Welcome to BBC Sky at Night Magazine - skyatnightmagazine

A sense of wonder: from a dark-sky site a wealth of deep-sky objects can be seen even with the naked eye, including the Milky Way, Orion Nebula and star clusters such as the Pleiades and Hyades. Credit: Mixetto/iStock/Getty Images

Deep-sky astronomy: a beginner’s guide

A garden observatory or not? That is the question…

Patrick Moore’s top 5 autumn galaxies

Slooh's Chile setup. Credit: Slooh Observatory

Armchair astrophotography: how to use a remote telescope

Latest articles

Stargazing for beginners

New to astronomy? Get started with our newcomers' guides.

If you're a planetary imager, make sure your laptop and software are ready for a new season of astronomy. Credit: Steve Marsh

Autumn astronomy The best targets for longer nights

Slooh's Chile setup. Credit: Slooh Observatory

Armchair astrophotography: how to use a remote telescope

The Small Magellanic Cloud is one of the Milky Way's closest neighbours. While its visible to the naked eye, Hubble is able to show its beauty fully. Credit: NASA, ESA, CXC and the University of Potsdam, JPL-Caltech, and STScI

Astronomy field of view calculator

Read more beginners' guides

Space science

Do spiral protoplanetary discs mean exoplanets in orbit?

Chris Lintott

Sir Patrick Moore pictured at Birr Castle with the device used by the fourth Earle to measure the surface temperature of the Moon. Patrick visited Birr for the filming of an episode of The Sky at Night, broadcast in 1967. Credit: BBC / The Sky at Night

Patrick Moore’s top 10 winter astronomy sights

What will happen when our Sun dies? This is an image of our host star captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. Credit: Solar Dynamics Observatory, NASA.

What will happen when our Sun dies?

Meteor fireballs over the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile © Wikimedia Commons

Meteor showers Everything you need to know to spot a shooting star

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Astronomy equipment reviews

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

Explore Scientific iEXOS-100 PMC-Eight equatorial mount review. Credit: BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Explore Scientific iEXOS-100 PMC-Eight equatorial mount review

The Astronomik 2-inch OIII filter. Credit: Modern Astronomy

Astronomik 2-inch OIII Visual Nebula Filter review

NightCap astrophotography app for iPhone and iPad

NightCap Camera app for iPhone/iPad review

G4-16000 MK II camera and EFW-4L 7-position filter wheel

Moravian Instruments G4-16000 MK II camera and EFW-4L 7-position filter wheel review

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William Optics Zenithstar 126 apo refractor

Astronomy guides

Making astronomy fund for children. Image: Inez Bazdar/Alamy Stock Photo, Vladans/iStock/Gettyimages

Stargazing for kids: how to inspire young astronomers

Blue illuminated tent with travelers in the mountain. Background of a pine tree silhouette and the starry summer night sky.

A guide to astronomy travel

get_started_preview

Learn astronomy in 10 easy lessons

Star magnitudes MAIN_0

How to estimate star magnitudes

Podcasts

An artist's impression of the Juno spacecraft at Jupiter. Credit: NASA

Radio Astronomy Podcast Chasing comets, Indian lunar ambitions, Juno at Jupiter

Kraftwerk performing at the Bluedot Festival 2019. Credit: Lucas Sinclair

Radio Astronomy Podcast Bluedot 2019 Festival Special

FOCUSCARD

Science Focus Podcast Why is the Moon landing still relevant 50 years on?

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Astrophotography

Guides and galleries to help you get imaging the night sky

Taking the time to carefully compose your astro images will help you create something both scientifically interesting and artistic. YouraPechkin / Getty Images

Astrophotography

Colouring the cosmos: how to create artistic astrophotos

Lange and Foster's image of Duck Lake on the John Muir Trail. Shots like these will be captured along the way as the pair take on one of the world's most famous hikes. (Copyright Dark Sky Photography)

Astrophotography

Capturing the stars on the John Muir Trail

This image of the Andromeda Galaxy, M31, shows you the quality and detail that can be achieved with a CMOS camera. Credit Gary Palmer

Astrophotography guides

A guide to CMOS deep-sky astrophotography

Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and Venus imaged through Dobsonian scopes. Credit: Martin Lewis

Astrophotography guides

Imaging planets with a Dobsonian telescope

Beautiful track star image during a night in Tuscany. Trajectories of aircraft and shooting stars in the sky. Long exposure for trails of stars.

Astrophotography

A beginner’s guide to astrophotography

Luke Hayes captured this shot of the Perseid meteor shower from the Dengie peninsula in Essex. Luke used a Canon EOS 5D DSLR camera with a Canon 8-15mm lens. Image Credit: Luke Hayes

Astrophotography

How to photograph the Perseid meteor shower

Astrophotography galleries

Mariusz Szymaszek, Garðskagi lighthouse, Iceland, 2 February 2016. Equipment: Sony A7S camera, Samyang 14mm lens.

Astrophotography

Gallery Best readers' images of the aurora

The Rosette Nebula, William Tan, Johor Bahru, Malaysia, ZWO ASI1600MM camera, Skyrover 110ED doublet len, iOptron ZEQ25 mount.

Astrophotography

Gallery The best nebula astrophotos sent in by readers

Perseid meteor Luke Hayes, Essex, 11 August 2016. Equipment: digital camera.

Astrophotography

Gallery The Perseid meteor shower in pictures

A selection of images released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Chandra X-ray Observatory. X-ray: NASA/CXC/UMass/D. Wang et al.; Radio: SARAO/MeerKAT

Gallery Chandra X-ray Observatory marks 20th anniversary with new astro images

Owen Lowery, Newcastle upon Tyne, 9 June 2019. Equipment: Google Pixel smartphone.

Astrophotography

Noctilucent clouds images: a readers’ gallery

Planetary exploration

Get the latest news from humanity's spacefaring probes

An artist's depiction of the Juno spacecraft in orbit above Jupiter's Great Red Spot. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

What has NASA’s Juno mission discovered at Jupiter?

ESA's new Comet Interceptor mission will send a spacecraft to study a pristine comet entering the Solar System for the first time. Credit: Comet Interceptor

Interview How Comet Interceptor will encounter a pristine comet in space

An artist's concept showing NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope in front of an infrared image of the Milky Way. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Interview NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope: the legacy of a Universe in infrared

Tim Peake pictured on the ISS as part of his Principia mission. Credit: ESA/NASA

Interview Tim Peake on the future of UK and ESA spaceflight

DIY Astronomy

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

The finished smartphone finderscope. Follow our guide to make your own. Credit: Mark Parrish

Build a smartphone finderscope for your telescope

An astronomical quadrant is both fun and educational. Credit: Mark Parrish

Build your own astronomical quadrant

Sundial HEADER

Make your own portable sundial