CATEGORIES

STAR RING ROLE

Towards the centre of a spiral galaxy, a ring of stars circles a black hole, VERY LARGE TELESCOPE, 23 NOVEMBER 2022

Expansion and gravity

Though the Universe is expanding, gravity helps keep it together

Splashdown for Artemis

The Orion capsule successfully splashed down into the Pacific Ocean on 11 December at 9:40 am PST Pacific Standard Time), completing Artemis the first test flight in a programme to return humans to the Moon's surface.

BINOCULAR TOUR With Steve Tonkin

This month we're off to a dog show, finding the best in class in Canis Major

JWST reveals active exoplanet atmospheres

The telescope has found evidence of atmospheric reactions above an exoplanet

CBeebies Stargazing

There is no episode of The Sky at Night in February, but there is a wealth of astronomy and stargazing content on the BBC iPlayer that's suitable for children and young astronomers.

INSIDE THE SKY AT NIGHT

In The Sky at Night's last episode of 2022, Douglas Vakoch looked into how humanity could reach out and contact other worlds

FIELD OF VIEW

When the cosmos changes history, Jonathan Powell tracks celestial events that have altered world affairs

In the right hands, wearables could revolutionise healthcare

We spoke to Prof Amitava Banerjee, a cardiologist and clinical data scientist, to better understand how smartwatches and fitness trackers could change medicine

NATURE'S REAL-LIFE VAMPIRES

Count Dracula... Lestat de Lioncourt... Laszlo... all these vampires have got oodles of charisma, natty dress sense and an intriguing backstory. But the problem is, they're fictional. We reckon the animal kingdom can do a lot better. Suck on this...

Could we become cold, ruthless Cybermen?

We assess the likelihood of humanity turning into cyborgs, like Doctor Who's infamous foe

FUNGI: THE EXPLAINER

THIS DIVERSE KINGDOM INCLUDES YEASTS, MOULDS, MUSHROOMS AND TOADSTOOLS

DISCOVERIES

Perseverance has discovered the largest cache of organic material ever found on the Red Planet.

YOUR INNER CHILD: WHAT IS IT, WHAT'S UP WITH IT AND DOES IT NEED HEALING?

Recent online articles have listed the signs that reveal your inner child is wounded, or that your inner child needs healing. But is there any real psychology behind this?

THINKING POSITIVELY CAN BE GOOD FOR YOUR BODY, NOT JUST YOUR BRAIN

Looking for an upside in any given situation can improve everything from the immune system to heart health

THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB MAN

MEN ARE LOSING FRIENDS AND STRUGGLING TO MAKE NEW ONES- AND MISSING OUT ON POWERFUL HEALTH BENEFITS IN THE PROCESS. BUDDY, WHAT'S GOING ON?

BABY, YOU CAN DRIVE MY SELF-DRIVING CAR

Human drivers should not be held responsible for accidents caused by autonomous vehicles

SEWAGE: WHY IS RAW WASTE PUMPED INTO OUR SEAS AND CAN WE FIX IT?

The UK's ageing infrastructure is struggling to cope with increased rainfall and a growing population, and this means sewage is being discharged into our seas and rivers. Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water...

GRIEF: WHY DO WE MOURN PUBLIC FIGURES?

Few people knew her personally, and yet many of us felt some sense of loss for the Queen

The five best camera gimbals

An essential bit of kit for smoother video and better selfies, says photographer James Abbott

HOW NASA DEFLECTED AN ASTEROID BY CRASHING A SPACECRAFT INTO IT

NASA'S DART spacecraft made impact with its asteroid target on 27 September. Dr Tim Gregory tells us about this first-of-its-kind mission

GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE (DARK) MATTER

We've mapped it, but the exact nature of dark matter remains elusive. And for most astronomers that's okay

Ideas we like...

Our pick of the month's smartest tech

FIRST CONTACT

WHAT HAPPENS IF WE EVER DETECT A SIGNAL FROM EXTRATERRESTRIAL INTELLIGENCE?

Practical astronomy projects for every level of expertise DIY ASTRONOMY

Create a 24-hour polar star trail photo

The fundamentals of astronomy for beginners EXPLAINER

Félicette, the cat that flew to space

Astronomy X Photographer of the Year

BBC Sky at Night Magazine is proud to reveal the 2022 winners of the world's biggest astrophotography contest.

Betelgeuse's spectacular blow-out

A mass ejection larger than the Moon caused the star's dimming in 2019

Artemis I takes aim at the Moon

Efforts to get the test mission off the ground hit last-minute snags

MARS SEASON HAS ARRIVED

With Mars at opposition this December - and a rare lunar occultation expected too - now's the time to start observing and tracking its changing features, writes Paul G Abel