Meteorites are the key to understanding the formation of the planets. As pieces of other worlds and asteroids (some long since destroyed) falling to Earth, they are a veritable treasure trove on the history of the Solar System. In this month's Focus Emily Baldwin and Keith Cooper explore the fascinating world of meteorites, from carbonaceous chondrites to hefty iron meteorites, and the bodies that they hail from. We present a meteorite collector's guide to starting your own collection and highlight some of the most defining meteorite falls and finds that have shaped our understanding of the Solar System.

In our features this month, Keith Cooper finds out about the British-built infrared telescope VISTA – the largest survey telescope ever constructed – which will map the heavens like never before, Neil English reveals that the famous double act of Mizar and Alcor in the familiar asterism of the Plough is hiding more stars than we see at first glance, and Damian Peach travels to the sunny tropical island of Barbados to bag some of the best amateur images of the planets ever taken.

In our extensive night sky section we have double stars in Boötes, an urban sky tour, cracking comets and springtime variable stars and nebulae. Our new society news pages Grassroots Astronomy takes a look at what societies have to offer our youngsters, in Drawn to the Universe Jeremy Perez describes how to sketch M101, and we also review the iOptron MiniTower. All that plus the latest news, products, pictures and more!