
Images online, whether from the space based or large ground based telescopes are undoubtedly incredible, however there are a few things to consider about these images, compared to when viewing these objects through a telescope:
Camera images (from telescopes) are taken with extremely expensive, high-tech equipment, that will have the ability to do super long exposure images, that are then edited and they will have gathered light our eyes can't see (infrared and x-ray). These instruments are more sensitive to light than the human eye and some have been taken outside the disturbance of Earth's atmosphere.

Viewing objects through a telescope is an incredible and mind blowing experience. It's the most natural, raw way you will see the planets, the moon, stars and anything else that resides amongst our cosmos. These sights are truly inspiring and we never know how it will affect people emotionally, some people cry, some people jump up and down and others have a smile from ear to ear.
Please bare in mind, although you will not see images quite like the space images, what you do see through the telescope will leave you astonished and forever remembering when you first saw them with your own two eyes.
This month offers some fantastic naked-eye targets for observers in the UK. The evening sky is dominated by two brilliant planets, while the middle of the month brings the return of one of the oldest recorded meteor showers, originating from the debris of Comet Thatcher.
Here are a few areas we can focus on:
April 2026 skies offer a transition from the bright winter targets to the deep-sky treasures of spring. With a telescope, we can look beyond the naked-eye views to observe specific planetary features, hunt down elusive comets, or travel millions of light-years away to view distant galaxies. Interestingly, skywatchers were hoping to catch the highly anticipated sungrazing Comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS) this week, but it actually just broke apart during its close encounter with the Sun yesterday!
Here are three areas we can focus our telescopic exploration on: