How we know that Earth isn't flat

Astronomers have known that Earth is a globe for thousands of years

The story of SKYLAB

Fifty years on from its launch, Jane Green takes a look back at the troubles and triumphs of the USA's trailblazing space station

Darkness on the moors

In search of true darkness and skies that sparkle, Jamie Carter visits Yorkshire, home of the UK's newest International Dark Sky Reserves

How can we see the afterglow of th Big Bang?

Govert Schilling of cosmology's continues to explain some most confusing concepts

The riddle of the HYPERGIANTS

New research is uncovering the weird workings of the largest stars in the Universe

The riddle of the HYPERGIANTS

New research is uncovering the weird workings of the largest stars in the Universe

Capturing Milky Way THE MAGNIFICENT

Get ready for the return of late summer nights under the stars as Will Gater presents a beginners’ guide to photographing our ever-changing home Galaxy

Imaging with MULTI-BAND FILTERS

Over the last few years there has been an explosion of multi-band filters for astrophotographers.

FIELD OF VIEW

The very, very early Space Race

INSIDE THE SKY AT NIGHT

In just a generation, humanity has gone from knowing of a handful of planets - those in our Solar System - to confirming the existence of over 5,000.

Q&A WITH A BLACK HOLE PHYSICIST

The Event Horizon Telescope continues to test Einstein's general relativity predictions under the most extreme conditions

Speed up your workflow

Save time by automating common processing steps like boosting contrast and reducing noise

Experiments with Venus

Try out these activities while the Evening Star is shining bright in our skies

Build a Bahtinov mask

Make an astrophotography focusing aid to fit any telescope

Master the art of averted vision

If you're new to stargazing, a faint object like C/2022 E3 ZTF, the comet that had us all excited earlier this year, isn't the best target for a first look through a telescope - the chances are you won't see a thing.

The new Space Age

With 70 nations, space-mad billionaires and eager private companies all vying for a stake - but no laws or rules -space today is verging on a free-for-all.

Does the Universe have an edge?

It's one of the most perplexing questions in cosmology: does our Universe have an edge?

Mercury returns to twilight

The inner wanderer graces our evening skies once again this month.

JUICE TAKES FLIGHT

Set to launch this month, the European-led JUICE spacecraft will explore the frozen worlds orbiting the gas giant Jupiter.

Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Supported by Liberty Specialty Markets, The world-class competition returns in 2023, seeking the best astronomy image of the past year

O&A WITH A PLANETARY SCIENTIST

The materials that form the building blocks of life on Earth have been found in distant planet-forming discs that are the same size as the Solar System

ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY PROCESSING

Reduce star trailing in your astro images, An easy processing tip to remedy stretched and unsharp stars

Bring out the colours of stars

From reds to yellows to blues, here's how to reveal the subtle tones of stars in your images

Build a zero-magnification finder

Make an illuminated aiming device you can use on any telescope

The Columbia Space Shuttle disaster

Twenty years on, Amy Arthur looks back at fateful flight STS-107

The man who put the Sun at the CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE

This month marks 550 years since the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus. Emily Winterburn explores his life and legacy

OBSERVING VARIABLE STARS

Pete Lawrence is your guide to viewing variable stars so you can record their changes in brightness

Expansion and gravity

Though the Universe is expanding, gravity helps keep it together

Does the Universe expand faster than light?

Govert Schilling continues to explain cosmology's confusing concepts In part 2 of our series

DEEP-SKY TOUR

We'll start in Orion's Sword where M42, the Orion Nebula, takes pride of place. Magnificent through any instrument, smaller scopes give a lovely overview of this fourth-magnitude nebula, easily revealing the bright kidney-shaped 'core' within which the tightly packed stars of the Trapezium Cluster are embedded.