Virtual Planetarium
Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel guide us through May 2025's night-sky highlights.
Interview
Lunar phases poster
Download our lunar phases poster for Moon dates and times throughout 2025.
Lunar phases poster 2025 (PDF)
Messier Catalogue poster
Download our poster showing every object in the Messier Catalogue. How many can you tick off the list?
Messier Catalogue poster (PDF)
Binocular and Deep-Sky Tour Charts
Download this month's binocular and deep-sky tour charts. The charts are printed in black on white so they can be viewed under red light at your telescope.
Southern Hemisphere Sky Chart
SAN 240 Southern Hemisphere Chart (PDF)
Observing forms
Record your observations of Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus and the Sun with our handy printable forms.
If you observe the Sun, remember NEVER to look at it with your naked eye; either project it through your telescope or use a solar filter on your telescope's front lens.
Readers' Gallery
Overall Photons, 19 locations worldwide, 3 November 2024-31 January 2025
Equipment: 19 different setups, with telescopes ranging from 2.7in to 11in
Exposure: Total integration time 392h
Software: Siril, Pixinsight and Photoshop
Vikas Chander, Ennedi, Chad, 5 February 2025
Equipment: Sony A7r V camera, Sony 85mm lens, Rainbow Astro RST-135E mount
Exposure: ISO 800 f/2.8, 12x 300” (sky); ISO 800 f/2.8, 480” (foreground)
Software: PixInsight, Photoshop
Teresa Molinaro, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, 14 October 2024
Equipment: Fujifilm X-T30 II camera, Fujinon XF 18-55mm lens, Cambofoto SAB264 tripod
Exposure: ISO 1000 f/5.0, 13”
Software: Lightroom
Tomáš Slovinský, Kanab, Utah, USA, 3 April 2024
Equipment: Canon EOS R6 camera, Sigma Art 28mm lens, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer mount
Exposure: 40x 20”
Software: Lightroom, Photoshop, PTGui
Rui Santos, Pinhal de Leiria, Portugal, 28 February 2025
Equipment: Sony Alpha a6000 camera, Samyang 12mm lens, Geekoto AT24Pro Dreamer tripod
Exposure: ISO 6400 f/2.8, 40x 20”
Software: PTGui, Lightroom, Photoshop, Luminar
Simon Laverick, Darlington, Co Durham, 8 February 2025
Equipment: ZWO ASI183MC camera, Celestron EdgeHD 8-inch SCT, ZWO AM5N mount
Exposure: 3x 60” video
Software: AstroSurface, PixInsight, Photoshop
Greg Lynes, Pelynt, Cornwall, 31 January 2025
Equipment: ZWO ASI183MC Pro camera, RVO Horizon 80ED refractor, Sky-Watcher EQM-35 Pro mount
Exposure: 69x 300”, total 5h 45’
Software: PixInsight
Rod Prazeres, Hillcrest, Queensland, Australia, 5-27 December 2024
Equipment: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro camera, William Optics RedCat 51 refractor, Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Pro mount
Exposure: R 80x 60”, G 80x 60”, B 80x 60”, Ha 82x 600”, OIII 115x 600”
Software: PixInsight, Photoshop
Rich Addis, Wallasey, Merseyside, 5 January to 4 February 2025
Equipment: ZWO ASI120MC camera, Celestron NexStar 6SE SCT with integrated mount
Exposure: Best 1,200 of 2,000x 0.01” video frames
Software: AutoStakkert!, Photoshop, Registax
Jordan Mawbey, Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire, 5 February 2025
Equipment: Canon EOS 6D camera, Samyang 14mm lens, Camolo 75-inch tripod
Exposure: ISO 800 f/2.8, 270x 23” (sky); ISO 400 f/2.8, 1x 90” (foreground)
Software: Lightroom, StarStaX, Photoshop
Tim Ellison, Frimley, Surrey, UK, 4–5 February 2025
Equipment: Altair Hypercam 26C camera, Sky-Watcher Explorer 200P reflector, Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 mount
Stuart Anderton, Milnthorpe, Cumbria, UK, 27 and 28 February 2025
Equipment: ZWO ASI585MC Pro camera, Askar 71F refractor, Sky-Watcher Wave 100i mount
Jake King, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, USA, 15 February 2025
Equipment: ZWO ASI2600MM Duo camera, William Optics RedCat 91 refractor, ZWO AM5N mount
Bill Lowry, Chiddingstone Hoath, Kent, UK, 10 October, 11–12 November 2024
Equipment: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro camera, William Optics GT81 refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro mount
Tom Roberts, Portskewett, Monmouthshire, UK, 22 February 2025
Equipment: Olympus OM System OM-1 Mk II camera, Olympus M.Zuiko f/1.8 fisheye
lens, Manfrotto 190XPROB tripod
Abdullah Salman, Faisalabad, Pakistan, 4 February 2025
Equipment: ZWO ASI224MC camera, Sky-Watcher SynScan 8-inch Dobsonian
Mary Verena Brumm, Cumnor, Oxfordshire, UK, 27 February 2025
Equipment: Apple iPhone 16 Pro
Matt Smith, Southend on Sea, Essex, UK, 7 February 2025
Equipment: ZWO ASI2600MC camera, Sky-Watcher Explorer 200PDS reflector, ZWO AM5 mount
Rabeea Alkuwari, Sawda Natheel, Qatar, 5 and 6 October 2024
Equipment: ZWO ASI2600MM camera, Sky-Watcher Esprit 150ED refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ8-R mount
Eye On The Sky
ESA Euclid spacecraft, 19 March 2025
Credit: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by M. Walmsley, M. Huertas-Company, J.-C. Cuillandre
James Webb Space Telescope, 7 March 2025
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
Blue Ghost lunar lander, 3 March 2025
Credit: Firefly Aerospace
Hubble Space Telescope, 8 March 2025
Credit: NASA, ESA, and C. Lindberg (The Johns Hopkins University); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
Hubble Space Telescope, 8 March 2025
Credit: NASA, ESA and M. West (Lowell Observatory); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
Hubble Space Telescope, 8 March 2025
Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Lee (Space Telescope Science Institute); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
Software
Download all of this month's software in a zip folder.
