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 • Join our celebration of 200 issues of astronomy!

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This month’s contributors

Extra content ONLINE

MIND THE GAP • A spectacular new Hubble image reveals a mysterious hole in a nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud

BULLETIN • The latest astronomy and space news, written by Ezzy Pearson

Comment

BULLETIN

NEWS IN BRIEF

CUTTING EDGE • Our experts examine the hottest new research

INSIDE THE SKY AT NIGHT • As The Sky at Night looks back at the programmes in 2021, producer Peter Leonard reflects on the role the show has played in his career

Looking back: The Sky at Night • 10 January 1982

The Sky at Night JANUARY

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

Rates of expansion

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

BBC Sky at Night MAGAZINE

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

PICK OF THE MONTH

How to get started in astronomy • In the magazine’s first issue, Patrick Moore championed amateur stargazers

Sky at Night Magazine The editors’ view • The magazine’s past and present editors look back at how it started, creating 200 issues and their favourite moments

The stars of Sky at Night Magazine • There are many readers who have been with us all the way, having been subscribers since issue one. Here we meet a few and hear about their enduring interest in the night sky

200 issues of OBSERVING • To mark our 200th issue, Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel sat down to discuss some of the highlights to have graced the night skies since the magazine’s launch

The Sky Guide

JANUARY HIGHLIGHTS • Your guide to the night sky this month

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

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

THE PLANETS • Our celestial neighbourhood in January

The planets in January • 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: JANUARY

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

MOONWATCH • January’s top lunar feature to observe

COMETS AND ASTEROIDS • Comet 19P/Borrelly will make a good target from the Northern Hemisphere

STAR OF THE MONTH • Look for Saiph, at the knee of Orion

BINOCULAR TOUR • Meet the Cheshire Cat and discover the cross asterism of the Delones

THE SKY GUIDE CHALLENGE • Can you spot the phase of Venus with the naked eye over the month of January?

DEEP-SKY TOUR • Take flight around Monoceros with the Seagull Nebula and make a final stop in Canis Major

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

Exploring space with Sky at Night Magazine • For 200 issues, BBC Sky at Night Magazine has been at the forefront of reporting on space exploration and science. Chris Lintott looks back at some of the most important events

The greatest sights to observe in 2022 • The New Year of stargazing starts here, as Katrin Raynor-Evans looks forward to 12 months of inspirational astronomical...