Star Charts - A Guide to Constellations in the Southern Hemisphere

There are lots of constellations apparent within the night sky from the southern hemisphere. What you see will in the end depend upon your location plus the season. All those which are southern circumpolar constellations may be observed all year round. Southern Circumpolar Constellations: Apus, Chamaeleon, Circinus, Crux, Dorado, Hydrus, Mensa, Musca, Norma, Octans, Pavo, Triangulum Australe, Tucana, Volans

The following is a list of which constellations are visible during each season in the Southern Hemisphere:

Southern Spring Constellation: Andromeda, Aquarius, Aries, Cetus, Grus, Lacerta, Pegasus, Perseus, Phoenix, Piscis Austrinus, Pisces, Sculptor, Triangulum

Southern Summer Constellations: Auriga, Caelum, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Carin, Columba, Eridanus, Fornax, Gemini, Horologium, Lepus, Monoceros, Orion Antlia, Bo?tes, Cancer, Canes Venatici, Centaurus, Coma Berenices, Corvus, Crater, Hydra, Leo, Leo Minor, Lupus, Lynx, Pyxis, Sextans, Virgo, Pictor, Puppis, Reticulum, Taurus, Vela

Southern Autumn Constellations: Antlia, Bo?tes, Cancer, Canes Venatici, Centaurus, Coma Berenices, Corvus, Crater, Hydra, Leo, Leo Minor, Lupus, Lynx, Pyxis, Sextans, Virgo

Southern Winter Constellations: Aquila, Ara, Capricornus, Corona Australis, Corona Borealis, Cygnus, Hercules, Delphinus, Equuleus, Indus, Libra, Lyra, Microscopium, Ophiuchus, Scorpius, Scutum, Serpens, Sagitta, Sagittarius, Telescopium, Vulpecula

What most people find surprising when they first start to learn about southern hemisphere stargazing is that although the Southern Cross is depicted on Australia and New Zealand flags giving it worldwide exposure it is not the most striking of night sky features. In fact it is quite small and faint and you have to know exactly where to look - more on that later. In the southern hemisphere, there is no bright pole star as there is a north star for the northern hemisphere. However, once you locate the Southern Cross it quickly becomes your constant point of reference when looking for other constellations. A star map or planisphere is useful in helping you locate constellations as you can turn the dials to represent the date so you get an image of what to look for on your map. Just be sure to get one specific for the southern hemisphere!

So, to navigate a southern hemisphere night sky you must first locate the Southern Cross. Handy then that the Southern Cross is circumpolar in that it can be seen all year round - except in September to early November when it does dip below the horizon. When first looking up at a southern hemisphere night sky you will be amazed by how pronounced the Milky Way is. The Milky Way is easily recognised as a broad band of slightly lighter sky stretching across the centre of the skies from south to north, packed with many brilliant stars. You must orientate yourself to face to the South, on doing so you should be able to identify two very bright stars in the Milky Way quite near the horizon, one roughly above the other. These are - from above down - beta Centauri (Hadar) and alpha Centauri (Rigil Kentauri). These bright stars are often referred to as "The Pointers" as they point toward the Southern Cross. Drawing a visual line from alpha through beta, continue up a very short distance and you will encounter the Cross lying on its left side. From here you can locate the remaining constellations using the Cross as your reference point.

You do not need specialist equipment to view the night sky and stargaze. However, the benefits of a planisphere cannot be underestimated and a small pair of binoculars will be a great help assuming you have no light pollution interference to worry about. For more advanced astronomers or hobbyists a telescope is the next step up or purchase and can be really useful once you have learnt to identify quite a few constellations and have become more familiar with navigating around between them.

Another excellent source of star charts can be the wide variety of computer software options available. There are a number of excellent planetarium-style programs available. You could also do a web search to find a planetarium program online. A visit to your local planetarium would give you a background before going out into the field yourself.

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