Astronomy for beginners

Are you new to astronomy? Our beginners’ guides are filled with hints and tips to help you get started in observing the night sky.

What to see in the night sky in 2021. Credit: Christianto Soning / EyeEm / Getty Images

Stargazing 2022 What to see in the night sky this year

Eyepieces a beginner's guide

A guide to telescope eyepieces

The radiant is the point from which a meteor shower appears to originate, as seen from Earth. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Meteor showers How to observe and record shooting stars

Celestron Omni XLT AZ 102 Refractor/basic mount

Best beginners' telescopes

Finderscopes

Astronomy explained Finderscopes

Binoculars are a great way for newcomers to get into astronomy. Credit: lucentius / Getty Images

Best binoculars for astronomy

A Quadrantid meteor appears in the night sky along with the Milky Way and the Aurora over Banff National Park, Canada, 3 January 2009. Credit: Stocktrek Images / Getty Images

Quadrantids 2022 See the first major meteor shower of the year

Patrick Moore standing beside a telescope

How to do amateur astronomy

Photograph showing Venus as a thin crescent

Observing guide See the planets in the night sky, January 2022

Jupiter, Saturn and Venus as they will appear from the UK at 17:00 UTC on 28 December 2021. Take care when observing planets close to sunset: make sure the Sun has truly set. Credit: Stellarium

Observing Take in a Christmas planetary parade

A Geminid meteor streaks across the night sky over Saltburn-by-the-Sea, UK, 14 December 2018. Credit: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images.

Geminids 2021 Catch the year's best meteor shower

A conjunction of the moon with Venus and Jupiter, Chanthaburi, Chanthabur, Thailand, 28 November 2019. Credit: Chakarin Wattanamongkol / Getty Images

Observing guide Upcoming conjunctions and how to see them

How to see the planets December 2021

Observing guide How to see the planets, December 2021

The Orion constellation. Credit: iStock

Thanksgiving stars Spend this year's holiday with Orion

What to see in the night sky on 25 December. Credit: Allexxandar / Getty Images

Christmas Astronomy What's in the night sky on 25 December