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 • Get ready for showtime as a total eclipse sweeps the USA

This month's contributors

THE WIDE BLUE YONDER • These two interacting galaxies are awash with bright young stars

‘Impossible’ galaxy found in early Universe • It has more stars than such a young galaxy should be able to grow

Comet investigation calls for your help • Astronomers need your comet images to study the solar wind

Black hole is brightest object ever seen

NEWS IN BRIEF

Odysseus makes historic landing on the Moon • The spacecraft came down on its side, but is still operating well

Stunning spirals • JWST releases incredibly high-resolution images of galaxies in infrared

Mars helicopter makes final flight • Ingenuity mission lasted more than 30 times longer than planned

Milky Way has a rapidly spinning black hole

NEWS IN BRIEF

Tracking down potential havens for Martian life • Machine learning is uncovering the entrances to underground caves on Mars

Peculiar dwarf duo offers expansion clue • An unusual binary could be the ‘before’ shot of a supernova

INSIDE THE SKY AT NIGHT • In 2021, Sean Sutcliffe from Oxford Space Systems spoke to The Sky at Night about the UK spaceflight industry. Three years later, he looks at how far the technology, and the space sector, has come since then

Looking back: The Sky at Night 7 April 2008

INTERACTIVE

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

BBC Sky at Night

WHAT'S ON • We pick the best live and virtual astronomy events and resources this month

Taking out the bins • Cheap binoculars rekindled Shaun Keaveny’s love of space. So did a wheelie bin!…

Into the Bear's den • Rod Mollise invites you on a tour of seven spectacular spring galaxies around Ursa Major and shares his tips and tricks on how to see them

Choosing a telescope for galaxy viewing • Small scopes are a start, but with bigger optics you'll see galaxies in far greater detail

Why do we see so many galaxies in spring? • Consider the wider view for the reason galaxies are on the menu this season

Light pollution solutions • Dani Roberston explains how simple changes at home can beat the scourge of light pollution in your area

How to stargaze in light-polluted areas • If you can't completely eliminate the problem, you can still make the most of the darkness you have

Capturing totality • As total eclipse crosses the US on 8 April, Pete Lawrence explains how to photograph the event from within the path of totality

The path of the eclipse • Over 5,500km of the path of totality crosses North America

The Sky Guide • APRIL 2024

APRIL HIGHLIGHTS • Your guide to the night sky this month

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

A sunset eclipse • The top sights to observe or image this month

Tricky conjunctions

April clair-obscur effects

Jupiter • Our celestial neighbourhood in April

The planets in April • The phase and relative sizes of the planets this month. Each planet is shown with south at the top, to show its orientation through a telescope

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

MOONWATCH • April's top lunar feature to observe

COMETS AND ASTEROIDS • Grab...