Every planetary surface bears scars in the form of impact craters from collisions by asteroids and comets, but what exactly controls the size and shape of these features? How does a land, sea or ice impact influence a crater’s morphology? How is the threat to any given impact rated, what role to impact events have in transporting material across the Solar System and how can future astronomers exploit the Moon’s craters? Emily Baldwin explores these themes in this month’s Focus.

Why is the Universe the way it is? Alan Longstaff explores the principles governing our finely tuned Universe. Expert astro-imager Nik Szymanek is on hand to guide you through taking the perfect image of the Crab Nebula and Keith Cooper delves deep into the heart of the galactic centre. In Starting from Scratch Carole Stott takes us on a tour of the inner planets, while in Tech Talk Martin Mobberley explains narrowband imaging and in Gearheads Steve Ringwood chronicles his struggles in constructing a device to observe transient lunar phenomena on the Moon.

Plus full news updates, Ask Alan, equipment and book reviews, and a special pull-out guide to this month’s AstroFest conference and exhibition.