The Latest Breaking News from Nigel Henbest

Stargazing in March: Behold, the Beehive Cluster

Binoculars or a small telescope will show you why these swarming stars have given the glowing cloud Praesepe its nickname, Nigel Henbest writes

The Independent UK · Dec 4, 2025

Stargazing in March: Leo’s leading light

The month begins with the brilliant planets Venus and Jupiter up close and personal in the west as the sky grows dark, writes Nigel Henbest

The Independent UK · Mar 2, 2023

Stargazing in November: A sky of heavenly shenanigans

After traipsing left to right for the past four months, in late November Jupiter slows to a standstill, and then reverses its course, writes Nigel Henbest

The Independent UK · Nov 3, 2022

Stargazing in April: Catch the wolf’s tail this month

We see the zodiacal light most clearly when the line of the zodiac rises almost vertically above the horizon, writes Nigel Henbest

The Independent UK · Apr 6, 2022

Stargazing in March: A jewel box above our heads

While the gemstones at a jewellery shop owe their kaleidoscopic colours to the variety of elements they contain, a star’s colour depends on only one factor, its temperature, writes Nigel Henbest

The Independent UK · Mar 9, 2022

Stargazing in February: What Chinese astronomers saw almost 1,000 years ago

Ancient records can help pinpoint the birth of the Crab Nebula, writes Nigel Henbest

The Independent UK · Feb 3, 2022