Welcome to BBC Sky at Night Magazine - BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Jupiter, Rouzbeh Bidshahri, Dubai, 25 July 2019 Equipment: ZWO ASI290 mono camera, Celestron C14 Schmidt-Cassegrain, Losmandy Titan mount

Observing guide Catch Jupiter at opposition

NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter

How is the UAE Hope Probe exploring Mars?

Kieron Vernon, Coventry, UK, 11 July 2020. Equipment: Sony a7III camera, Sigma 24-70mm lens, ISO 800, 20x6”.

Observing guide What comets and asteroids are in the sky tonight?

Stargazers observe the Perseid meteor shower over the Saskatchewan Summer Star Party, Canada, 10 August 2018. Credit: VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Perseids 2021 How to see this year's meteor shower

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

Save when you subscribe today!

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

Advertisement

Astronomy equipment reviews

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

Altair Starwave ASCENT 115 F7 ED triplet refractor telescope review

Altair Starwave ASCENT 115 F7 ED triplet refractor review

£1199 Price correct at time of review

Canon EOS R6 DSLR camera

Canon EOS R6 mirrorless camera review

£2599.99 Price correct at time of review

Omegon MightyMak 60 Mini Dobsonian telescope review

Omegon MightyMak 60 Mini Dobsonian telescope review

£129 Price correct at time of review

RVO Horizon 60ED Doublet refractor telescope size scale

RVO Horizon 60ED Doublet refractor

£695 Price correct at time of review

Altair Hypercam 115M Mono TEC cooled CMOS camera

Altair Hypercam 115M Mono TEC cooled CMOS camera review

£1350 Price correct at time of review

Opticron Oregon WA 10x50 binoculars

Binoculars for astronomy

Opticron Oregon WA 10×50 binoculars review

£69 Price correct at time of 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, August 2021

Particle physicist Dr Harry Cliff

Radio Astronomy Podcast How to make a Universe from scratch

Jupiter's belts and zones are what give the gas giant its stripy appearance. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill

Radio Astronomy Podcast Jupiter Special

Advertisement

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

The Moon’s Mare Crisium, captured with a GPCAM 290C, using a stack of 587 frames. Credit: Paul Money

Gallery Mare Crisium

An image of a glowing orange full Moon rising through the clouds.

Gallery Harvest Moon

Atlas and Hercules by Fernando Oliveira De Menezes, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Equipment: C11 Edge, Powermate 2.5x, ASI 290mc

Gallery Atlas and Hercules Craters

The region around the Moon's Aristillus Crater. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Gallery Aristillus Crater

Endymion Crater and Surrounding Area by Chris Dignan, Oxfordshire, UK. Equipment: Celestron EdgeHD 8

Gallery Endymion Crater

Astrophotography galleries

M20 Triffid by Dee Amos, Taken at Kitt Peak. Equipment: Kitt Peak's visitor centre's 16

Gallery Trifid Nebula

M57 Credit: André van der Hoeven, Terry Hancock, Fred Herrmann, Mike van den Berg and Mathijn Ippel, The Netherlands/USA.

Gallery Ring Nebula

Elephant's Trunk Nebula by Duan Yusef, Essex, UK.

Gallery Elephant's Trunk Nebula

NGC 281: The Pacman Nebula by Mike Garbett, Walsall, West Midlands, UK.

Gallery Pacman Nebula

M27 In another way... by Andre van der Hoeven, HI-Ambacht, The Netherlands.

Gallery Dumbbell Nebula

M8 - Lagoon Nebula by Andreas Papp, Hakos Farm, Namibia.

Gallery Lagoon Nebula

Spaceflight

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

Apollo 15 astronauts Jim Iwrin and David Scott deploy the first Lunar Roving Vehicle on the Moon. Credit: NASA

Radio Astronomy Podcast 50 years since Apollo 15

Could humans be too heavy to land on Mars? Credit: NASA

Could humans be too heavy to land on Mars?

Artist's illustration of NASA's WMAP mission mapping the Cosmic Microwave Background. Credit: NASA / WMAP Science Team

Astronomy History How WMAP mapped the early Universe

Planetary scientist Emily Lakdawalla

Radio Astronomy Podcast Emily Lakdawalla talks Mars exploration

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 scale model of the Solar System

DIY Astronomy Make a Solar System model

Space Shuttle Discovery can be seen docked to the ISS (on the left) in this stereo image from 2011. Image Credit: Thierry Legault

How to take a photo of the International Space Station

How to make a model of the Milky Way Galaxy for a school or home science project. Credit: Mary McIntyre

DIY Astronomy Make a Milky Way model

More DIY astronomy projects