20 astounding photos of the solar system

This October marks 50 years since a heavily shielded spacecraft, the Soviet Union’s Venera 9, parachuted into the atmosphere of Venus. Then, having landed, it did something extraordinary: it beamed ba

WORLD SPACE WEEK SPECIAL

The winners of the world-famous Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2025 awards have been announced – and the results are stunning. Space enthusiasts from all over the globe competed, with 1,141 indivi

Ron Brecher, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, 23–30 July 2025 Ron says: “Many celestial objects resemble animals, but perhaps none more so than the Dark Shark. Its snout, jaws, eye, dorsal fin and tail are al

Best time to see: 31 October, 05:15 UT Altitude: 58° Location: Gemini Direction: South Features: Complex atmosphere, moons Recommended equipment: 100mm or larger Jupiter skips opposition in 2025. Its

The worst time to look at the Moon is when it’s full, right? Not necessarily. It’s true that at full Moon, sunlight hits the surface head-on, flattening the appearance of its rugged landscape of deep