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 • To the telescopes! Get ready for springtime galaxies galore

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

This month's contributors

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BULLSEYE! • A dust-up with a neighbour left this one-of-a-kind galaxy with nine rings

Narrow escape from a 'city-killer' asteroid • The close call shows Earth is ready should another space rock approach

Gaia uncovers its first exoplanet • Thousands more could be hiding in the retired craft’s data

Will Trump pivot NASA to Mars? • Scrutiny of the agency has put the future of the Artemis programme in doubt

Researchers uncover how to get alien life moving • A new test could search for life by making Mars microbes move

A strand of the cosmic web • Filament picture shows part of the structure that underpins the whole Universe

Martian meteors go deeper than expected • AI leads astronomers to a fresh Mars impact that shook the planet’s deep mantle

Eruptions on Io break records • The turbulent moon’s new hot spot is five times larger than the previous record holder

John McFall cleared for takeoff • Astronauts with disabilities could one day fly on missions to the International Space Station

Finding the plum spot for planets • Our Milky Way’s centre is your best bet as a cosmic holiday destination

Puzzle of the Milky Way's 'superbubbles' • The Galaxy’s black hole may belch out giant bubbles after gobbling up stars

INSIDE THE SKY AT NIGHT • In 2022, Craig Hardgrove told The Sky at Night about his Moon-ice-mapping project which would piggyback on NASA’s Artemis I. Here he looks back at how things went

Looking back: The Sky at Night 5 April 1978

Asteroid Strike

Rare glimpse of the supreme stargazer

BBC Sky at Night

Walking the Solar System • There’s a great way to gain a better understanding of the sheer scale of the Solar System, says Paul Fisher Cockburn – on foot

Conquering the Realm of the Galaxies • The constellation of Virgo is littered with glowing galaxies. Join Rod Mollise on a tour through some of its best sights

Finding your way • The Realm is jam-packed with galaxies, so how can you be sure you’re looking at the right one?

Tips for galaxy hunters • Dark, dry skies are the key to finding even more galaxies

Space factories from science fiction to reality • Not too long ago, the space economy was a government endeavour. But, as Ben Evans reports, commercial players are rapidly changing what the future looks like for industry in space – with far-reaching consequences

A planet for life alone? • The billionaire founder of Amazon and Blue Origin has a vision of the space economy’s benefits to Earth

Hidden oceans and alien life • The frozen moons of the giant planets could be harbouring alien life beneath their surfaces. Lewis Dartnell looks at how we can discover what lurks beneath the ice

The Sky Guide • APRIL 2025

APRIL 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 April

The planets in April • 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

THE NIGHT SKY - APRIL • Explore the...