Astronomy for beginners

Beginners guides, hints and tips to help you get started in the world of astronomy.

A starry skyscape: The Grand Canyon at night.

10 of the best places for stargazing and astronomy in the USA

Mag. -3.9 Venus appears 4.8° from a 6%-lit waxing crescent Mon on 28 December. Credit: Pete Lawrence

See Venus the ‘Evening Star’ in the night sky this month

Celestron Omni XLT AZ 102 Refractor/basic mount

10 of the best telescopes and binoculars for astronomy beginners

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

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

The Orion Nebula

A beginner’s guide to nebulae

A portable setup that's easy to transport makes observing at dark-sky sites much easier. Credit: Lucentius / iStock / Getty Images Plus

The pros of a portable astronomy setup

Get stargazing with Back Garden Astronomy Week

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

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

A good telescope combined with excellent viewing conditions away from light pollution will give you incredible views of the night sky. Credit: iStock

Amateur astronomy societies in the UK and Ireland: a guide

Astronomy dictionary © Getty Images

Astronomy Dictionary

A set of LRGB filters allows the capture of full colour images of celestial objects using a sensitive mono camera. Read our review of the Astronomik L-RGB Type 2c Colour Filter Set here. Credit: First Light Optics

An astronomer’s guide to filters

Astrocamp in the Brecon Beacons is an event run by passionate astronomers, located under some of the best dark skies in the UK Credit: Jamie Carter

Star parties: a guide to attending an astronomy event

Credit: Cheltenham Science Festival

The best UK science festivals for astronomy