Australian monthly night sky guides

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 it 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. The year had 10 months and ended in December which make sense doesn’t it? January and February were added later.

The warm summer evenings in December provide an excellent opportunity to go outside and enjoy a comfortable view of the night sky. The clouds of Magellan, our closest visible galaxies, are easily seen in the south from dark locations. The famous ′saucepan’ or Orion’s belt and sword dominate the eastern sky along with the dazzling Sirius the dog-star. The Geminid meteor shower peaks early mid month and is one of the best chances to see shooting stars all year. Geoffrey Wyatt from the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences’ Sydney Observatory will help you navigate through the brighter stars, constellations, lore and December’s key events.

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 it rises in the East and passes overhead. As we head toward the longest night of the year, the winter solstice, clearly you've noticed it's cold. If you're going outside to look at the stars, you will need some supplies.

This month's guide is presented by Dr Nick Lomb, Sydney Observatory's Curator of Astronomy. Nick takes us on a tour of the stars and constellations prominent in the January sky, including Betelgeuse and Rigel in Orion, Aldebaran in Taurus, and Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, in the constellation Canis Major. In the evenings in January, you should be able to see the bright planet Jupiter, Venus, Mars and, briefly, Mercury. In the mornings Jupiter and Saturn will be visible, with the gibbous Moon near Jupiter on 8th, and the crescent Moon near Saturn on 16th January.

This month's guide is presented by Geoffrey Wyatt, Astronomy Educator at Sydney Observatory. Among Geoff's recommendations for viewing in the southern sky this month are Fomalhaut, the brightest star in Piscis Austrinus (the Southern Fish), Achernar, the brightest star in Eridanus (the River), Orion (the Hunter) within which you can find the beautiful nebula, M42, and Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus (the Bull). He also tells you where to find the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Geoff's engaging presentation includes fascinating ancient Greek and even more ancient Indigenous astronomical mythologies. And don't forget to look out for the Geminid meteor shower on 14th and 15th 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, Mel tells us the best times to see the bright planets Venus and Jupiter. Mel also tells us where we can hope to see Comet C/2012 K1 PanSTARRS during November.

This month, find out 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 about some good photo opportunities from 25th to 28th October when the crescent Moon passes by Saturn, then Antares and finally, Mars. And of course, there is the Orionids meteor shower to look out for during the nights and pre-dawn during October.

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

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