Email your queries to scopedoctor@skyatnightmagazine.com I’m just getting started in astronomy, but arthritis makes it a struggle to look through my Celestron Powerseeker 76AZ. Can you suggest a setup that will help me observe more comfortably? KEVIN

Mercury is elusive; despite sometimes appearing bright, the planet never leaves the bright sky near the Sun and this makes it tricky to see. The best spotting times are after sunset or before sunrise, depending on where the planet sits relative to th

Countdown paused with eight minutes left on the clock Apollo 14 launches Engine burn sends the spacecraft on a trajectory towards the Moon First attempt at docking the Lunar Module (LM) and Command Module (CM) Docking finally successful LM pressurise

Just how big or small can a black hole be? The biggest we see are about 50 billion times the mass of the Sun, but we don’t know any reason they couldn’t be as big as the observable Universe. The smallest probably weigh about a few thousandths of a se

On Christmas Day many budding stargazers will discover a new telescope under the tree waiting to be unwrapped. Yet telescopes and astronomy both reward experience, and excitement can turn to disappointment when it’s taken out under the stars for the

The ‘Message of the Month’ writer will receive a bundle of four top titles courtesy of astronomy publisher Philip’s: Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion’s Star Chart, Robin Scagell’s Guide to the Northern Constellations, Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest’s 202

► Check photos: Before you make a purchase, always look carefully at any photographs. Be wary of any adverts using catalogue or website photos for a product, or which have no photos. Almost everyone has access to a smartphone camera these days, so ne

Janna Levin Bodley Head £9.99 • HB We all love black holes. There’s something captivating about these mysterious, scary objects that can rip every particle in our body apart should we get too close. But did you know that black holes, quite literally,

Subscriptions, binders and back issues 03330 162119* Mon-Fri 9am-5pm *Calls from landlines will cost up to 9p per minute. Call charges from mobile phones will cost between 3p and 55p per minute but are included in free call packages. If calling from

Editor Chris Bramley Art Editor Steve Marsh Production Editor Neil McKim News Editor Ezzy Pearson Staff Writer Iain Todd Reviews Editor Paul Money Charlotte Daniels, Lewis Dartnell, Glenn Dawes, Ben Evans, Pallab Ghosh, Chris Grimmer, Lewis Haley, Pe

Universal Time (UT) is the standard time used by astronomers around the world. British Summer Time (BST) is one hour ahead of UT These coordinates are the night sky’s equivalent of longitude and latitude, describing where an object is on the celestia

Price £43 • Supplier Harrison Telescopes Tel 01322 403407 • www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk This Barlow lens extends the focal length of your optical system by five times, allowing you to achieve high magnifications without having to use uncomfortably s

Find out what The Sky at Night team have been exploring in recent and past episodes on page 18 Visit our website for competitions, astrophoto galleries, observing guides and more Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for space news, astro imag

Email us at inbox@skyatnightmagazine.com Karen Hall @kazcustard • Nov 22 Things to do in a howling gale part 2: hide in front of the garage to try & get a non shaken picture of tonight’s #AuroraBorealis #Mirriedancers #northernlights #Shetland I teac

If you’ve already got a handle on equipment basics and brushed up your observation skills, why not resolve to make 2021 the year you dig deeper into the science of astronomy? On hand to help is the BAA (British Astronomical Association). The amateur

“When I started out in astronomy I picked up so many tips from people selling kit; buying second-hand is a great way to help make informed purchases.” Charlotte advises on buying second-hand, page 64 “The year 2021 promises new rockets, new missions

Get involved in this project to discover hidden Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs), icy and exotic outer Solar System worlds. Volunteer eyes are needed to study animated images from the Catalina Sky Survey and determine which objects are real TNOs. bit.l

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 Best time to see: 24 January, 30 minutes after sunset Altitude: 9° (low) Location: Capricornus Direction: