Skills

Dunkery Beacon in Exmoor National Park is one of many places in the UK where beautiful vistas of the night sky can be seen. Credit: Keith Trueman

12 of the best places to stargaze in the UK

The solar corona visible during the total solar eclipse on 2 July, 2019, captured from ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. Totality will strike again in 2020. Credit: P. Horálek/ESO

2020 solar and lunar eclipses: an eclipse-chaser’s guide

The final shot of M33, stacked from 13 two-minute exposures, after post-processing. Credit: Dave Eagle

Astrophoto guides

Image processing How to use DeepSkyStacker for astrophotography

An image of Venus captured by the Venus Express spacecraft.

Observing guide The best planets to see in November 2019

The Veil Nebula, Thomas Henne / CCDGuide.com

Observing guide The best supernova remnants to see in November's night skies

Clouds can be the bane of amateur astronomers' lives. But how can you tell when good stargazing conditions are approaching? Credit: UniversalImagesGroup / Contributor / Getty Images

Astronomy weather forecasts: predicting the weather for stargazing

An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon's shadow cone doesn't quite reach Earth's surface. Credit: Bairi from Pixabay.com https://pixabay.com/illustrations/annular-solar-eclipse-eclipse-2003461

How to see the ‘ring of fire’ annular solar eclipse this Christmas

Friends stargazing. Credit: EvgeniyShkolenko / Getty

Observing guide How to see the planets in 2020

The glare of light pollution can be a menace for amateur astronomers. Credit: Steve Marsh

What can we do about light pollution?

A focal length of 1,000mm (or above) is needed to define Mercury against the Sun’s disc. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Astrophoto guides

How to photograph the transit of Mercury

Mercury passing in front of the Sun captured in 2006 by the Solar Optical Telescope. Credit: Hinode JAXA/NASA/PPARC

Transit of Mercury, 11 November 2019: what it is and how to see it

An image of the Sun that looks strikingly like a Halloween jack o lantern. This image was captured by NASA's SDO probe. Credit: NASA/SDO

Halloween Astronomy How to plan a spooky stargazing session

Globular clusters don’t suffer so much from lunar glare; all data for this image of M56 was captured during a full Moon. Credit: Sara Wager

Astrophoto guides

Image processing Astrophotography during a full Moon

With traditional monochrome RGB imaging you have about three minutes to take videos for all three colours, which just gives time for one red image (left); the WinJupos Image Derotate facility increases that time period. The combined image on the right was made from four red videos captured over a 15-minute period and gives a much smoother and more detailed result. Credit: Martin Lewis

Astrophoto guides

Image processing Use WinJupos to derotate your planetary images

Croatia’s Petrova gora-Biljeg is home to a war monument that’s become a mecca for astronomers and astrophotographers. Credit: Boris Stromar

The best places in eastern Europe for stargazing