Argo Navis Deep-Sky Tour
This month's deep-sky tour plan file can be imported into the Argo Navis Digital Telescope Computer using Argonaut software, a free utility available from Wildcard Innovations. Using Argo Navis with this month's deep-sky tour plan file, you can:
• display essential information from the Argo Navis database for each object
• slew your telescope to each object in the plan - requires a compatible mount.
• push your telescope to each object in the plan using the coordinates provided on the Argo Navis display.
To import this month's deep-sky tour plan file into Argo Navis using Argonaut software:
Download and save the file to your hard drive.
Run the Argonaut utility program and transfer the plan into your Argo Navis DTC.
This month's Deep-Sky Tour plan file is produced by Deep-Sky Planner 8 (see knightware.biz/dsp).
Copyright Wildcard Innovations Pty Ltd.
Deep-Sky Planner
This month's Deep-Sky Tour plan file is produced by Deep-Sky Planner 9 (see knightware.biz/dsp).
Copyright Wildcard Innovations Pty Ltd.
License type Full software
Platform Windows
Versions 10, 11
Deep-Sky Planner 9 astronomy software for Windows provides the tools you need to make your time at the telescope more efficient and enjoyable.
Sort the objects in the plan according to the best time and order to view each object.
Slew your ASCOM-compatible Go-To mount to each object in the plan - requires ASCOM software (free).
Show a sky chart centred on each object in the plan using one of the top planetarium software titles – requires TheSky, Starry Night, Redshift, Cartes du Ciel (free) or Stellarium (free).
Record your observation in the open, non-proprietary observing log.
Details about Deep-Sky Planner and how to purchase can be found here.
Download the Deep-Sky Planner compatible file of this month's deep-sky tour observing plan file so that you can visit each object directly with Deep-Sky Planner.
Save the file to your hard drive and double click it to open it in Deep-Sky Planner.
EQTOUR
If you are one of the many astronomers who use the ASCOM driver EQMOD to control your ASCOM-compatible Go-To mount, you can use an add-on application called EQTOUR to call up various sets of sky tours like Messier, Caldwell, Globular Clusters and simply click on an object name to slew to it.
Details about the application and how to download it free of charge can be found here.
Download the EQTOUR compatible file of our monthly Deep-sky tour, so that you can visit each object directly from your EQMod control panel. We've also included a PDF document that explains the system and how to get it installed with your telescope setup.
Copy the .lst file from the folder that appears into the same directory as the EQTOUR application file, EQTOUR.exe, and follow the instructions in the link above.
SkySafari
License type Full software
Platform iOS, Android
Versions 4 or later (Plus or Pro editions)
This month's deep-sky tour plan file can be imported into SkySafari software, available from Simulation Curriculum.
Using this month's deep-sky tour plan file on SkySafari, you can:
• view each object in SkySafari's night sky simulation view
• display essential information from the SkySafari database for each object
• slew your telescope to each object in the plan - requires a compatible mount.
To import this month's deep-sky tour plan file into SkySafari, please see the SkySafari user manual for your device platform and version of SkySafari.
This month's Deep-Sky Tour plan file is produced by Deep-Sky Planner 8.
Watch the Sky at Night
You can watch the latest episode of The Sky Night, plus previous episodes and historic programmes from the archive, via the BBC Four Sky at Night webpage.
And for more, check out our guide to the best astronomy on the BBC.