Pete Lawrence

Astronomer and presenter

Pete Lawrence is an experienced astronomer and astrophotographer, and a presenter on BBC's The Sky at Night.

Recent articles by Pete Lawrence

A sequence of close-ups of an NLC rift structure. Subtle changes in the clouds look dramatic once animated and speeded up. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Astrophotography guides

How to photograph and record the motion of noctilucent clouds

NGC 6210, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: Credit: Robert Rubin and Christopher Ortiz (NASA/ESA Ames Research Center), Patrick Harrington and Nancy Jo Lame (University of Maryland), Reginald Dufour (Rice University), and NASA/ESA

6 planetary nebulae to spot in the summer

What to see in the night sky tonight. Credit: Carlos Fernandez / Getty Images

Stargazing What to see in the night sky this month

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?

Mars passing across the Beehive Cluster in October 2011, imaged through a f/3.3 reflector. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Astrophotography guides

See and photograph Mars meeting the Beehive star cluster

The lumps, bumps, rilles and ancient craters of Crater Gutenberg are particularly rich to examine when the Sun is low

A guide to the Moon’s crater Gutenberg

Chart showing the location of star Diadem.

Can you spot star Diadem, a trinket in a queen’s hair?

Illustration showing the lunar occultation of Jupiter on 17 May 2023. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Jupiter occultation See the gas giant disappear behind the Moon this week

Lunar occultation Jupiter 17 May 2023

Astrophotography guides

How to photograph (and see) this week’s lunar occultation of Jupiter

Phases of Venus by Pete Lawrence

Observe Venus’s phases as the planet approaches 50% illumination

The Plough, or Big Dipper star pattern.. Credit: Myshkovsky / Getty Images

Can you find these 6 deep-sky objects in the Plough?

An image of the Moon at night, with an identical 'ghost' Moon appearing off to one side. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Astrophotography

Seeing a ‘ghost’ Moon in your images? Here’s why, and how to fix it

Venus and Jupiter James Robertson, Croydon, 2 March 2023 Equipment: Canon 750D, Zuiko Olympus 75-150mm zoom lens, photo tripod

Venus Catch the brilliant evening star before it fades from our skies

Trails of the Lyrid Meteor Shower. Credit: Adventure Photo / Getty Images

Lyrid meteor shower 2023 See the springtime meteor shower peak this week

Starting on 15 April, track the discrepancy between mean and apparent solar times by marking where a gnomon’s shadow falls at the same time each day.

Use a sundial to measure the equation of time