The night sky this month

Northern Hemisphere

Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the northern hemisphere night sky during October 2015.

The Stars

To the south in early evening - moving over to the west as the night progresses is the beautiful region of the Milky Way containing both Cygnus and Lyra. Below is Aquilla. The three bright stars Deneb (in Cygnus), Vega (in Lyra) and Altair (in Aquila) make up the "Summer Triangle". East of Cygnus is the great square of Pegasus - adjacent to Andromeda in which lies M31, the Andromeda Nebula. To the north lies "w" shaped Cassiopeia with Perseus below.

The Square of Pegasus is in the south during the evening and forms the body of the winged horse. The square is marked by 4 stars of 2nd and 3rd magnitude, with the top left hand one actually forming part of the constellation Andromeda. The sides of the square are almost 15 degrees across, about the width of a clentched fist, but it contains few stars visibe to the naked eye. If you can see 5 then you know that the sky is both dark and transparent! Three stars drop down to the right of the bottom right hand corner of the square marked by Alpha Pegasi, Markab. A brighter star Epsilon Pegasi is then a little up to the right, at 2nd magnitude the brightest star in this part of the sky. A little further up and to the right is the Globular Cluster M15. It is just too faint to be seen with the naked eye, but binoculars show it clearly as a fuzzy patch of light just to the right of a 6th magnitude star.

The Planets

• Jupiter is one of the pre-dawn planets that we can observe this month. Shining at magnitude -1.7 (increasing to -1.8 during the month) it starts the month as the lowest of the pre-dawn planets and will be just 12 degrees above the eastern horizon as dawn breaks. It rises earlier as the month progresses moving upwards towards Regulus under the body of Leo, the lion, and will meet with Mars on the 17th of the month. As the Earth moves towards Jupiter, the size of Jupiter's disk increases slightly from 31.4 to 33 arc seconds so early risers should be able to easily observe the equatorial bands in the atmosphere and the four Gallilean moons as they weave their way around it.
• Saturn may be seen at the start of October, shining at magnitude +0.6 at an elevation of ~7 degrees low in the southwest about 45 minutes after sunset. As the month progresses it will become increasingly hard to spot in the evening twilight. It starts the month in eastern Libra setting around 2 hours after the Sun but passes into Scorpius on the 16th and is less than one degree above Beta Scorpii on the 26th of the month. By month's end it sets one hour after the Sun. Sadly, the atmosphere will seriously limit our view of its ~15 arc second disk and rings - now open ~24 degrees to the line of sight. We will have to wait for a few months until it can be seen in the pre-dawn sky.
• Mercury is also a pre-dawn object this month becoming visible (at magnitude +0.3) about the 11th close to a thin crescent Moon - but just 8 degrees above the horizon some 40 minutes before sunrise. Binoculars may well be needed to spot it. At this time Mercury will lie 20 degrees below Jupiter. Mercury reaches greatest elongation west on the 16th but falls back towards the Sun brightening to magnitude -1 as it does so but becoming increasingly difficult to spot.
• Mars is also a pre-dawn object starting the month almost halfway between Venus (above) and Jupiter (below) shining at magnitude +1.8 some 23 degrees above the eastern horizon an hour before sunrise. On the mornings of the 17th and 18th, Mars, then at magnitude +1.7 is less than half a degree away from magnitude -1.8 Jupiter whose disk will appear almost exactly 8 time wider than Mars. With Mar's disk still just 4 arc seconds across no details will be seen on its salmon-pink surface (unless, of course, you have access to the Hubble Telescope).
• Venus, shining initially at magnitude -4.7, will dominate the pre-dawn sky this month and will be some 30 degrees above the horizon as dawn breaks at the start of the month. On the 26th of the month it reaches greatest elongation west some 46 degrees away in angular distance from the Sun. It rises some four hours before the Sun though its disk may not appear half-lit until several days later. Venus's apparent diameter shrinks from 33 to 23 arc second during the month but at the same time the percentage of its disk which is illuminated (its phase) increases from 35 to 53 percent. As a result, the effective area reflecting the Sun's ligh remains almost constant which is why the magnitude only drops to -4.5 by month's end.

The Moon

Best seen just before Third Quarter, Mons Piton is an isolated lunar mountain located in the eastern part of Mare Imbrium, south-east of the crater Plato and west of the crater Cassini. It has a diameter of 25 km and a height of 2.3 km. Its height was determined by the length of the shadow it casts. Cassini is a 57km crater that has been flooded with lava. The crater floor has then been impacted many times and holds within its borders two significant craters, Cassini A, the larger and Cassini B.

