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Mercury and Venus will be good planetary targets to observe during May 2021. Credit: Pete Lawrence. during May

Observing guide How to see the planets, May 2021

How do astronomers name stars?

How do we measure distance in space?

Zeta Reticuli (left), the constellation Reticulum and the Large Magellanic Cloud, captured in 2013 by Pete Lawrence from Paranal, Chile. Credit: Pete Lawrence / BBC Sky at Night Magazine.

Astronomy explained The Zeta Reticuli double star

A model of the Millenium Falcon starship on display at The Star Wars Identities exhibition, 29 January 2021 in Singapore. Credit: Suhaimi Abdullah / Getty Images

How realistic are Star Wars planets?

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.

Opticron Oregon WA 10x50 binoculars

Binoculars for astronomy

Opticron Oregon WA 10×50 binoculars review

Vixen Atera H12x30 binoculars review

Binoculars for astronomy

Vixen Atera H12x30 stabilised binoculars review

Altair 72mm EDF Deluxe refractor telescope review.

Altair 72mm EDF Deluxe refractor

Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i Pro Pack camera tracking mount review

Telescope mounts

Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i Pro Pack camera tracking mount review

Altair Hypercam 26C APS-C colour 16-bit camera review

Altair Hypercam 26C APS-C colour 16-bit camera

Atik ACIS 7.1 CMOS mono camera review

Atik ACIS 7.1 CMOS mono camera

Read more equipment reviews

Podcasts

Andy Weird, author of Project Hail Mary. Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

Radio Astronomy Podcast Interview with sci-fi author Andy Weir

BBC Sky at Night Magazine Star Diary podcast.

Star Diary Podcast

Star Diary Podcast What's in the night sky, May 2021

Chanda Prescod Weinstein

Radio Astronomy Podcast Disordered Cosmos, with Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

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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

How to use a DSLR camera. Credit: Gajus / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Astrophotography

Astrophotography guide How to use a DSLR camera

Mount your DSLR on a star tracker for longer exposures that enable you to follow the stars. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Using a star tracker DSLR mount for astrophotography

how to clean your DSLR sensor. Credit: Ian Evenden

How to clean a DSLR camera

Prevent your camera lens from fogging up by making your own dew heater. Credit: Mary McIntyre.

DIY Astronomy Make a camera lens dew heater

Astrophotography a beginner's guide. Credit: Bento Fotography / Getty Images

Astrophotography

Astrophotography A beginner's guide

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

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

The Homunculus Nebula Hubble Space Telescope, 1 July 2019

Astrophotography

Gallery The top space images released in 2019

Spaceflight

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

Michael Collins' official Apollo 11 portrait. Credit: NASA

Former Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins dies aged 90

Stephen Walker Yuri Gagarin lecture BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Webinar Yuri Gagarin - the untold story

Ingenuity looks down at its own shadow

NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter makes first powered flight from Mars

The Parker Solar Probe is one of many spacecraft studying the Sun. Credit: NASA, Johns Hopkins APL, Steve Gribben

Solar missions: How scientists study the Sun

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

How to make a sundial

How to make a sundial

Create a model solar and lunar eclipse for a school science project. Credit: Mary McIntrye

How to make an eclipse model

How to make a mobile Solar System for a child's bedroom. Step 7

Make a Solar System mobile for kids

More DIY astronomy projects