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 • Have you ever contemplated Earth’s cosmic connections?

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

This month’s contributors

DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS

A ROSETTE BY ANY OTHER NAME • Peering into the star-flecked heart of Caldwell 49

Earth-like planet survives its star’s death • The exoplanet could give a window into our own planet’s future

Missing Martian atmosphere lies locked away • Mars’s early atmosphere could be trapped within the planet’s surface clay

Starship caught with ‘chopsticks’ • The extraordinary booster landing suggests SpaceX will deliver its huge reusable craft

Asteroid may have helped early life flourish • A space rock many times bigger than Everest struck Earth over three billion years ago

Cosmological constant still in conflict • A distant supernova could be a key tool in unlocking the Hubble constant

Tiny planet found around nearby star • The world is in orbit around Barnard’s Star, the closest single star to Earth

Infrared reveals Milky Way in amazing detail • New map contains 10 times more objects than any previous survey

Nanorods could keep Mars warm • Tiny human-made particles may help make the Red Planet habitable

How to grow a black hole • The earliest black holes could have formed from collapsed star clusters

INSIDE THE SKY AT NIGHT • On last month’s episode, The Sky at Night talked to Carolyn Kennett about humanity’s long relationship with the night sky. Here she tells us more about the work she does

Looking back: The Sky at Night

The Sky at Night

INTERACTIVE

BBC Sky at Night

When ships were steered by starlight • For ancient mariners, stars were the original GPS, says Jonathan Powell

The glittering lights of midwinter • To get you in the festive spirit, Stuart Atkinson is your guide to 10 beautiful - and easy - sights to see with nothing more than the naked eye in December’s night sky

Our place in SPACE • We are not alone. The planet we call home is constantly interacting with the cosmos around us. Katrin Raynor takes a look at space’s influence on Earth

Rocks, dust and hunks of junk • Earth’s atmosphere protects us from incoming space debris

Space weather • Our magnetic shield keeps harmful radiation at bay

Electromagnetic radiation • The Sun is hot. Luckily, Earth’s atmosphere acts as our planet’s sunscreen

Wildlife and the night sky • The Sun, Moon and stars all have a profound effect on Earth’s wildlife

Gravitational pull • The pull of the Moon and Sun cause a natural ebb and flow on Earth

Cosmic rays and ghostly neutrinos • Our planet is being constantly bombarded by (harmless) particles

Human perspective • Looking down on Earth from above has transformed the human psyche

Jupiter’s Galilean moons • Get to know Jupiter’s largest moons - four fascinating worlds in their own right

Jupiter moon watching • See the four Galilean moons for yourself - a pair of binoculars is all you need

The Sky Guide DECEMBER 2024

DECEMBER 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 December

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