Highlights

• Uranus comes into opposition on the night of the 11th/12th of October, so will be seen well this month - particularly from around opposition when no moonlight will intrude. Its magnitude is +5.9 so Uranus should be easily spotted in binoculars lying in the southern part of Pisces to the east of the Circlet asterism and east-southeast of 4th magnitude stars Epsilon Piscium and Delta Piscium as shown on the chart. It rises to an elevation of ~45 degrees when due south. Given a telescope of 4 inches it should be possible to see that it has a disk (3.6 arc seconds across) which has a pale green-blue tint. With an 8 inch telescope and good seeing, perhaps using a green filter it may even be possible to see some detail in the planet's cloud features which appear to be more prominent than usual. Four of its satellites, Arial(+14.4), Umbrial(+15), Titania (+13.9) and Oberon (+14.1) can also be seen given a night of good seeing and a telescope of 8 inches diameter or more.
• On October 8th and 9th The planets Venus, Mars and Jupiter will be joined by a thin crescent Moon in the eastern sky one hour before sunrise. Jupiter is closing in on Mars and it might just be possible to spot Mercury lying just above the horizon if you have a very clear view in this direction.
• Mercury may be easier to spot on October 11th 30 minutes before sunrise when, given clear skies and a low eastern horizon, you should be able to spot it just two and a half degrees to the lower left of a very thin crescent Moon.
• On October 17th, one hour before sunrise and if clear, you should be able to spot Mars (shining at magnitude +1.7) just 24 arc minutes to the left of Jupiter (magnitude -1.8). Venus, at magnitude -4.4, will then be lying 6 degrees to their upper right.

Southern Hemisphere

Haritina Mogosanu from the Carter Observatory in New Zealand tells us about the southern hemisphere night sky during October 2015. Click here for the full, fantastic transcript of her starrytelling.

Cats and crosses

We will start our journey of the October Night sky pointing at the Southern Cross, or Crux, and first turn South. At night south is opposite from the part of the sky known as the ecliptic, where we can see the Sun and the planets and the Moon. In the Southern Hemisphere the ecliptic goes through the northern part of the sky. Always pointing to the Southern Cross in the southwest are 'The Pointers ', Beta and Alpha Centauri, making a vertical pair at about 60 degrees declination south. Alpha Centauri, the top Pointer, is the closest naked eye star at 4.3 light years away, and it's the third brightest star in the entire sky. Beta Centauri is a blue-giant star, very hot and very luminous, hundreds of light years away. This, our most famous constellation, is also the smallest of the 88 constellations of the sky, covering a patch of only 68 square degrees. The Southern Cross is a constellation within the sky-river of the Milky Way. Being so small it fits almost perfectly in the white flow of the stars. The Southern Cross is the home of the beautiful open cluster Jewel Box or NGC 4755, which to the naked eye appears like a fuzzy patch. A telescope would reveal stars that shine in many colours and they are very beautiful. Opposite the Southern Cross, also within the milky way, and circumpolar to the Northern Hemisphere, is Cassiopeia, the W queen.

Lower in the sky than the Southern Cross in October is the Diamond Cross, an asterism in the southern constellation of Carina. Pointing towards the Milky Way at one side, adjacent to Theta Carinae, is a small open cluster visible with binoculars. Theta Carinae marks the northeastern end of the Diamond Cross asterism and it's also the brightest star in the open star cluster IC 2602. The cluster is also known as the Running Man or the Southern Pleiades, but to me it has always looked like the letter M. Also in the constellation of Carina, one of the most spectacular stars of the Southern Sky, Eta Carinae is a stellar system containing at least two stars with a combined luminosity over five million times that of the Sun. I have seen eta Carinae looking though a 40 cm Boller and Chivens telescope here at the Space Place at Carter Observatory in Wellington. Or to be more precise, I have seen the Homunculus nebula. It looked like a tiny hourglass. This is probably the most spectacular deep sky memory I have from the Southern Hemisphere.

From a star invisible to the naked eye let's jump onto the other side of the magnitude scale. Let's look at the brightest star from Carina - Canopus, the famous navigator of the golden fleece ship, Argo Navis. In Maori this star is called Atutahi and he is the Chief of all the stars in the sky. Low in the southeast, Canopus can be seen at dusk, often twinkling colourfully. It swings up into the eastern sky during the night. Canopus is a circumpolar star as seen from Wellington. Not only is Canopus the brightest star from Carina but it is also the second brightest star in the entire sky to our naked eye. As many astronomers from New Zealand call their cats Canopus, the star is also known here as The Cat Star.

Now onto our last cross, the False cross is yet another asterism in the flow of the milky way. It belongs to the constellation of vela. A bit bigger than the Southern Cross, it looks almost identical but you can tell that is the false cross because it doesn't have pointer stars pointing at it. Both the Diamond Cross and the False Cross are sometimes mistaken for the true Crux, although the False Cross has always been a worse deceiver than the Diamond Cross, because most of its stars have approximately the same declinations as the stars of Crux. The story goes here in New Zealand that whoever followed the False Cross ended up in Australia...

