R O T H N MAJOR URSA T THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE S AURIGA E N W O LYNX H With Glenn Dawes R T T R H β O E A Spot the peak of the Alpha Centaurid meteor N M36 GEMINI S T α shower and enjoy a view of the stars in Orion’s Belt LEO MINOR LEO Almach Castor α M37 CANCER Pollux γ β When to use this chart M35 ANDROMEDA 22nd β M44 Beehive M44 Sickle The chart accurately matches the sky on the 1 Feb at 00:00 AEDT (13:00 UT) LEO δ dates and times shown for Sydney, Australia. γ γ 25th 15 Feb at 23:00 AEDT (12:00 UT) δ The sky is different at other times as the stars δ 31 Feb at 22:00 AEDT (11:00 UT) crossing it set four minutes earlier each night. X γ BERENICES Ecliptic Rosette Nebula Rosette M64 Betelgeuse COMA CANIS MINOR CANIS α Regulus α δ M66 M86 β α β FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTS STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS “V” 28th M87 Aldebaran α β δ ORION The Alpha Centaurids is one of the The three distinctive Belt stars of α γ Winter Triangle Winter Procyon Alpheratz few meteor showers that’s exclusive Orion are possibly the most easily Hyades to the Southern Hemisphere. Active from recognised asterism visible from anywhere M60 α M49 HYDRA γ δ 31 January to 20 February, its peak is in the world. From left to right (west β M78 st 1 VIRGO δ TAURUS MONOCEROS expected on the 8th. With a new Moon on to east) Mintaka (Delta (d) Orionis), W α M48 ζ the 12th, the evenings through to the early Alnilam (Epsilon ( ) Orionis) and Alnitak δ e ε γ β M50 α M43 Alphard morning at peak offer dark skies. Although (Zeta (z) Orionis) are all hot stars Venus of Mirror Sirius γ β peak rates can be low (five per hour), it (O or B spectral classes). Alnilam and CRATER M47 γ δ compensates by producing bright yellow Alnitak are blue supergiants and are α M42 β β α or blue coloured fireballs that leave trains. only dimmed to second magnitude Rigel ξ Ghost of Jupiter of Ghost ρ ANTLIA PYXIS α γ The Alpha Centaurids radiant is close to by distance, about 2,000 and 1,200 γ M41 M104 γ PUPPIS E T Celestial Equator Celestial β Alpha ( ) Centauri and Beta ( ) Centauri. lightyears away, respectively. δ a b A S Spica δ δ E S β CORVUS γ α α δ T W α β α LEPUS Cr 135 Cr ζ THE PLANETS γ CANIS MAJOR π β Ahadi NGC 2298 NGC The evening skies are sparse with start of twilight midmonth. Mercury β γ R only Mars and Uranus on offer, both follows these outer planets into the γ Canopus 4th setting close to 23:00 midmonth. Likewise, morning and catches up. Low in the early ο the morning offers little until dawn. After eastern dawn sky, these planets are seen VELA δ ERIDANUS COLUMBA Eta Carina Nebula last month, Saturn then Jupiter appears passing Venus; Saturn is closest on the M83 False Cross β CAELUM out of the solar glow, rising around the 6th with Jupiter and Mercury on the 14th. EQUULEUS δ α α CENTAURUS CARINA α R PICTOR γ LIBRA γ β α DEEP-SKY OBJECTS CRUX γ δ α ε δ β α FORNAX w Cen β γ The naked-eye star Pi (p) Puppis, or Move 6° west of Collinder 135 NGC 2397 β β γ δ Ahadi (RA 7h 17.1m dec. –37° 06’) is a to discover the globular cluster DORADO Coal Acrux α VOLANS double, offering colour contrast with mag. NGC 2298 (RA 6h 49.0m, dec. -36° 00’). Sack Tarantula Nebulaα Jewel Box β α α α LMC +2.9 and +7.9 components, yellow and blue It is fainter (at mag. +9.3) and smaller Alpha Centaurids HOROLOGIUM β γ γ δ α Peak 08 Feb γ R respectively, separated by 1 arcminute. than many globulars with a halo only β β δ δ Pi Puppis is also the brightest member around 3 arcminutes across and a β Hadar MENSA RETICULUM MUSCA β γ of a large open cluster, Collinder 135. Its few scattered faint stars around the δ Rigel Kent LUPUS α CHAMAELEON most distinctive feature is three mag. +5.0 edge. The brightness rises quickly α δ δ blue stars (two close together) in a line to a 2-arcminute core which plateaus, β α γ South Celestial Pole forming an isosceles triangle with Pi showing little further brightening near γ γ Achernar α γ Puppis, fitting in a 0.5° diameter circle. the centre. CIRCINUS S γ OCTANS HYDRUS δ O α T δ β S U NORMA β E T TRIANGULUMδ APUS β SMC H W E γ 47 Tucanae H A AUSTRALE α β T Chart key S β U T PHOENIX O S STAR ASTEROID BRIGHTNESS: GALAXY DIFFUSE α TRACK γ NEBULOSITY MAG. 0 δ OPEN CLUSTER & BRIGHTER ARA β METEOR α DOUBLE STAR MAG. +1 GLOBULAR RADIANT δ γ β MAG. +2 CLUSTER VARIABLE STAR QUASAR MAG. +3 δ γ PLANETARY PAVO α COMET TRACK MAG. +4 TUCANA CORONAAUSTRALIS NEBULA PLANET & FAINTER CHART: PETECHART: LAWRENCE BBC Sky at Night Magazine February 2021 SOUTH BBC Sky at Night Magazine February 2021.