Unearthing galaxies in the archives

Comparing old Hubble data to today is revealing distant active galaxies

Voyager 1 is back online and exploring the unknown

An interstellar rescue brings the venerable spacecraft back after months out of action

When Haydn met the Herschels

Jonathan Powell on how the astronomer siblings inspired the famous composer

A quicker way to colourise your narrowband frames

Create a bicolour image in Siril using data from just two narrowband filters

Manhattanhenge

New York's urban island of Manhattan, with its gridiron street layout, sees summer Suns set neatly between skyscrapers. Jamie Carter explains the phenomenon

A very British eclipse

In 1927, Britain experienced its first total solar eclipse since 1724. Mike Frost looks at how, like 8 April 2024's US spectacle, eclipse fever swept the nation

The spirit of the eclipse

Eclipse chaser Yvette Cook reports on what it was like in the path of totality in Texas during 8 April's Great American Eclipse

Cosmic rays

In part two of our series, Govert Schilling looks at cosmic rays, the high-energy particles that bombard Earth from space

Stones of the SOLSTICE

Jamie Carter explores 12 ancient stones, tombs and temples across the world that align with the Sun at the solstice

Surfing spacetime with LISA

A new era of gravitational wave astronomy is on its way as the ambitious upcoming LISA space mission joins a host of huge detectors on Earth. Charlie Hoy explains

Water, Water, Everywhere?

Penny Wozniakiewicz investigates why astronomers are so concerned with finding water in the Solar System, and why it is vital to our exploration of space

O&A WITH AN ECLIPSE CHASER

On 14 October 2023, an annular eclipse passed across mainland USA. Comedian and stargazer Jon Culshaw was there to witness it

Bresser ISA Space Exploration NASA 70/700 AZ telescope

This beginners' package has everything you need to see the Sun, Moon and planets

Ursa Major 6-inch f/8 Planetary Dobsonian

A decent option for would-be planetary observers on a limited budget

Use freeware to create star trail images

How to turn your frames into beautiful star trail photos in a few clicks

Venus's hostile atmosphere

Katrin Raynor takes a look at a planet where the skies boil and the clouds rain acid

Build your EYEPIECE COLLECTION

Great eyepieces are crucial to any astronomical setup. Here Tim Jardine arms you with the info you need to choose the best ones to invest in

THE BIG THREE

The top sights to observe or image this month

The remains of CREATION UNDERSTANDING THE CMB

Left over from the Big Bang, the cosmic microwave background gives astronomers an insight into the entire history of our Universe. Ezzy Pearson explains

A December GRAND TOUR

Just like the epic journeys of the Voyager probes to our Solar System's outer planets, this tour takes you to the gas and ice giants as they line up in the night sky this month. Stuart Atkinson is your guide

Same stars, different stories

Maggie Aderin-Pocock considers how other cultures interpret the night sky

INSIDE THE SKY AT NIGHT

Host of science podcast The Infinite Monkey Cage Robin Ince joined his co-host Brian Cox on the November episode of The Sky at Night

Swirling supernova's secret sibling

A companion could be responsible for Puppis A's overlapping rings

No call for sea legs on Titan

Expect to find gentle breezes and calm seas on Saturn's largest moon

Plans for an all-UK space mission set in motion

Four British astronauts could soon be heading into orbit

Rare cosmic explosion deepens a mystery

One of the Universe's brightest outbursts seen in an unexpected location

THREE'S COMPANY

Galaxy pair Arp-Madore 2339-661 is actually a galaxy trio

When it comes to lighting, less is more

Patricia Yanez on designing considerate lighting for a luxury Red Sea resort

Early Universe seen running slow

Cosmic clocks appear to run slower soon after the Big Bang, just as Einstein predicted

Mastering flats

Adding DSLR flat frames to your workflow to improve your deep-sky images