An astronomical menagerie

Scorpius- the official name of the constellation, which is only a patch in the sky, has an eye catching asterism in it, that looks like everything it was named after: scorpion, fish hook, dragon, and many other things. Visible from New Zealand at this time of the year you can find it if you follow the two pointers of the Southern Cross in the opposite direction. Above them, lays Triangulum Australe, below is Lupus the wolf. In front of them, the fish hook of the ancient navigator Maui, almost dragged the Milky Way down from the sky. According to the Maori legend it will continue to do so all throughout October. Rehua the Maori name for Antares, marks the bait of the hook. Above Scorpius-the fish hook is Corona Australis, the Southern Crown, a round group of stars that look like fireworks spreading apart. Or the teaspoon of the teapot, according to some who like tea. As observed from the Northern Hemisphere, the asterism is a scorpion which only goes up above the horizon for thirty degrees, which makes it seem to rather crawl around the horizon like a gigantic scorpion would do. Here in Aotearoa New Zealand because of our position on Earth, Scorpius climbs all the way up to Zenith, which is why the fishing hook was considered the zenith asterism of New Zealand by the ancient Maori navigators. Below the fish hook Saturn is currently the only planet in the evening sky. It is midway down the western sky at dusk and sets in the southwest around 10 pm mid-month. The moon is just below Saturn on the 16th and well to its right on the 17th.

Going back on the path of The Milky Way, right at the center of it, a spectacular bird guards the center of our galaxy. This is the Milky Way Kiwi, a shape made from dark dust within the milky way. Sliding down the Milky Way, towards north, the skyline meets the horizon near Vega. Vega is setting in the late evening. Vega is 50 times brighter than the Sun shining from 25 light years away. Vega is the 5th brightest star. Looking in the same direction as for Vega but in the morning, you will notice the Dog Star, Sirius. Sirius is a blue giant and the brightest star in the sky, twice as bright as Canopus, the cat star. Neighbouring it, in the constellation of Orion, Betelgeuse, in Maori Putara is a familiar star located in the shoulder of Orion. This red supergiant star has a radius of 950-1200 times the size of the Sun, and would engulf the orbit of Jupiter if placed in our Solar System.

With the Milky Way descending from the heavens, the sky looks almost empty on the other side apart of a few smidges of light and some bright stars. Nearing Zenith is Grus the famous double double asterism. Towards north, The Great Square of Pegasus the flying horse, adorns the northern horizon. Underneath it we can just barely observe the fourth galaxy visible with the naked eye: Andromeda is a dash on the blackness of the sky. Towards south, the Large and Small Clouds of Magellan, LMC and SMC, look like two misty patches of light in the southeast sky. They are easily seen by eye on a dark moonless night.

And finally, the planets

Bright planets appear in the eastern dawn sky. Brilliant silver Venus rises two hours before the Sun through October. That's around 5 a.m. at the beginning of the month. Golden Jupiter is on the dawn horizon at 6 a.m. below and right of Venus. Between the two bright planets, at the beginning of the month, are the white star Regulus and the reddish planet Mars. Beyond Mars, Jupiter moves up the dawn sky. By mid-month it is passing Mars. The pair are less than a full-moon's width apart on the morning of the 18th. Around the 26th Jupiter passes by Venus, making an eye-catching pairing of bright planets in the dawn. Jupiter and Mars are on the far side of the Sun. Jupiter is 920 million km away; Mars 345 million km. Venus is on our side of the Sun, 92 million km away on the 15th.

This concludes our jodcast for October 2015 at space place at carter observatory. As the Maori say, E whiti ana nga whetu o te Rangi (the stars are shining in the sky) Ko takoto ake nei ko Papatuanuku (whilst Mother Earth lays beneath). Kia Kaha and clear skies from the Space Place at Carter Observatory in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Northern Hemisphere

Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the northern hemisphere night sky during September 2015.

The Stars

To the south and moving westward as night progresses you may see the Summer Triangle: the bright stars Deneb (in Cygnus), Vega (in Lyra) and below them Altair (in Aquila). Towards the south later in the evening you may spot the great square of Pegasus - adjacent to Andromeda and M31, the Andromeda Nebula. To the north lies "w" shaped Cassiopeia and Perseus. Between the two, close to the Milky Way, try to spot the Perseus Double Cluster with a goods pair of binoculars. You might also spot M33 may also be visible on a transparent night with a good pair of binoculars.

