R O T H N α Capella δ α PERSEUS β THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE Algol Almach T AURIGA S υ β E N γ W With Glenn Dawes O H R T M34 T R NGC 752 NGC H O Look out for the close encounter of Jupiter E A N California Nebula California M36 β S β T δ R ANDROMEDA and Saturn – known as the ‘Great Conjunction’ α γ Castor M37 δ β RW 13th Pollux β 1st α 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) α Pleiades Hamal GEMINI dates and times shown for Sydney, Australia. 15 Nov at 23:00 AEDT (12:00 UT) ε V β The sky is different at other times as the stars δ 4th δ 1 Aldebaran δ 30 Nov at 22:00 AEDT (11:00 UT) crossing it set four minutes earlier each night. γ α ARIES γ CANCER Hyades γ γ Ecliptic δ 25th PEGASUS ORION Bellatrix PISCES CANIS MINOR CANIS DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS Pegasus X PEGASUS 31st Betelgeuse α γ December brings a ‘Great Conjunction’ When looking at a star you might Beehive M44 Great Square of Square Great γ Uranus β Alnilam Mars γ Menkar between Jupiter and Saturn. You wonder if it’s bright only because it TAURUS 1st α W δ α β γ may have noticed them drawing closer, is close to us. That is true for some, but Rosette M78 Procyon Alrescha α δ β but on the 21st Jupiter overtakes Saturn certainly not the brightest luminaries in α δ δ δ LEO M43 and is just 0.1˚ distant. If you wish to view Orion. Rigel (beta (b)), Bellatrix (gamma (g)) Mira δ M50 γ both in the same eyepiece, they are within and Alnilam (epsilon ( ) Orionis), the centre Winter Triangle e M42 β β Rigel Equator Celestial 0.5˚ between the 17th and 26th. Although Belt star are all blue/white supergiants with Sirius CETUS α low in the twilight sky, around 40 minutes masses and temperatures and luminosities γ α CANIS MAJOR CANIS M48 Circlet α after sunset the planets should still have an that dwarf our Sun. Betelgeuse (alpha (a) MONOCEROS 22nd Alphard γ β γ δ β altitude of about 15° from mid-Australian Orionis) is a red supergiant that is half as β M47 γ 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 S Neptune α E S PUPPIS T α W γ THE PLANETS β δ γ β 253 NGC Ghost of Jupiter of Ghost CAELUM δ 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 α 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 Uranus follow Neptune across the sky, crescent Moon in the eastern dawn sky. ε δ β δ β RETICULUMα CRATER Helix α ANTLIA γ Fomalhaut α γ VELA β α δ NGC 1466 β α Achernar β 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 AUSTRINUS β 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 South Celestial Pole Southern Pleiades α δ β δ α δ with comparison star magnitudes can be β RW Tauri (RA 4h 03.9m, dec. +28° 07’) downloaded from the American γ β is an impressive variable star of the Association of Variable Stars (AAVSO). Acrux γ INDUS S α δ OCTANS O Blue Planetaryδ Nebula δ MUSCA T α α S U δ γ E T CRUX γ PAVO H β β W E Coal Sack δ β H A β T Chart key S β APUS U T γ Jewel Box δ O S STAR α α ASTEROID GALAXY DIFFUSE BRIGHTNESS: γ TRIANGULUMAUSTRALE CENTAURUS TRACK MAG. 0 NEBULOSITY & BRIGHTER α α OPEN CLUSTER β CIRCINUS METEOR 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 δ & FAINTER β γ CHART: PETECHART: LAWRENCE ARA BBC Sky at Night Magazine December 2020 SOUTH BBC Sky at Night Magazine December 2020.