Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel guide us through this month’s night-sky highlights
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Interview: SPHEREx
NASA scientist Jamie Bock discusses a new mission that will track the history and evolution of the Universe.
DIY Astronomy
Download extra images and a diagram to help you with this month’s DIY Astronomy project. If you are having trouble downloading the zip from the link below, right-click on the link and then select ‘open in new tab’.
Download this month’s binocular and deep-sky tour charts. The charts are printed in black on white so they can be viewed under red light at your telescope.
Record your observations of Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus and the Sun with our handy printable forms.
If you observe the Sun, remember NEVER to look at it with your naked eye; either project it through your telescope or use a solar filter on your telescope’s front lens.
The Horsehead Nebula 
Terry Hancock, Colorado, USA, 26–29 September, 24–26 November 2020 Equipment: QHY600 mono camera, Takahashi FSQ-130 apo refractor, Paramount ME mount
The Rosette Nebula Martin Bracken, Chelmsford, 27 December 2020 Equipment:Â ZWO ASI 294MC Pro colour camera, Sky-Watcher Esprit 100ED apo triplet refractor, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro mount
The Wizard Nebula, NGC 7380 Rachael & Jonathan Wood, Doncaster, 30 July & 19 August 2020 Equipment: ZWO ASI 294MC Pro camera, Sky-Watcher Evostar ED80 refractor, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro mount
M51 The Whirlpool Galaxy Andy McGregor, Inverarnie, Inverness, April 2020 Equipment: Fuji X-T3 mirrorless camera, William Optics Zenithstar 103 apo refractor, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 mount
The Moon Damian Martin, Coalville, Leicestershire, 29 December 2020 Equipment: Altair GPCAM3 178C camera, Meade LX85 8-inch ACF and mount
The gas giants setting Dave Frost, Matlock, Derbyshire, 20 December 2020 Equipment: Canon M5 mirrorless camera, Canon 100mm f2.8 lens, Manfrotto tripod
The Pleiades M45 Mike Read, Corsley, Wiltshire, 13Â December 2020 Equipment: ZWO ASI 533MC camera, Sky-Watcher Esprit 100ED apo triplet refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R mount
The Andromeda Galaxy Niall Donovan, Manchester, 24 September 2020 Equipment: Atik 16200 mono camera, Celestron NexStar 8SE
Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn Jeffrey O. Johnson, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA, 20 December 2020 Equipment: Canon T3i DSLR, Takahashi TOA-130NFB triplet refractor, Takahashi EM200 mount
Winter halo Tom Wildoner, Pennsylvia, USA, 29 December 2020 Equipment: Canon 6D DSLR, Canon EF 17–40mm f4 USM lens
The Horsehead Nebula Ian Phillips, Weston super Mare, 25-26 November 2020 Equipment: ZWO ASI 533MC Pro camera, Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED refractor, Sky-Watcher EQM-35 mount
Star trails Adam Jeffers, Cookstown, Northern Ireland, August 2020 Equipment: Nikon D800E DSLR, Nikon 28–80mm lens, static tripod
The Horsehead Nebula Chris Platkiw, Derbyshire, 25 November & 17 December 2020 Equipment: ZWO ASI 183mm Pro camera, Altair 72EDR refractor, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro mount
Green Comet C/2020 M3 Atlas visits colourful Auriga  Terry Hancock and Tom Masterson, Colorado, USA, 9 December 2020 Equipment: QHYCCD QHY410C camera, Takahashi Epsilon 180ED astrograph, Paramount GT1100S mount
The California Nebula Alessio Vaccaro, Palermo, Italy, 15 December 2020 Equipment: Canon 60D DSLR, TS 80mm apo refractor, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 mount
Orion, Geminids, fireball, airglow and Etna erupting Dario Giannobile, Lago Gurrida, Sicily, 14/15 December 2020 Equipment: Canon 6D DSLR, Sigma 14mm lens.
The Sun on Christmas Day Amit Sharma, London, 25 December 2020 Equipment: Altair Hypercam 174M camera, Sky-Watcher Startravel 102 refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ5 Pro mount
ACO 2197 galaxy cluster Vasilis Misirlis, Parnon Mountain, Greece, May 2020 Equipment: QHY183M camera, Celestron ED80 apo refractor, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro mount
Eye On The Sky
Chaotic magnetic fields in the Whirlpool Galaxy, M51Â HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE/SOFIA, 14 JANUARY 2021 IMAGE CREDIT: NASA, the SOFIA science team, A. Borlaff; NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI) and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Supernova remnant E0102 HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE, 15 JANUARY 2021 IMAGE CREDIT: NASA, ESA, and J. Banovetz and D. Milisavljevic (Purdue University)
Black holes as three galaxies collide CHANDRA X-RAY OBSERVATORY/HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE, 14 JANUARY 2021 Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Michigan/A. Foord et al.; Optical: SDSS & NASA/STScI
Blazar galaxy PSO J0309+27 in Aries VERY LONG BASELINE ARRAY, 22 DECEMBER 2020 CREDIT: Spingola et al.; Bill Saxton, NRAO/AUI/NSF.
Direct image of brown dwarf HD 33632 Ab SUBARU TELESCOPE, 18 DECEMBER 2020 CREDIT: T. Currie, NAOJ/NASA-Ames
Nuclear ring at the centre of NGC 1097 VERY LARGE TELESCOPE, 11 JANUARY 2021 CREDIT: ESO/TIMER survey
Long exposure of spiral galaxy NGC 1003 NICHOLAS U MAYALL 4-METRE TELESCOPE, KITT PEAK NATIONAL OBSERVATORY, 5 JANUARY 2021 CREDIT: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
