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The top images from the Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2020 competition will be on display at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. Credit: National Maritime Museum, London

IIAPY The world's biggest astrophotography competition opens for entries

What causes the different shapes and colours of the aurora?

Saturn’s moon Enceladus: interior could be more complex than initially thought

The Moon’s limb, imaged by the Apollo 10 astronauts in 1969. The largest crater in the picture, upper right, is called Keeler. From features like its terraced walls, scientists have deduced a violent history of meteorite impacts. Credit: NASA/ISC

A complete guide to the Moon

A Venus Moon captured on 26 February 2014. Credit: Mary McIntyre

20 night-sky objects to observe in 2020

Latest articles

Stargazing for beginners

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

Stellina smart telescope. Credit: BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Stellina smart telescope: a good option for beginners?

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

The positions of Venus and Mercury from 1–19 February. Bright Mercury is particularly well placed for observing at the start of the month when it is mag. –0.9. Credit: Pete Lawrence

A guide to viewing the planets throughout February 2020

Read more beginners' guides

Space science

Was Itokawa formed by a sub-catastrophic collision? Credit: JAXA

How do binary asteroids form?

NASA’s MESSENGER mission monitored Mercury’s magnetic fields, revealing they flowed down (blue) and up (red). Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

Understanding Mercury’s magnetic poles

An image of Venus created using data from NASA's Magellan spacecraft and Pioneer Venus Orbiter. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Facts about the planet Venus

A false-colour image showing aurorae hovering over Saturn’s south polar region. Credit: VIMS Team, U. Arizona, U. Leicester, JPL, ASI, NASA

What do aurorae look like on other planets?

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Astronomy equipment reviews

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

Stellina smart telescope. Credit: BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Stellina Observation Station review

Vixen Mobile Porta Altazimuth Mount. Credit: Opticron

Vixen Mobile Porta Altazimuth Mount

STC Astro Duo Narrowband 2-inch filter

STC Astro Duo Narrowband 2-inch filter review

QHYCCD QHY 168C CMOS colour camera. Credit: BBC Sky at Night Magazine

QHYCCD QHY 168C CMOS colour camera review

Celestron SkyMaster Pro 20x80 binocular

Celestron SkyMaster Pro 20×80 binoculars and 10Micron BM100 Leonardo mount review

Meade 126 Barlow lens

Meade #126 Barlow lens review

Read more equipment reviews

Astronomy guides

Aurora Over Teepees, Yellowknife. Credit: iStock/ Getty Images

A traveller’s guide to aurora hunting

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

Slooh's Chile setup. Credit: Slooh Observatory

Armchair astrophotography: how to use a remote telescope

Good preparation will help you get the most out the darker autumn and winter nights. Credit: Astrobobo/iStock/GettyImages

The astronomy season returns: how to prepare for darker nights

Podcasts

Friends stargazing. Credit: EvgeniyShkolenko / Getty

Radio Astronomy Podcast Biggest stories of 2019 and top tips for stargazing beginners

An artist's impression of ESA's Solar Orbiter. Credit: ESA

Radio Astronomy Podcast 2020 space missions and the latest from the Giant Magellan Telescope

Jim-Al-Khalili

Radio Astronomy Podcast Jim Al-Khalili, OSIRIS REx, IIAPY 2019, tardigrades on the Moon

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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 PixInsight to enhance the brightness of a galaxy image without affecting the stars. Credit: Steve Richards

Astrophoto guides

Image processing Use PixInsight to enhance a galaxy's brightness without affecting stars

Like Jupiter, Saturn’s atmosphere shows numerous belts and zones. Recording variations in their intensity and colour will make valuable contributions to science. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Astrophoto guides

Imaging for science How to photograph Saturn

The Grace of Venus © Martin Lewis

Astrophoto guides

Imaging for science How to photograph Mercury and Venus

The Google Pixel 4 smartphone. How does it hold up as an astrophotography camera? Credit: Google

Astrophotography with Google Pixel 4’s Night Sight mode: is it worth it?

Processing raw space mission data

Astrophoto guides

How to process images from raw space mission data

Astrophotography galleries

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

Gallery 21 incredible Hubble Space Telescope images of the past decade

The Homunculus Nebula Hubble Space Telescope, 1 July 2019

Astrophotography

Gallery The top space images released in 2019

Into the Shadow László Francsics, Budapest, Hungary, 21 January 2019. Category: Our Moon (overall winner). Equipment: Sony Alpha 99 camera, 250mm Newtonian, Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro mount.

Astrophotography

IIAPY 2019 winners revealed

A dragon and the witch’s hat Craig McDearmid, Kirkjufell Mountain, Iceland, 7 December 2018. Equipment: Sony a7S digital camera, Samyang 14mm lens, tripod

Astrophotography

Gallery Best readers' astrophotos of 2019

Neil Allen, Norwich. Equipment: iPhone 8, Sky-Watcher Equinox 80 refractor, TS Optics Herschel wedge.

Gallery Transit of Mercury, 11 November 2019

Lunar Wall Mosaic
Created by the Air Force Aeronautical Chart and Information Center, in the heart of the Space Race, The Lunar Wall Mosaic is a map compiled from thousands of lunar photographs. Detailed maps like this were crucial to the success of projects like Apollo 11.

The Mapping of the Moon

Spaceflight

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

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

The Juno mission at Jupiter: a planetary scientist’s perspective

An artist's impression of Venus Express in orbit at Venus. Credit: ESA–C. Carreau

What did the Venus Express mission discover at Venus?

Lift off! Credit: Matt Crookes

Go for launch: attending a rocket lift-off at Kennedy Space Center

Buzz Aldrin sporting a t-shirt promoting exploration of Mars, 12 November 2015 in Geneva. Credit: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images

Buzz Aldrin at 90: an interview with the Apollo 11 astronaut

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

Abigail_Fraeman_NASA

Roving robots on Mars: interview with a NASA Opportunity scientist

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 hold your binoculars steady during long observing sessions. Credit: Steve Tonkin

How to hold your binoculars steady

The sensor of a DSLR camera is tucked behind the reflex mirror – as such, the camera has to be switched on while you clean it. Credit: Ian Evenden

How to clean your DSLR camera sensor

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

Build a smartphone finderscope for your telescope

More DIY astronomy projects