How to see elusive Mercury for yourself
Mercury is easy to see if you know when and where to look. All you need is a clear sky and an unobstructed horizon. Here is our guide to observing Mercury.
Skyguide
How to photograph a meteor shower
When a good meteor shower is active, you could capture yourself some “shooting stars” with an ordinary camera, as long as it can take time exposures. Here is our guide to get you started.
17 totally awesome facts about an eclipse of the Sun
There’s a total eclipse of the Sun on July 2. Here are 17 key facts about these awesome events.
The aurora – a natural light-show
A sometimes spectacular light-show occurs in our upper atmosphere, called the aurora. It is triggered by events on the Sun.
A simple guide to observing meteors
Observing meteors is a simple and rewarding rewarding way to enjoy astronomy, so here is some advice on how to view them.
The Orionid Meteor Shower – dust from Halley’s Comet
One of the year’s annual and reliable displays of “shooting stars” is produced by the Orionid meteor shower. It can be seen in October and is moderately strong.
The Perseid meteor shower
Here is all you need to know about the Perseid meteor shower, summer’s most famous display of shooting stars. Facts about the Perseids.
How to observe Venus
For the amateur astronomer, it is easy to observe Venus because it is the brightest object in the night sky after the Moon.
You don’t need a telescope to go stargazing!
Many people assume that you need a telescope to get into stargazing, which means you’ve got to be rich to afford one. Well you don’t actually need anything other than your eyes to become an amateur astronomer!
Five top targets in the Solar System
There is so much in the night sky that it can seem overwhelming. Here are five top targets in our Solar System for a small telescope.
What is an eclipse of the Sun?
An eclipse of the Sun is a dramatic spectacle that occurs when the Sun, Moon and Earth line up in space.
What is an eclipse of the Moon?
A lunar eclipse happens when our Moon passes into the shadow that the Earth casts in space. This is a quite different event to what is termed an eclipse of the Sun because the Sun is physically blotted out by the Moon rather than put in its shadow.
