What to see in the night sky this year

Friends stargazing. Credit: EvgeniyShkolenko / Getty

Observing guide How to see the planets in 2021

The Moon may always keep the same face turned to us, but the terminator makes sure that face keeps changing. Image Credit: iStock

Why does the Moon have phases?

Man looking at the stars with telescope beside him. Credit: iStock

How to choose your first telescope

More beginners' guides

Buyers' guides

Our pick of the best astronomy equipment

Best telescope mounts

Best telescope mounts

Celestron Omni XLT AZ 102 Refractor/basic mount

Best beginners' telescopes

Explore Scientific professional weather centre

Top astronomy accessories

The best telescopes for kids and young astronomers. Credit: BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Best telescopes for kids

Binoculars are a great way for newcomers to get into astronomy. Credit: lucentius / Getty Images

Best binoculars for astronomy

Best portable telescopes for astronomy travel. Credit: Anton Petrus / Getty Images

Top travel telescopes

More buyers' guides

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Astronomy guides

Celestron Omni XLT AZ 102 Refractor/basic mount

Astronomy FAQs I'm buying my first telescope. Should I get a reflector or a refractor?

Asterisms (shown in red) can cross constellations, which are in fact regions of sky, not just the main patterns. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Constellations and asterisms: what’s the difference?

Sundogs. Credit: Science Photo Library

Daytime astronomy 6 phenomena to spot before nightfall

Get to a good, dark location away from light pollution and you will see so many more stars. Credit: Carlos Fernandez

12 top tips for stargazing

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Astronomy equipment reviews

The latest telescopes, cameras, binoculars, mounts and accessories tried and tested.

Atik ACIS 7.1 CMOS mono camera review

Atik ACIS 7.1 CMOS mono camera

Sky-Watcher Star Discovery P150i Wi-Fi telescope

Sky-Watcher Star Discovery P150i Wi-Fi telescope review

Bresser StarTracker Astronomical Photo Mount review

Telescope mounts

Bresser StarTracker Astronomical Photo Mount Kit review

William Optics Zenithstar 61 II APO with UniGuide guidescope review

William Optics Zenithstar 61 II APO with UniGuide guidescope review

Sky-Watcher StarQuest 130P Newtonian reflector

Sky-Watcher StarQuest 130P Newtonian reflector review

ZWO ASI 1600GT M camera review

ZWO ASI 1600GT M camera review

Read more equipment reviews

Podcasts

Star Diary astronomy podcast. Find out what's in the night sky, March 2021

Star Diary Podcast

Star Diary Podcast: What’s in the night sky, March 2021

Listen to an episode of the Radio Astronomy podcast in which NASA's Jamie Bock discusses the SPHEREx mission.

Radio Astronomy Podcast How SPHEREx will track the history of the Universe

An artist's impression showing OSIRIS-REx performing a gravity assist around Earth on its way to asteroid Bennu. Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

Radio Astronomy Podcast OSIRIS-Rex and the asteroid belt

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Astrophotography

Guides and galleries to help you get imaging the night sky

Credit: abriendomundo / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Astrophotography

Astrophotography All you need to know to image the night sky

Capture a motion composite astrophoto showing an object moving across the night sky. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Astrophotography guides

Create a composite astrophoto showing a night-sky object in motion

A star trail image captured by Chap Him Wong that won the 'People and Space' category in the 2015 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. Credit: Chap Him Wong

How to Photograph star trails

How to photograph a crescent Moon. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Astrophotography guides

How to photograph a crescent Moon

how to photograph the Moon. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Astrophotography guides

How to photograph the Moon

Complex regions such as the area around the crater Theophilus make excellent imaging targets. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Astrophotography guides

How to photograph craters on the Moon

Astrophotography galleries

Northern Dragon's Eye Elena Pakhalyuk (Ukraine). Category: Aurora. Equipment Canon EOS 6D camera, 14 mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 30-second exposure.

Gallery Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2020 shortlist images revealed

Jason Durrant, near Beccles, Suffolk, UK, 11 July 2020. Equipment: Sony A7III, Tamron 28-70mm lens, ISO 3200, 5

Gallery Comet NEOWISE blazes across the night sky

Hubble has helped to define the shape of the Ring Nebula, revealing it to be doughnut shaped, with lower density material at its core. Credit: Credits: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration

Gallery Hubble highlights: 16 of the space telescope's most iconic images

Graeme Whippy, Essex, UK. Equipment: Nikon D5300 DSLR camera, 55-300mm lens.

Astrophotography

Gallery The 7-8 April Supermoon, in pictures

Soviet Space Graphics

Gallery 10 iconic Soviet space posters of the Cold War era

Veil Nebula 24 September 2015. A small section of the outer shell of the Veil Nebula, the remnant of a star’s violent death 8,000 years ago. Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team

Hubble at 30 21 incredible images of the past decade

Spaceflight

Celebrating the latest missions and the history of humanity's journey into space

The first hi-res colour image of the surface of Mars sent back by the Hazard Camera after Perseverance's landing on 18 February 2021. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Perseverance rover’s first Mars images released by NASA

Still from a video showing the landing of Perseverance rover on the surface of Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA releases video, audio of Perseverance landing on Mars

BBC Sky at Night Magazine virtual lecture: Robots Roaming Alien Worlds

Webinar Robots Roaming Alien Worlds

Artist's impression of NASA's Perseverance rover on the surface of Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Perseverance NASA's Perseverance rover lands safely on Mars

Buzz Aldrin pictured on the surface of the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Credit: NASA

Apollo 11 the journey to land on the Moon

Carey Lisse, an instrument scientist on the New Horizons science team reacts after the team received confirmation from the spacecraft that it has completed the flyby of Pluto, Tuesday, July 14, 2015 at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Interview New Horizons' Kuiper Belt encounter

Dr Abigail Fraeman, deputy project scientist of the Opportunity rover mission, pictured with a model of NASA's Curiosity rover. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Roving robots on Mars: interview with a NASA Opportunity scientist

Artist's impression of the Kepler space telescope Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Wendy Stenzel

How the Kepler space telescope came to be

DIY astronomy

Read our practical guides to get the most out of your observing sessions

Make your own Galileo telescope replica

DIY Astronomy Build a Galilean telescope

How to create a time lapse video. Credit: Steve Brown

How to shoot a time-lapse video of the stars

How to make your own red light torch. Credit: Mark Parrish

DIY Astronomy How to make a red light torch

More DIY astronomy projects