Welcome to BBC Sky at Night Magazine - skyatnightmagazine

24 July 1969. The command module is lowered onto the deck of the USS Hornet to be prepared for transport back to the Lunar Receiving Laboratory in Houston. At the top are the three air sacks that inflated to right the module when it came to rest upside-down after splashdown. Credit: NASA

In pictures Apollo 11's return to Earth, 24 July 1969

Apollo Moon rocks could reveal the history of our Sun

NASA’s Dragonfly to explore Saturn’s moon Titan

Samples collected from rocky areas of the Apollo 11 landing site like this laid the basis for much of what we know about the Moon. Credit: NASA

What have the Apollo 11 lunar samples taught us about the Moon?

Latest articles

One giant leap: 50 years since the Apollo 11 Moon landing

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin practise taking photos of a lunar sample area. Credit: NASA

10 facts about the Apollo Moon landing missions

A view of the Apollo 11 landing sites in Mare Tranquillitatis. Credit: Pete Lawrence

How to find Apollo 11’s landing site on the Moon

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Science Focus Ladies who launch: the women behind the Apollo Program

Neil Armstrong prepares for Apollo 11 liftoff, 16 July 1969. Credit: NASA

Remembering Neil Armstrong, by Patrick Moore

Read more about Apollo 11

Stargazing for beginners

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

Astrocamp in the Brecon Beacons is an event run by passionate astronomers, located under some of the best dark skies in the UK Credit: Jamie Carter

Star parties: a guide to attending an astronomy event

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Things new stargazers should know

Close up of eyepiece of telescope with man's hand. Telescope tuning

Eyepieces: the basics

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Astronomy equipment reviews

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

Revelation Visual Colour Filter Set. Credit: Kerin Smith, Telescope House

Revelation Visual Colour Filter Set

SW-9x50-Erect-Finder

Skywatcher 9×50 Right-Angled Erecting Finderscope

Opening Screen

Knightware Deep-Sky Planner Mobile Edition

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Vixen FL55SS fluorite apo refractor

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ZWO ASIair smart Wi-Fi ASI120MM Mini camera and 30F4 Mini guidescope review

Space science

Professor Brian Cox on location at Stegastein, overlooking Aurlandsfjorden in Norway. Although today Venus is hot and hostile, this has not always been the case. Before our neighbouring planet was gripped by an extreme green house effect, there was water. Much like there is on Earth today. Credit: BBC

The secrets behind The Planets’ special effects

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

The Milky Way can be seen from Earth with the naked eye, but only under dark skies away from light pollution. This image was captured by John Colismo from Chile's Atacama Desert. Credit: John Colosimo (colosimophotography.com)/ESO

What is the Milky Way?

A Hubble Space Telescope image of Comet (C/2012 S1) ISON photographed on 10 April 2013 when the comet was 635 million km from Earth.
Credit: NASA/ESA/STScI/AURA

A guide to comets

Astronomy guides

Astronomy camping during Salisbury Star Party, August 2010. Credit: Jon Hicks

What to bring on an astronomy camping trip

The familiar near side of the Moon, forever turned towards us. Image Credit: NASA

Tidal locking and the lunar cycle

The Orion constellation: differences in colour give a very subtle hint as to how stars can be vastly different. Credit: Zdeněk Bardon/ESO

A guide to stellar spectral classifications

Recording-variable-stars

Estimate the brightness of variable stars

Podcasts

Lunar Module pilot James B Irwin gives a military salute during at the Hadley-Apennine landing site, on the Apollo 15 mission. The Lunar Module 'Falcon' is in the centre of the image and on the right is the Lunar Roving Vehicle. Credit: NASA

Radio Astronomy Podcast Talking Apollo moonwalkers with author Andrew Smith

An artist's impression showing the orbital path of asteroid 2014 JO25. Credit: NASA

Radio Astronomy Podcast Marsquakes, asteroid impacts, secrets of the Solar System

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Radio Astronomy Podcast Lunar eclipses, 2019 space missions and green stars

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Astrophotography

Guides and galleries to help you get imaging the night sky

While equatorial mounts will help you take crisp nightscape images, star trails can be used to add a unique effect to astrophotos. Chap Him Wong won the 'People and Space' category in the 2015 competition with this amazing shot. Credit: Chap Him Wong

How to create star trail astrophotos

Noctilucent clouds. Credit: Adrien Mauduit

Astrophotography

How to capture and process images of noctilucent clouds

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Astrophotography

How to photograph the night sky

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Astrophotography guides

A guide to astrophotography stacking

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

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Astrophotography

How to photograph the Perseids

Astrophotography galleries

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

Astrophotography

Noctilucent clouds images: a readers’ gallery

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

Astrophotography

Beautiful images of the aurora

Dave Walker

Nashville, Tennessee

Equipment: Canon EOS 600D DSLR camera, Skywatcher Star Adventurer, Canon 100-400 IS lens.

In pictures: the 21 August 2017 total solar eclipse

$Andromeda Galaxy, Charles Thody, Pembrokeshire, 8 September 2015. Equipment: Modified Canon EOS 40D DSLR camera, Sky-Watcher Equinox-80 ED apo refractor, Sky-Watcher NEQ6 PRO SynScan mount.$

Readers’ images: top galaxy astrophotos

Star trails at La Silla
Zdenek Bardon, La Silla Observatory, Chile, 14 March 2018
Equipment: Nikon D810A DSLR camera, Zeiss Milvus 2.8/18 lens.

Astrophotography

Hotshots: top readers’ images of 2018

Planetary exploration

Get the latest news from humanity's spacefaring probes

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NASA’s InSight to study Mars interior

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Wendy Stenzel

How the Kepler space telescope came to be

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How will humans get to Mars?

Fresh fruit: enough to put a smile on the face of any astronaut. Here, British astronaut Tim Peake demonstrates how easy juggling is in a weightless environment. Credit: ESA/NASA

What do astronauts eat in space?

In the magazine

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March 2019

February 2019

Inside this month’s new-look issue:

November 2018

November 2018

October 2018

October 2018