The Planets

• Jupiter reached superior conjunction on August 26th, and now rises shortly before the sun. It will be best seen at month's end, 18 degrees above the northeast horizon at sunrise. With a disk increasing to 31 arcsecond disk, you should be able to see its equitorial bands and 4 Galilean moons.
• Saturn can be seen after sunset low in the southwest. It lies in eastern Libra, moving slowly away from the wide double star Alpha Librae as it shines with a magnitude of +0.6. One hour after sunset at the start of the month it will lie just 10 degrees above the horizon with a 16.4 arc second disk. By month's end it will only be a few degrees elevation at this time so early this month is really our last chance to observe it for a month or so as it passes behind the Sun. The ring system, now opened out to 24.3 degrees to the line of sight, should still be visible along with Titan, its largest satellite.
• Mercury can be seen just above the western horizon for the first few days of the month reaching greatest elongation from the Sun on the 4th of September shining at magnitude +0.1. It will be lost in the twilight by mid-month before it passes in front of the Sun (Inferior Conjunction) on the 30th.
• Mars is a pre-dawn object, and lies in Leo not far from Regulus, Alpha Leonis. On the 25th the salmon-pink planet will lie just 47 arc minutes from the blue star making a very nice colour contrast. Shining at magnitude +1.8 its disk is just 3.8 arc seconds across so no details will be seen of its surface. Seen best towards the end of the month, it will then rise around 3 hours before the Sun.
• Venus, rises in the east-northeast in the pre-dawn sky an hour and a half before the Sun at the start of September but this increases to four hour by month's end as Venus moves further away in angle from the Sun. Shining at a magnitude -4.8 during the third week of the month month it will show a thin crescent, 9% illuminated, 52 arc second disk as the month begins.

The Moon

On September 4th and 21st you may spot The Alpine Valley, a cleft across the Appenine mountain chain. It is about 7 miles wide and 79 miles long and a thin rill runs along its length which is quite challenging to observe.

Highlights

• Neptune came into opposition on the 29th of August, so will be seen well this month. Its magnitude is +7.9 so Neptune is easily spotted in binoculars lying in the constellation Aquarius as shown on the chart. It rises to an elevation of ~27 degrees when due south. Given a telescope of 8 inches or greater aperture and a dark transparent night it should even be possible to spot its moon Triton.
• Look east before dawn on 5th September: the magnitude +0.9 star Aldebaran will be occulted by the bright limb of the Moon as it passes in front of the Hyades cluster at around 05:30 BST. Given a mount tracking Aldebaran with a telescope, you may see it reappear from behind the unlit lunar disk at 07:10 in the bright daylight sky. Be warned: the times will vary by a few minutes depending on where you live in the UK so be watching Aldebaran for perhaps 10 minutes before the two stated times.
• All clear before dawn on 10th September given a good low unobstructed horizon towards the northeast you may spot an 8% lit, thin crescent Moon just 2 degrees to the upper left of Venus shining at magnitude -4.6.
• Looking southwest one hour after sunset on 18th September (20:45 BST), Saturn will be seen 4.5 degrees to the lower left of a waxing crescent Moon.
• About one hour before dawn on the morning of the 25th, Mars will be seen less than one degree just to the left of Regulus in Leo. Shining brightly up to their right will lie Venus, dominating the morning sky whilst lying well below Mars will be seen Jupiter - a very nice planetary grouping.
• Before dawn on 28th September, from 01:12 BST until 06:22 BST we will witness a total eclipse of a Harvest Supermoon! It will display the largest apparent angular diameter of the year (33.5 arc minutes) and the eclipse lasts for three hours and twenty minutes with totality starting at 03:11 BST and ending at 04:23. At the mid point of the eclipse at 03:47 BST the Moon will then lie at an elevation of 27 degrees above the southwest horizon. As the Moon leaves the umbral shadow 05:27 BST it will lie some 15 degrees above the horizon in the dawn sky.

Southern Hemisphere

Haritina Mogosanu from the Carter Observatory in New Zealand speaks about the southern hemisphere night sky during September 2015.

The Milky Way

At the beginning of springtime here, the Milky Way spans the sky from north to south going through Zenith. From there, the fish hook of Maui slowly starts to drag the Milky Way down from the sky and towards the western horizon, all night long so that night after night the center of the galaxy appears lower and lower in the evening sky. Here, in the Southern Hemisphere, we are very lucky to see the Milky Way in all its brightness and beauty.

The Stars

Many of the brightest stars are scattered along or near the Milky Way. Starting from North is Albireo, the beautiful orange and blue double star, in the constellation of Cygnus or the Northern Cross. On the left hand side and close to the Milky Way lays Vega, due north at dusk and setting in the late evening. On the right hand side, a celestial dolphin flips from the galactic river, revealing its two famous stars Sualocin and Rotanev- the anagram of the astronomer Nicolaus Venator! Just a few degrees higher up in the sky than the dolphin, the Eagle is flying Altair towards the galactic river. Keep lifting your head up and follow the Milky Way. With a telescope powerful enough, you will find Pluto right there near the Teapot’s handle in Sagittarius, but at 14 magnitude you would need a large aperture telescope (of 10 inches or more) to see it, as well as great star charts to pinpoint it. If Pluto is not an easy target, the fish hook of Maui in Scorpius is home of the bright star red giant Antares or Rehua in Maori. In between Sagittarius and Scorpius there are beautiful deep sky objects and now is a great time in the southern hemisphere to hunt for them. They include the Lagoon Nebula, the Omega Nebula, also known as the Horseshoe Nebula or Swan Nebula; and the Trifid Nebula.

To find directions in the Southern Hemisphere all we need to do is to follow the arch of the Milky Way. On it, midway down the southwest sky almost opposite Altair, are ' The Pointers ', Beta and Alpha Centauri. They point down to Crux the Southern Cross. There are about 27 ways to find South here and most of them involve the Southern Cross. As a circumpolar constellation, at the beginning of the spring's evening sky, Crux appears almost in the 3 o'clock position on the 60 degrees declination circle. Inside it, the brilliant Jewel Box, discovered by Nicolas Louis de La Caille and baptised so by John Herschel, or NGC 4755, is an open cluster of stars. At the center of it, a blue giant, a red giant, and another blue giant star align to make the more modern asterism of the 'traffic light'. But of course you will need a telescope to see this.

Globular Clusters

• Omega centauri, the largest globular cluster in the Milky Way can be seen as a fuzzy star roughly near the Southern Cross. In telescopes it appears like very delicate lace and it takes skill to use peripheral vision to see it but it's worth the effort.
• The 47 Tucanae globular cluster hides in the constellation of the exotic bird the Toucan. But once again the Southern Cross can help. Imagine that Crux could as a giant arrowhead, you will see it pointing left to a star, Achenar, on the other side of its declination circle. Following the arrow head, takes us between two fuzzy clouds, two thirds from Crux towards Achenar. These are the Magellanic Clouds and 47 Tucanae is located beside the Small Magellanic Cloud. In ideal conditions it should look almost the size of the full Moon.

The Moon and Planets

In Maori the Moon is called Marama which literarily can mean the white (ma) light (ma) coming from the sun Ra. The harbinger of this spring is a supermoon. A supermoon happens when the full moon coincides with when the Moon is closest to Earth, also known as perigee. Supermoons occur every fourteenth full Moon.

Mercury Whiro and Saturn Pare -a -Rao are bright planets in the evening sky. At the beginning of the month Mercury is making its best evening sky appearance of the year, low in the west. Cream-coloured Saturn is northwest of the zenith at dusk and midway down the western sky by late evening. Brilliant Venus, 'Kopu Rere Ata' is the 'morning star' for Maori, rises in the east two hours before the Sun. A telescope shows Earth-sized Venus shining as a thin crescent from 60 million km away. On 21 of September Venus displays its greatest illuminated extent as the morning "star" This means that for the next several mornings, our morning star Venus will be shining at or near its greatest brilliancy.

Northern Hemisphere

Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the northern hemisphere night sky during August 2015.

Southern Hemisphere

Claire Bretherton from the Carter Observatory in New Zealand speaks about the southern hemisphere night sky during August 2015.

The Planets

At the beginning of the month three bright planets appear low in the western evening sky soon after Sunset. Brilliant silvery Venus is the brightest and highest with golden Jupiter below and right. Mercury is well below the two bright planets on August 1st, but moves quickly up the sky, night to night, as Venus and Jupiter sink lower. On the 7th Mercury is just a full-moon's diameter to the right of Jupiter. Venus is left of the close pair of planets, and all three set about 70 minutes after the Sun.

After passing between us and the Sun mid-month, Venus will appear in the eastern dawn twilight. By August 20th it will be rising in the east an hour before the Sun. Venus will remain the 'morning star' for the rest of the year.

Mercury continues its ascent of the evening sky through August while Venus and Jupiter disappear in the twilight. By month's end Mercury is setting due west after 8 pm, making its best evening sky appearance of the year. The bright orange star Arcturus is setting in the northwest, well to the right of Mercury, often flashing red and green as it goes.

Saturn is the only bright planet in the late-evening sky. A small telescope shows Saturn's ring system and biggest moon, Titan, looking like a star about four ring-diameters from the planet. More powerful telescopes should reveal faint banding in the planets atmosphere along with gaps and variation in colour of the rings.

The Stars

In the north, to the left side of the Milky Way is Vega, the fifth brightest star in the sky, which forms part of the constellation of Lyra that represents an ancient stringed instrument. Opposite Vega, in the south, Canopus is the second brightest star in the night sky and twinkles with a yellow tint. To the Polynesians this star is Atutahi, the navigator, considered by Māori as the chief of all the stars in the sky. Canopus was also the navigator of Argo Navis, the ship in which the argonauts searched for the Golden Fleece. Argo Navis, once the biggest constellation in the sky, was subdivided into Carina (the keel, or the hull, of the ship), Puppis (the poop deck, or stern), and Vela (the sails). These constellations now hold the asterisms known as the false and diamond crosses which are adjacent to Crux, the Southern Cross.

Above Crux are Alpha Centauri, the third brightest star, and Beta Centauri, the 11th brightest star in our night sky, which point you towards the Southern Cross and appear to follow it around the sky. To the north of Beta Centuri lies the brightest globular cluster, Omega Centuri, which can be seen as a fuzzy star. With a small telescope the cluster becomes a glowing, shimmering ball of stars, with many individual stars visible towards the outskirts of the cluster.

Sitting about half way above the southern horizon as the Southern Cross sinks towards its lowest position in the sky is the faint constellation of Tucana, the Toucan. Alpha Tucanae is a magnitude +2.8 star about 200 light years away. Beta Tucanae is a loose group of 6 gravitationally bound stars approximately 140 light years away. The two exceptional objects in the Toucan are the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and 47 Tucanae the second brightest globular cluster in our sky.

The SMC is a dwarf galaxy visible to the unaided eye as a cloudy smudge in the sky. The secret to viewing it properly is to use peripheral vision to bring out more detail. Peripheral vision is a trick that visual astronomers use to spot very faint objects such as nebulae, clusters or galaxies. Try to look at the object with the tip of the eye rather than directly at it, as if you are looking just to side of it, and you should be able to see much more. The Small Magellanic Cloud is best viewed from a dark location and it is bright enough to be seen from many suburban locations as long as the Moon and local lighting are not too bright.

There is another larger and brighter cloud to the right of the SMC. This is the Large Magellanic Cloud, another of our galactic neighbours lying just 160,000 light years away. The Magellanic Clouds, the crosses, alpha and beta centauri and all the beautiful clusters in the south are objects that can always be seen in our southern night sky as they are circumpolar, meaning they never set below our horizon.

A Final Note From Claire...

Thank you for listening to the August jodcast. I will shortly be heading off on maternity leave so our new Curator of Science, Haritina Mogosanu will be stepping in to produce the Southern skies section over the next few months. I look forward to catching up with you all again when I return in the New Year.

Northern Hemisphere

Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the northern hemisphere night sky during June 2015.

Arcturis, the brightest star in the constellation of Bootes, is visible in the southwest. Meanwhile, in the northwest, Merak and Dubhe of the constellation Ursa Major may be seen pointing towards the Polaris near the North Celestial Pole. Further north the w-shaped set of stars which form Cassiopeia may be seen, while towards the east the Summer Triangle is clearly visible. It is composed of three bright stars: Vega of Lyra, Deneb of Cygnus, and Altair of Aquila. Just to the left of Vega lies the Double-double: what appears to be a binary star system when viewed with binoculars becomes two binaries when observed through a telescope. Below Albireo, the head of Cygnus the Swan, the Cygnus Rift, a dark, dusty region of the Milky Way may be seen. Within the Cygnus Rift you may spot Brocchi's Cluster, also known as the Coathanger, while to the lower left of the summer triangle lies a faint constellation known as Delphinus the dolphin. Halfway between Arcturis and Vega lies the constellation of Hecules. The Keystone of Hercules consists of the four stars in its center, and on its right hand side lies M13, the Great Globular Cluster, and the brightest in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Planets

• Jupiter stays close to Venus following their conjunction on June 30th. They both appear low in the western sky just after sunset. It is currently shining at magnitude -1.8, but dims to -1.7 magnitudes towards month's end. Its angular diameter will shrink from 32.4 to 31.2" over the month. Up to four of the Galilean moons and the dark equatorial bands will be visible, however the Great Red Spot will be harder to see without good seeing and transparency.
• Saturn is still well placed for observations in the south at nightfall. It moves slowly in retrograde motion in the eastern part of Libra, but still close to the fan of three stars which make up the head of Scorpius. It dims from +0.2 to +0.4 magnitudes, and its disk shrinks from 18.1 to 17.3" over the month. The ring system, tilted 24 degrees from the line of sight and spanning 40" across makes for a wonderful sight.
• Mercury will be sinking back towards the light of pre-dawn sky for the first part of the month. It will be best seen at the start of the month, with a magnitude of -0.2 and a phase of 52 percent. Its 7" diameter disk should just be visible with binoculars on the east-northeast horizon as dawn breaks.
• Mars is just 8' away from Mercury on the 16th of the month. Throughout the month it will be visible low above the north-eastern horizon before dawn breaks. It will brighten from +1.6 to +1.7 magnitudes over the month, while its disk, fully illuminated, will remain at an angular size of 3.6".
• Venus, shining brightly at magnitude -4.6, dominates the western sky from half an hour after sunset for the first part of the month. First appearing 19 degrees above the western horzon, and setting at 11:35 BST, it lies in Leo and moves towards, and then beyond, Regulus. On July 18th it will be joined by Jupiter, and by a thin crescent moon. It then wanders westward from July 23rd, before returning towards Jupiter on the 31st, when it will be 6 degrees south of the gas giant. Throughout the month it will increase in angular size from 33 to 51", and decrease in phase from 34 to 8 percent.

Highlights

• Saturn, and its moon Titan, are still easily visible this month. To find Saturn in the sky, follow the arc of the Plough's handle downwards to first find the orange star Arcturus and continue down to find the white, first magnitude star, Spica, in Virgo. Saturn, a little brighter than Spica, lies in Libra down to its lower left and will appear slighly yellow in colour. As it rotates its equator bulges slightly giving it a squashed appearance. Like Jupiter, it does show belts but their colours are muted in comparison. Over the coming years Saturn's rings will continue to open out due to its rotation until they reach their most illuminated in May 2017.
• There are two very nice objects to spot with binoculars high in the south-western sky, well after dark this month. Two thirds of the way up the right hand side of the 4 stars that make up the Keystone in the constellation Hercules is M13, the brightest globular cluster visible in the northern sky. Just to the left of the bright star Vega in Lyra is the multiple star system Epsilon Lyrae often called the Double-double. With binoculars a binary star is seen but, when observed with a telescope, each of these two stars is revealed to be a double star - hence the name!
• Noctilucent clouds are most commonly seen in the deep twilight towards the north from our latitude. Normally too faint to be seen, they are visible when illuminated by sunlight from below the northern horizon whilst the lower parts of the atmosphere are in shadow. So on a clear dark night this month, as light is draining from the north western sky long after sunset take a look towards the north - you might just spot them!
• Around one hour after sunset on July 4th, given a clear sky and low western horizon, you should be able to spot Venus 2 degrees to the left of Jupiter, with both down to the lower right of Regulus in Leo. Venus, shining at magnitude -4.6, should be easy to spot, but binoculars may be required to pick out Jupiter at -1.8 against the darkening sky.
• About one hour before sunrise on July 12th look above the eastern horizon. You should, if clear, be able to spot a thin waning crescent Moon near to the Hyades Cluster in Taurus - in which direction is also seen the orange giant star, Aldebara.
• After sunset on July 18th, there will be a very close grouping of the planets Jupiter and Venus along with a waxing thin crescent Moon close to Regulus in Leo. They would all lie in the field of view of a pair of low power binoculars and this is probably the best imaging opportunity this month if we are lucky enough to have clear skies. It will still be pretty light as they begin to set, so you will need a very low horizon towards the west.
• July 9th and 25th are great nights to observe two of the greatest craters on the Moon, Tycho and Copernicus. At full Moon the rays of material that were ejected when Tycho was formed can be see arcing across the surface. Copernicus is about 800 million years old and lies in the eastern Oceanus Procellarum beyond the end of the Apennine Mountains. It is 93km wide and nearly 4km deep and is a clasic "terraced" crater.

Southern Hemisphere

Claire Bretherton from the Carter Observatory in New Zealand speaks about the southern hemisphere night sky during July 2015.

Venus and Jupiter begin the month as pair in our north western evening sky after dark. They will gradually move further apart as Jupiter sinks more quickly into the western twilight. Venus, too, sinks throughout the month and appears a thin crescent through a telescope. Through a small telescope Jupiter’s 4 largest moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, are visible, lined up to either side of the planet.

High in the north-east lies Saturn, its rings and largest moon, Titan, visible through a small telescope. Close by are the claws of Scorpius, with Antares a little further to the right. Lying along the tail of the scorpion is NGC 6231, a bright cluster of stars which looks like a small comet. At magnitude +2.6 this is easily visible to the naked eye, but in a dark sight, with a good pair of binoculars, NGC 6231 appears in an area of nebulosity, intermingled with open clusters Trumpler 24 and Collinder 316 to form a complex sometimes known as the Scorpius Lizard.

A little above the Scorpions tail, NGC 6193 is visible to the naked eye at magnitude +5.2, and nearby NGC 6167 may be seen with binoculars or a small telescope. Below Scorpius is an upside down teapot formed from the brightest stars in Sagittarius. To the left of the teapot’s spout, just visible to the naked eye, is the Lagoon Nebula (M8). Along with the nearby Trifid Nebula (M20), the Lagoon Nebula is a good target for binoculars or a small telescope.

There are also a number of globular clusters in this part of the sky. The brightest is M4, and this is also one of the easiest to find, lying just 1.3 degrees west of Antares. Appearing as a small fuzzy ball in binoculars or small telescopes, a slightly larger telescope will begin to pick out individual stars. Also in this region, near the top of the teapot, is M22.

From its bright centre the Milky Way stretches overhead through the diamond-kite-shaped Crux, the Southern Cross, and on to Carina, Vela and Puppis, which together make up the great ship Argo Navis, famous in Greek mythology. To Maori the Southern Cross is known as Te Punga, the anchor of Tamareriti’s waka, which stretches out along the Milky Way.

