The big three

Best time to see: 10 January, 00:15 UT Altitude: 59° Location: Gemini Direction: South Features: Complex atmosphere, moons Recommended equipment: 100mm or larger Jupiter reaches opposition on 10 Janua

1 Thursday The Moon’s libration makes it favourable for viewing features near the southern pole today. At 21:06 UT, Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, can be seen emerging from behind Saturn’s disc. Callis

Jupiter may boast 97 confirmed moons (at the time of writing), but only four – the Galilean giants, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto – are generally described as being within easy reach of amateurs.

Many of the most dramatic cosmic events take the form of explosions, from asteroid impacts to the Big Bang itself. Here are some of the most spectacular examples

1 Jan 00:00 AEDT (31 Dec, 13:00 UT)15 Jan 23:00 AEDT (12:00 UT)31 Jan 22:00 AEDT (11:00 UT) The chart accurately matches the sky on the dates and times shown for Sydney, Australia. The sky is differen

It’s a cold, clear February evening on Brighton beach. The sun has not yet dipped below the horizon and the last of the light is that strange, luminescent blue that presages dusk. Hundreds of pairs of