The Southern Hemisphere

T H N

Capella

PERSEUS

THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

Algol

Almach T

AURIGA

With Glenn Dawes

M34

R NGC 752 NGC H

Look out for the close encounter of Jupiter E A

N California Nebula California

M36

ANDROMEDA

and Saturn – known as the ‘Great Conjunction’ α

γ Castor

M37

13th

Pollux

1st

31st

When to use this chart

ANDROMEDA

28th

M33

Alpheratz

M35

TRIANGULUM

The chart accurately matches the sky on the

1 Nov at 00:00 AEDT (13:00 UT)

Pleiades Hamal

GEMINI dates and times shown for Sydney, Australia.

15 Nov at 23:00 AEDT (12:00 UT) ε

The sky is different at other times as the stars δ

4th

Aldebaran

30 Nov at 22:00 AEDT (11:00 UT) crossing it set four minutes earlier each night. γ α

ARIES

CANCER

Hyades

Ecliptic

δ 25th

PEGASUS

ORION

Bellatrix

PISCES

CANIS MINOR CANIS

DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS Pegasus

PEGASUS 31st Betelgeuse

December brings a ‘Great Conjunction’ When looking at a star you might Beehive M44

Great Square of Square Great

γ Uranus

Alnilam

Mars

γ Menkar between Jupiter and Saturn. You wonder if it’s bright only because it TAURUS

1st

α β γ

may have noticed them drawing closer, is close to us. That is true for some, but Rosette M78

Procyon

Alrescha

but on the 21st Jupiter overtakes Saturn certainly not the brightest luminaries in α δ

δ LEO

M43

and is just 0.1˚ distant. If you wish to view Orion. Rigel (beta (b)), Bellatrix (gamma (g))

Mira

M50 γ

both in the same eyepiece, they are within and Alnilam (epsilon ( ) Orionis), the centre Winter Triangle

e M42 β

Rigel Equator Celestial

0.5˚ between the 17th and 26th. Although Belt star are all blue/white supergiants with

Sirius CETUS

low in the twilight sky, around 40 minutes masses and temperatures and luminosities γ

CANIS MAJOR CANIS

M48

Circlet

after sunset the planets should still have an that dwarf our Sun. Betelgeuse (alpha (a) MONOCEROS 22nd

Alphard

β γ

δ β

altitude of about 15° from mid-Australian Orionis) is a red supergiant that is half as β

M47

latitudes. On the 17th a thin crescent Moon hot as the Sun, but if it replaced our star its

HYDRA

M41

LEPUS E δ

can be seen 3˚ above the pair. surface would extend past the orbit of Mars. T

A ERIDANUS β

Neptune

PUPPIS

α W

THE PLANETS β

δ γ β 253 NGC Ghost of Jupiter of Ghost CAELUM

COLUMBA HOROLOGIUM

Jupiter and Saturn will be low in the setting in the early morning. They are α

α AQUARIUS

γ α Kaitos Deneb

western twilight sky by the month’s best observed in the evening. Venus

Canopus

end and soon lost in the Sun’s glow. remains the Morning Star and is dropping PYXIS 300 NGC

DORADO

β γ α γ

Neptune is now in the northwest evening towards the Sun. On the morning of the β R δ

α δ

sky, departing around midnight. Mars and 13th, Venus has a close meeting with the γ γ PHOENIX

PICTOR CARINA δ

α EQUULEUS SCULPTOR ε δ

Uranus follow Neptune across the sky, crescent Moon in the eastern dawn sky. β

β RETICULUMα

CRATER Helix

α ANTLIA γ Fomalhaut α γ VELA

β NGC 1466 α β δ β Achernar

DEEP-SKY OBJECTS δ α ζ γ α

The Pleiades open star cluster, M45, eclipsing binary type. Earth happens to be Tarantulaδ NebulaLMC β

β β in Taurus (RA 3h 47.0m, dec. +24° 07’) in the plane of this binary pair’s orbit, so δ β γ γ β contains many double stars, some well we see a regular dimming as the fainter α SMC γ PISCIS R NGC 362 suited for binoculars such as Atlas (27 star passes in front of its brighter α VOLANS MENSA HYDRUS γ β AUSTRINUS α CHAMAELEON Tauri) and Pleione (28 Tauri) at mag. +3.6 companion. RW Tauri spends most of the β GRUS 47 Tucanae S β δ and mag. +5.1 and 5 arcminutes apart, time at 8th magnitude. Every 2.769 days it

and 21 and 22 Tauri, at mag. +5.8 and dims to 12th magnitude and then recovers, Gem Cluster TUCANA

γ γ mag. +6.4 separated by 3 arcminutes. taking eight hours – a close orbit. Charts Southern Pleiades South Celestial Pole β α δ δ with comparison star magnitudes can be α δ

RW Tauri (RA 4h 03.9m, dec. +28° 07’) downloaded from the American β

β γ is an impressive variable star of the Association of Variable Stars (AAVSO). Acrux γ INDUS α δ OCTANS Blue Planetaryδ Nebula δ MUSCA T α α δ γ E T CRUX γ PAVO H β β W E Coal Sack δ β H A β T Chart key β APUS T γ Jewel Box δ STAR α α ASTEROID GALAXY DIFFUSE BRIGHTNESS: γ TRIANGULUMAUSTRALE TRACK CENTAURUS NEBULOSITY MAG. 0 & BRIGHTER α α OPEN CLUSTER CIRCINUS METEOR β DOUBLE STAR MAG. +1 Rigel Kent GLOBULAR RADIANT MAG. +2 CLUSTER VARIABLE STAR QUASAR MAG. +3 α β δ PLANETARY MAG. +4 CORONAAUSTRALIS NEBULA COMET TRACK PLANET & FAINTER γ δ β CHART: PETECHART: LAWRENCE ARA

BBC Sky at Night Magazine December 2020 TH BBC Sky at Night Magazine December 2020