JULY

The lives of stars

This month The Sky at Night team look at the lives of stars. Chris investigates why Betelgeuse dimmed in late 2019 and speaks to researchers who’ve been photographing the star using the Very Large Telescope. Maggie wonders what the discovery of the brightest ever supernova means for our understanding of stars, while Lucie looks closer to home and reveals the science of our own Sun. Pete tries his luck at imaging a new supernova in galaxy M61.

Four, 12 July, 10pm (first repeat Four, 16 July, 7.30pm)

Check www.bbc.co.uk/skyatnight for more up-to-date information

The surface of Betelgeuse, as seen by the VLT in December 2019