BBC Sky at Night

Sky at Night magazine is your practical guide to astronomy. Each issue features the world’s biggest and best night sky guide complete with star charts, observing tutorials and in-depth equipment reviews to ensure that amateur astronomers never miss those must-see events.

Welcome • Enjoy a winter Grand Tour of our giant outer worlds

Sky at Night - Lots of ways to enjoy the night sky…

This month's contributors

Extra content ONLINE • Visit www.skyatnightmagazine.com/bonus-content/beifbpt to access this month's selection of exclusive Bonus Content

THREE'S COMPANY • Galaxy pair Arp-Madore 2339-661 is actually a galaxy trio

Rare cosmic explosion deepens a mystery • One of the Universe's brightest outbursts seen in an unexpected location

Plans for an all-UK space mission set in motion • Four British astronauts could soon be heading into orbit

Cosmic Web mapped for the first time • Hidden filaments of gas come out of the shadows

Bennu rich in water and carbon

NEWS IN BRIEF

NEWS IN BRIEF

UK helps build new CMB observatory • British engineers will design and build key aspects of the mission

Chaos could hide signs of Martian life

No call for sea legs on Titan • Expect to find gentle breezes and calm seas on Saturn's largest moon

Swirling supernova's secret sibling • A companion could be responsible for Puppis A's overlapping rings

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

Looking back: The Sky at Night • 21 December 1986

INTERACTIVE

A journey into wonder

ON FACEBOOK

SCOPE DOCTOR • Our equipment specialist cures your optical ailments and technical maladies

BBC Sky at Night

WHAT'S ON

PICK OF THE MONTH

Same stars, different stories • Maggie Aderin-Pocock considers how other culters interpret the night sky

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

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

Taking a look at the CMB • Examining the CMB is difficult, but astronomers have found many ways to go about it

Drowning out the noise • Astronomers have to wade through a sea of information to get to the CMB signal

The Sky Guide • DECEMBER 2023

DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS • Your guide to the night sky this month

NEED TO KNOW • The terms and symbols used in The Sky Guide

DON'T MISS The Geminid meteor shower at its peak

Mare Orientale region

Ganymede events

PICK OF THE MONTH

THE NIGHT SKY – DECEMBER • Explore the celestial sphere with our Northern Hemisphere all-sky chart

MOONWATCH • December's top lunar feature to observe

COMETS AND ASTEROIDS • Swing your binoculars to 4 Vesta, the second-largest body in the asteroid belt

STAR OF THE MONTH • Arneb, the lavatorial star on the back of the Hare

BINOCULAR TOUR • From star-packed clusters and winter favourites to a real test of your averted vision

THE SKY GUIDE CHALLENGE • Your challenge this month is not just to spot a meteor, but to capture its train

DEEP-SKY TOUR • A look around Cetus the Whale for galaxies, more galaxies and a fascinating pulsating star

AT A GLANCE • How the Sky Guide events will...