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 • Celebrate the dark nights with us under the stars!

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This month’s contributors

Extra content ONLINE

SECRET IN THE SHADOWS • Luminous rays and dark shadows paint a cosmic chiaroscuro

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

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 • 15 January 1989

The Sky at Night JANUARY

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

Catching the Moon’s libration

PHILIP’S • This month’s top prize: four Philip’s titles

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

BBC Sky at Night MAGAZINE

WHAT’S ONLINE • We pick the best astronomy events and resources available online this month

British Astronomical Association • Deepen your astronomy knowledge in 2021

FIELD OF VIEW • The amateur astronomer’s forum

SPACE IN 2021 • Next year will see more people heading into space than ever before and three different missions arriving at Mars. Ben Evans looks into why 2021 is shaping up to be a great year in space

Timeline • With dozens of missions set to reach a milestone, 2021 is going to be a busy year

Christmas night STARGAZING • Did Santa deliver a new telescope for Christmas? Stuart Atkinson gives some ideas about what to see with it when you take it out for the first time

NEED TO KNOW

RECOMMENDED BOOKS

USING A STAR CHART

NIGHT SKY SMARTPHONE APPS

DARK ADAPTED VISION

EVENING PLANETS • Before they disappear behind the Sun, enjoy Jupiter and Saturn’s dramatic line-up with Mercury

JANUARY 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 January

Mars

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 • View asteroid 14 Irene as it reaches opposition in the constellation of Auriga

STAR OF THE MONTH • Spot Capella, a quadruple star system

BINOCULAR TOUR • The easy to spot Hyades and tricky M78 are among January’s wide-field targets

THE SKY GUIDE CHALLENGE • Can you see the Horsehead Nebula, an infamously tricky dark nebula?

DEEP-SKY TOUR • We begin explore the celestial treasures in the constellation of Puppis, the Poop Deck

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

APOLLO 14 • With support for the Apollo programme waning, NASA stepped up its scientific endeavours for Apollo 14, as Ezzy Pearson reports

MISSION BRIEF

Meet the astronauts

MISSION TIMELINE

PICKING UP A BARGAIN: a guide to buying second-hand kit • Using pre-owned equipment is a great way to get into astronomy and stay on budget. Charlotte Daniels takes us through the dos and don’ts of buying used gear

Top tips •...