Iain Todd

Science journalist

Iain Todd is BBC Sky at Night Magazine's Content Editor. He fell in love with the night sky when he caught his first glimpse of Orion, aged 10.

Recent articles by Iain Todd

Three wise men pointing at the Star of Bethlehem. Credit: Star of Bethlehem. Credit: AlonzoDesign / Getty Images

Astronomers may finally have worked out what the Star of Bethlehem was, and why it behaved so strangely in the sky

$The Cone Nebula and Christmas Tree Cluster, by Bill Lowry, Chiddingstone Hoath, Kent, UK, 2–4 January and 26 March 2025. Equipment: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro camera, William Optics GT-81 IV refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro mount. Exposure: Ha 10x 1,200”, OIII 21x 1,200”, SII 14x 1,200”, LRGB 40x 30” each, total 13h 20’. Software: PixInsight$

A photographer has captured a Christmas tree-shaped star cluster from his back garden. Here's how he did it

BBC Sky at Night Magazine January 2026 issue

Magazine

Image of comet 3I/ATLAS in x-ray light, as seen by the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton spacecraft. Credit: ESA/XMM-Newton/C. Lisse, S. Cabot & the XMM ISO Team

This is what 3I/ATLAS looks like in x-ray light. Interstellar comet glows as its gases smash into solar wind

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