Astronomy Resources

This is our go-to page for all astronomy resources.

Home » Astronomy Resources

Here you’ll find our recommendations for resources to improve your astronomy outside of Love the Night Sky. 

From blogs and magazines to software and pronunciations, we’ve got you covered. 

And if astrophotography is your thing, then there are a load of resources to point you in the right direction for that too.

Astrophotography

We don’t cover much on the subject on Love the Night Sky, but we do have a guide to photographing the night sky and a guide to the best astrophotography telescopes. For more specialist coverage, try these sites:

Amateur Astrophotography Magazine:

Amateur Astrophotography Magazine:

A monthly online magazine with lots of useful guides
VIEW
Cloudy Nights Astrophotography

Cloudy Nights Astrophotography

A group of forums (fora?) dedicated to imaging the night sky from beginner to pro
VIEW
AstroBin  Home of astrophotography

AstroBin Home of astrophotography

AstroBin is an image hosting platform and social network for astrophotographers.
VIEW
The Deep Sky Imaging Primer (2nd Ed.):

The Deep Sky Imaging Primer (2nd Ed.):

Everything you need to develop (ha ha) your astrophotography skills
VIEW

Blogs

There aren’t hundreds of astronomy blogs out there, but the best are those which have been around for years and are still updated regularly. Here’s our pick of the bunch:

Astronomy Links:

Astronomy
Links:

It is not clean or pretty, but it is the most comprehensive list of astronomy links on the internet
VIEW
Astroblog:

Astroblog:

Ian Musgrave expert astronomy writings. Based in Australia, this is a ‘must visit’ for southern hemisphere observers
VIEW
The Space Writer:

The Space Writer:

Carolyn Collins Petersen has been writing on this blog for many years and has regular updates a few times each month
VIEW
Sky-Lights:

Sky Lights:

A blog by Dan Heim about astronomy, meteorology, and earth science, posted every Monday since 2005
VIEW

Books

Unlike blogs, there are hundreds of astronomy books available. Rather than bombard you with options, here are just a few of our favourites. The links click through to Amazon, where you can buy a copy.

Amateur Astrophotography Magazine:

Turn Left
at Orion:

An absolute ‘must have’ guide for all astronomers, whether brand new or with years of experience
VIEW
Cloudy Nights Astrophotography

2021: An Astronomical Year

We use this book for its wealth of facts and figures covering every week of the year
VIEW
AstroBin  Home of astrophotography

2021 Guide to The Night Sky:

This alternative is much easier to digest, with more graphics and fewer tables
VIEW
The Deep Sky Imaging Primer (2nd Ed.):

Sky & Telescope’s Pocket Sky Atlas:

Incredibly useful, spiral-bound map of the night sky. Perfect for experienced stargazers & beginners
VIEW

Magazines

There are a few decent titles to choose from (see why we recommend Sky & Telescope). Click on the links to see current subscription prices on Amazon.

Astronomy Links:

Sky & Telescope Magazine:

In our view, this is the best magazine for backyard astronomy
VIEW
Astroblog:

Astronomy Magazine:

The biggest and most popular astronomy magazine on the planet
VIEW
The Space Writer:

Sky at Night Magazine:

Sky at Night magazine is your practical guide to astronomy.
VIEW
Sky-Lights:

All About Space:

More expensive, but well loved for big issues and making content accessible to a younger audience
VIEW

Pronunciation

Dan Heim has kindly provided a comprehensive pdf document to help us all with pronouncing astronomy terms the correct way.

Click here to download the pdf.

Software

We only recommend two different pieces of astronomy software, one is free and the other paid.

Amateur Astrophotography Magazine:

Stellarium:

Free astronomy software you download to your computer. It is comprehensive if not always the easiest to use
VIEW
Cloudy Nights Astrophotography

Sky Safari 6:

This software is paid for but offers much easier user controls, has more detail available and has greater scope in what it can be used for
VIEW

Weekly Updates

We deliver a weekly email with a guide to the moon and planets and a more detailed article relevant to the coming days. Sign up to receive your copy by clicking here.

Sky & Telescope: Have a guide to the night sky in the week ahead

Join 12,000+ Backyard Astronomers for Exclusive Weekly StarGazing Content

Our subscribers receive a detailed weekly guide to the moon and planets, as well as exclusive astronomy content that doesn’t appear on the website.

Press the button below to sign up - don’t miss another week!

Send me exclusive stargazing content