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

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Sky at Night – lots of ways to enjoy the night sky...

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This month’s contributors

Extra content ONLINE

CURVE APPEAL • Hubble reveals the largest nearly complete Einstein ring

BULLETIN • The latest astronomy and space news

Comment

NEWS IN BRIEF

CUTTING EDGE • Our experts examine the hottest new research

INSIDE THE SKY AT NIGHT • The Sky at Night TV show, past, present and future

Looking back: The Sky at Night • 7 February 1980

INTERACTIVE • Emails – Letters – Tweets – Facebook – Instagram – Kit questions

Artistic tribute

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

Sky at Night

WHAT’S ONLINE • We pick the best live and virtual astronomy events and resources this month

Yorkshire’s Dark Skies Festival 2021 • Various venues, 12-28 February

FIELD OF VIEW • The astronomer’s forum

A guide to stargazing in 2021 • It’s set to be a great year for observing the night sky. Jamie Carter reveals what to Look for in the next 12 months

When to watch the Moon • Keep an eye on our closest celestial neighbour to spot three ‘supermoons’, a blue Moon and a faint lunar eclipse

All-sky delights • Look out for three meteor showers that will be unaffected by moonlight

PICTURING SPACE • Will Gater meets the people who work behind the scenes to create the astronomical imagery accompanying the headlines

Behind the images • From cosmic visions to press release visualisations, we discover how those pictures came to be

Creating cosmic vistas • The steps involved in producing an artist’s impression of an alien world

Astronomy Photographer of the Year • The world-class competition returns to seek out the best astronomy image of the last year

CATEGORIES • There are many categories to choose from and you can enter multiple times

The Sky Guide

FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTS • Your guide to the night sky this month

Family stargazing

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

THE BIG THREE • The three top sights to observe or image this month

THE PLANETS • Our celestial neighbourhood in February

Uranus

The planets in February • 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

JUPITER’S MOONS: FEBRUARY

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

MOONWATCH • February’s top lunar feature to observe

COMETS AND ASTEROIDS • Spot asteroid 29 Amphitrite as it reaches opposition in the constellation of Leo

STAR OF THE MONTH • Spot Merak, at the bottom of the Plough

BINOCULAR TOUR • This month we explore the region around Mizor and Alcor in the Plough’s handle

THE SKY GUIDE CHALLENGE • Can you spot Mare Humboldtianum and watch as the sea librates out of view

DEEP-SKY TOUR • We explore the open clusters in the constellation of Auriga, the Charioteer

AT A GLANCE • How the Sky Guide events will appear in February

EXPLAINER • The fundamentals of astronomy for beginners

Stellar sextuplets • The mystery of the ‘wandering’ star revealed

The Red Planet’s SKY AT NIGHT • This...