Australian Monthly Night Sky Guides

Hello and welcome to the Night Sky for November 2018, my name is Melissa Hulbert and I'm the Astronomy Programs Coordinator at Sydney Observatory. Before we start our Night Sky Tour make sure you download the November Sky Map from our website. It can be found under the Observations Blog tab.

Hello and welcome to the Night Sky for October 2018, this is Andrew Jacob and I'm the curator at Sydney Observatory, part of Sydney's Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. Come on a tour of the night sky with me. Learn what stars and constellations are visible, where to find the planets, and what special events are happening overhead this month.

Hello there. I’m Geoffrey Wyatt, one of the team here at Sydney Observatory, part of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. I’m going to talk to you about what’s visible in the sky for the month of September.

Hello and welcome to the night sky guide for August. My name is Melissa Hulbert and I’m the Astronomy Programs Coordinator at Sydney Observatory. Armed with your sky map and a small torch with some red cellophane covering it, find a nice dark place away from the glare of the street lights and make sure you know your cardinal directions – that’s north, south, east and west. Remember that the Sun rises in the east, moves through the northern sky during the day and sets in the west or a small compass will also point you in the right direction. Pick a comfortable spot either on a rug or a deck chair that you can lay back in. Wait about 5-10 minutes and allow your eyes to adapt to the darkness.

Let us begin our tour of the night sky by looking towards the south. If you’re facing south in the early evening and you look high in the sky, 60 degrees or 3 hand-spans up from the horizon, you should be able to see two bright stars, almost side by side about three fingers-width apart. If you’re in a bright, light polluted location, such as central Sydney, they may be the only two stars you can see in that direction. Away from the city and other bright lights, they will be the brightest pair of stars you see towards the south.

In the June sky guide I’m going to be talking to you about what’s in the sky for the month of Junius, the fourth month of the old Roman calendar as created by Romulus around 735 BC. After Julius Caesar’s last year of confusion and reform in 46 BC, it became the sixth month of the year, June.

In the May sky guide, as well as showing us where to find the constellations Orion, Scorpius, Centaurus and Crux, and the star clusters, the Jewel Box, M6 and M7, Melissa tells us the best times to see the five planets visible with the unaided eye: Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn and the best time to see the Eta-Aquarid meteor shower.

March, named in honour of the Roman god of war, Mars. We're going to start our tour of the night sky by looking west shortly after sunset. When I say, 'shortly after sunset', you do need some time for it to get dark. You might be wait 20-30 minutes or up to an hour, but look to where the Sun went down and that will be west.

This month's guide is presented by Melissa Hulbert, Sydney Observatory's Astronomy Programs Coordinator. In the February sky guide, as well as showing us where to find the constellations Pegasus, Orion and Taurus, and the star clusters, Hyades and Pleiades, Melissa tells us the best times to see the planets Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.

'For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky' as said by Antoine de Saint-Exupery from The Little Prince. That you are here listening to this would seem to indicate that you are a traveler and I will help you on your journey through the night sky. This is Geoffrey Wyatt and I'm one of the Education team here at the Museum of Applied Arts Sciences' Sydney Observatory, I'm going to talk to you about what's visible in the sky for the month of December.

In the November sky guide, as well as showing us where to find the constellations Pegasus, Orion and Taurus, and the star clusters, Hyades and Pleiades, Melissa tells us the best times to see the planets Saturn, Mercury, Mars, Venus and Jupiter.

Sydney Observatory astronomy experts guide you through the highlights of this month's night sky - with fascinating information about the transit of Venus, stars, constellations and planets, the Sun and the Moon, astronomical history and mythologies.

This month, learn how to find the South Celestial Pole, and where to find stars and constellations including Crux (the Southern Cross) and the Pointer stars, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, the bright star Antares at the heart of Scorpius. Andrew also tells us how to find the planets Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury in the evening sky. And when to look out for the meteors of the Orionid meteor shower.

Hello there. I'm Geoffrey Wyatt, one of the team here at Sydney Observatory, part of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. I'm going to talk to you about what's visible in the sky for the month of September.

Mel suggests stars and constellations to look out for this month include Scorpius, with the red star at its heart, Antares; Sagittarius, which looks more like a teapot than a centaur; Crux, more commonly known as the Southern Cross; and Ophiuchus, the 13th sign of the zodiac! Mel also tells us the best times and dates to see the planets Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mercury.

This month, learn how to find the winter constellations. Take the sting out of cold winter nights by identifying the Scorpion in the sky and searching for star clusters in the Milky Way. Watch the dance of Jupiter's moons and see Venus replace the eye of the Bull, Taurus.

In my opinion, the month of June each year is the best time of the year to go outside, as long as it's clear and you are warm, to look up and enjoy the view of the Milky Way as the bright centre around Scorpius and Sagittarius rises in the East and passes overhead.

Did you know that March, or Martius used to be the first month of the year according to the old Roman calendar as formulated by Romulus around 753BCE.

Learn about the southern night sky with our monthly guide and star map.

Learn about the southern night sky with our monthly guide and star map.