Advice

Steve's final image of the Orion Nebula, after a master flat calibration and some additional processing to pull out detail in Photoshop. Credit: Steve Richards

Astrophoto guides

Image processing Using flat frames to calibrate your astrophotos

There’s no better way to familiarise yourself with the Moon than by drawing it. Credit: Deirdre Kelleghan.

How to draw the Moon

Shadows are key to lunar study; as they move, grow and fade, new aspects of familiar surface features come to the fore. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Astrophoto guides

Imaging for science How to photograph the Moon

The Moon, as seen by the Lick Observatory. Credit: Lick Observatory

Patrick Moore’s guide to observing the Moon

Aurora imaged over Inari, Finland. Credit: Yuichi Yokota / EyeEm / GettyImages

Looking for the Northern Lights: how to find the aurora by yourself

Longer nights mean more time at the telescope. Make sure you're prepared for the 2019/20 astronomy season. Credit: m-gucci/GettyImages

Astronomy guide Night-sky highlights, autumn-winter 2019-2020

The first question an amateur astronomer often asks after buying a telescope is, 'How far into the night sky can I see with my equipment?' Credit: Panther Media GMBH/Alamy Stock Photo

How far can you see into space? A deep-sky tour

As it moves away from the Sun’s glare, Venus will eventually be seen against darker skies in coming weeks. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Observing guide How to see Venus throughout September 2019

Neptune and its largest moon Triton imaged through a 356mm telescope. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Observing guide The best planets to see in September's night sky.

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

A traveller’s guide to aurora hunting

For those of us unable to see the aurorae, there’s another way to experience the effects of the solar wind on Earth’s atmopshere. Credit: Getty Images

Can’t see the aurora? You can detect it with a homemade magnetometer

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

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

Build a smartphone finderscope for your telescope

Slooh's Chile setup. Credit: Slooh Observatory

Armchair astrophotography: how to use a remote telescope

Automated-observatory-dome

A garden observatory or not? That is the question…