Australian monthly night sky guides

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.

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.

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