A guide to stargazing in 2021
The stars may be enduring, but our sky is always changing thanks to the orbits of the planets and our Moon. So what can stargazers expect in 2021? “We won’t have a spectacular Mars in 2021, and nor will we have any particularly close conjunctions, but we will have Venus looking brilliant,” says Nigel Henbest, author of Philip's 2021 Stargazing Month-by-Month Guide to the Night Sky in Britain & Ireland. “There is always a lot of interest in conjunctions, but what people really love is a crescent Moon with a planet. Crescent Moons tend to be quite low down on the horizon, too, so they’re easily noticed.”
There is also arguably the UK’s biggest celestial event of the year. “The solar eclipse on 10 June will be seen as an annular ‘ring of fire’ from Northern Canada, but as a large partial eclipse from across Europe,” says Henbest. “It will be the biggest solar eclipse visible from the UK for six years.”
A mix of conjunctions, planetary oppositions, eclipses and perennial favourites – many of which can be observed with the naked eye – here are 21 of the best sights for 2021...
1. The Orion Nebula at its best
When: December-February
Where: highest around midnight
Orion’s Belt is one of
