Stars

The three wise men. Credit: Mlenny / Getty Images

Star of Bethlehem: did it really exist?

Messier 7 by Luis Fernando Parmegiani, São Paulo, Brazil. Equipment: GSO RC8

Gallery Open star clusters

M44 - Behive Cluster (

Gallery Beehive Cluster

Double Cluster by Jaspal, London, UK. Equipment: Takahashi FSQ85, Ioptron 45 pro, QHY9s CCD, Chroma Filters.

Gallery Perseus Double Cluster

NGC 7789 Caroline's Rose by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Teleskop service 12

Gallery Caroline's Rose Cluster

The Pleiades Stephen Tolley, Liskeard, Cornwall, 19 January 2020 Equipment: Nikon D600 DSLR, Tamron 150-600mm lens, Celestron AVX mount

Gallery The Pleiades

A star-forming region 210,000 light-years away in the Small Magellanic Cloud, including star cluster NGC 346. Credit: NASA, ESA and A. Nota (ESA/STScI, STScI/AURA)

What can young stars tell us about the Universe?

M13 Great Hercules Cluster by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Teleskop service 12

Gallery Hercules Globular Cluster

Star Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Credit: iStock / Getty Images Plus

Astronomy explained What is the brightest star?

Zeta Reticuli (left), the constellation Reticulum and the Large Magellanic Cloud, captured in 2013 by Pete Lawrence from Paranal, Chile. Credit: Pete Lawrence / BBC Sky at Night Magazine.

Astronomy explained The Zeta Reticuli double star

What are stars? Credit: Eric Lowenbach / Getty Images

Astronomy explained What are stars?

How do astronomers name stars and catalogue the night sky? Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

How do astronomers name stars?

The night sky over Lake Tekapo, New Zealand. Credit: Nigel Killeen / Getty Images

Astrophotography

How to photograph the stars

5 star clusters to see with the naked eye. Credit: Bryce Crage / Getty Images

Observing guide 5 star clusters to see with the naked eye

Globular cluster NGC 3201, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. What makes stars twinkle? Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA. Acknowledgement: Sarajedini et al.

Astronomy explained Why do stars twinkle?