Here's a helpful tip: Take Sky & Telescope's 30°S planisphere with you in your travels to help you identify constellations. Click on the image to view a Are they always visible? You can … It was officially designated by the IDA in 2012. Jupiter, Saturn to merge in night sky, closest in 794 years: Qatar Calendar House . A total solar eclipse will roll through Chile and Argentina on July 2, 2019, centered on the Elqui Valley, home to professional telescopes and dozens of boutique observatories. If you never tire of glimpsing the Andromeda Galaxy with the naked eye under dark country skies from the Northern Hemisphere, you'll love seeing a 13 billion-year old globular cluster with zero equipment. During their peak in November, they climb high in the sky and disappear in the northwest before dawn. Also from when an object rises to when they set the orientation is 'inverted' from horizon to horizon no matter where you live. It's more than one star — Alpha Centauri A, a Sun-like star, and its companion, the slightly less massive Alpha Centauri B, actually form a triple with Proxima Centauri (technically the nearest at just 4.22 light-years). Jupiter passes its neighbor Saturn in their respective laps around the sun every 20 years. The article is written for residents of the northern hemisphere. Having said that, it is still ridiculous to say there is any 'up' when you are dealing with a spherical (or spheroidal) object. The third brightest star in the night sky, Alpha Centauri is just 4.37 light-years away. Might tip the scale IMO. 100 Things to See in the Southern Night Sky: From Planets and Satellites to Meteors and Constellations, Your Guide to Stargazing DEC 2020 I JAN 2021 I FEB 2021 The warmer Summer nights are an ideal time to start learning key landmarks of the night sky. The southern night sky contains a greater range of interesting features than does the northern. To southerners, it's a near-constant companion of Sirius, seen from October through May. March 2, 2018 In Australia, The Milky Way is highest in the cooler months of the year (from around May to October). I may have missed it within the article, but I did not see what time of year the Megallanic Clouds are visible. First look north and find the three bright stars in a line, often called ‘The Pot’. September 25, 2014, By: Alan MacRobert How and when to see Alpha Centauri, southern star patterns such as the Southern Cross, and many other celestial sights on a trip south of the equator. The southern temperate zone, a subsection of the Southern Hemisphere, is nearly all oceanic. changes, size differences from star charts to real size, and unfamiliarity. If you make it to clear, dark skies and let your eyes adjust, the sight of two unexpected clouds might surprise you. Sorry if I missed this. All three stars appear as a single point to the naked eye, but a 3-inch telescope with 100× magnification can split Alpha Centauri A and B. Alpha Centauri is circumpolar, so it’s visible year-round south of the equator, but it’s at its highest from March to September. Paperback. The North Star, Polaris, isn’t visible and the circumpolar northern constellations, such as the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, Draco, and Cepheus become seasonal. Beta The Interactive Night Sky Map simulates the sky above New York on a date of your choice. This is our Milky Way galaxy, and such a dramatic view is not possible Dutch-American astronomer Bart Bok once famously stated that “the Southern Hemisphere holds all the good stuff,” and he was right. My last post showed Orion and the winter sky disappearing into the west, from home in Alberta.. It’s a massive star nursery, much like the Orion Nebula (M42), but on an entirely different scale. December 21, 2020: Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. By: Alan MacRobert Great question: Look for the Large Magellanic Cloud in the evening from December to April; the Small Magellanic Cloud can be seen in the evening from late October through January. Spring | For the best viewing, find a safe location away from bright city lights, lie flat on the ground with your feet pointing south and look up. larger size. In late winter and early spring, they will only be visible for a few hours, traveling east to west across the southern part of the sky. Because of its distinct properties, astronomers think it might be the nucleus of a dwarf galaxy that long ago collided with the Milky Way. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, Observation - The Night Sky - Southern Hemisphere. When are they highest in the sky for optimal viewing? A total solar eclipse will roll through Chile and Argentina, See a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid From Your Backyard. Read more about the great conjunction of 2020. The earth is a sphere. Face the southern sky. The summer solstice for the southern hemisphere occurs on December 21st this year. It shows constellations you can see from mid-southern latitudes such as Sydney, Cape Town or Wellington in mid-month, at 10pm local time. To help you learn about the southern night sky, Sydney Observatory provides an audio guide/podcast, transcript of that audio, and a sky map or chart each month. Nearby is the Coalsack, a dark nebula best viewed with the naked eye or binoculars.