As the countdown to Christmas begins, we bring you glad tidings: if you have 'buy advent calendar!' on your shopping list, you can scribble it out, because this year we’ve produced a special astronomical advent calendar just for sky-watchers. There are no little cardboard doors to prise open and no strange-tasting chocolate snowmen to eat. Our calendar is the winter night sky and we're giving you 25 different, glorious sights to find in the run-up to Christmas.
So cross your fingers for good weather, because after you've dumped your shopping bags, and grabbed a cuppa and a mince pie, you can wrap up warm and head outside to enjoy a winter wonderland of bright planets, beautiful constellations and sparkling star clusters.
Many of our targets are visible with the naked eye, while some require binoculars or a small telescope. Stay clear of light pollution if you can and allow 30 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the dark. Use a red torch to find your way and turn your smartphone screen red if you want to consult an astronomy app, as this will help preserve your night vision.
Each target is visible throughout December, so if one night is cloudy, just pick the next clear night and find a few of them. Our final target, however, is