Alpha Crucis, the brightest star in the Southern Cross appears to be a single star with a magnitude of +0.9, but a small telescope will reveal a double star with blue-white components of magnitudes +1.4 and +1.9. Beta Crucis, slightly fainter at +1.3 magnitudes, is also blue-white. Gamma Crucis, at the top of the cross, is easy to pick out by its reddish-orange colour. A little below Crux are the Diamond Cross and False Cross. To distinguish Crux, seek The Pointers, Alpha and Beta Centauri. Alpha Centauri is the third brightest star in the night sky at magnitude -0.27. Beta Centauri appears almost as bright, with a combined magnitude of +0.6. Using these stars to find the Southern Cross is as easy as ABC - Alpha, Beta, Crux.

Northern Hemisphere

Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the northern hemisphere night sky during June 2015.

The constellation of Leo the Lion is setting in the west after sunset, with the asterism of the Sickle forming its mane and Regulus as its brightest star. The planets Jupiter and Venus are both found here later in the month. Towards the South is the Realm of the Galaxies, in Virgo and Coma Berenices, where a telescope can pick out many deep-sky objects. The bright star Arcturus, in Bootes, resides nearby. Cygnus the Swan and Lyra the Lyre are rising in the east, with Hercules in between them and Bootes. The Summer Triangle, composed of the stars Altair in Aquila, Deneb in Cygnus and Vega in Lyra, is visible. One third of the way from Altair to Vega lies the Cygnus Rift, a dark region of dust in the Milky Way, which hosts Brocchi's Cluster, also known as the Coathanger. Ursa Major is almost overhead.

The Planets

• Jupiter is still bright in the south-west at nightfall. Its brightness declines from magnitude -1.9 to -1.8 during the month, while its angular size drops from 35 to 32.5". It moves from Cancer into Leo on the 9th and heads towards Regulus. Although the current apparition is past its best, a small telescope can still show Jupiter's equatorial bands and its four Galilean moons.
• Saturn reached opposition on the 22nd of May, so it is visible in the south-east after dark and crosses the southern sky during the night. It is moving retrograde (westwards) through the eastern part of Libra, close to the fan of three stars marking the head of Scorpius the Scorpion and only 3 degrees from the double star Beta Scorpii. The planet is 18" across, and the rings span 41", tilting at 24 degrees to the line of sight. However, Saturn's low elevation, never rising above 20 degrees from the UK, makes atmospheric blurring a problem when observing it closely.
• Mercury was at inferior conjunction (between the Earth and Sun) on the 30th of May, so it is not visible for the first part of June. It then climbs slowly into the pre-dawn sky, reaching western elongation (its greatest separation from the Sun in our sky) on the 24th. It has a magnitude of +0.5 and an illuminated fraction of 35 percent at this time, and should be visible just above the east-north-eastern horizon at dawn, with Aldebaran and the Hyades Cluster 2 degrees to its lower right. By month's end, Mercury is a little brighter and sits 6 degrees above the horizon 45 minutes before sunrise.
Mars passes behind the Sun (superior conjunction) on the 14th, so it is not visible this month.
• Venus brightens from magnitude -4.4 to -4.6 this month, dominating the western sky after sunset. It reaches elongation on the 6th, when it is 45.5 degrees from the Sun in the eastern part of Gemini. At the beginnings of June, it appears about half an hour after sunset, 29 degrees above the horizon. It grows from 22 to 32" during the month, while its illuminated fraction drops from a gibbous 53 to a crescent 34 percent. It is 19 degrees above the horizon at sunset at the end of the month, setting around 23:35 BST (British Summer Time, 1 hour ahead of Universal Time) from the UK.

Highlights

• This month is a good time to observe Saturn, as it is due south and at its highest not long after dark. To find it, follow the Plough's handle downwards to the orange star Arcturus, then continue to the white star Spica in Virgo. Saturn is a little brighter and yellower than Spica, and lies to its lower left in Libra. Binoculars or a telescope should reveal Saturn's brightest moon, Titan, at magnitude +8.2, and a magnification of at least 25 times allows the planet's rings to be seen. Saturn is visibly flattened by its rapid rotation. It has bands on its surface, but their colours are muted. The outer A and B rings are separated by Cassini's Division, which should be visible in a telescope of 4 or more inches (10 centimetres) in aperture when the atmosphere is fairly still. Within them is the C ring, but this is harder to spot. The inclination of the rings increases with respect to Earth until May 2017, making them more visible than usual for the next few years.
• The globular cluster M13 in Hercules and the 'Double Double' in Lyra are easily seen with binoculars or a telescope this month. M13 appears as a fuzzy blob, and is the brightest globular cluster in the northern hemisphere sky. The Double Double consists of a pair of binary stars to the lower left of Vega, which looks like two stars in binoculars but four in a telescope.
• The latter part of June is a good time to spot noctilucent (or polar mesospheric) clouds. Seen in the north at the end of twilight, they are the highest clouds in our atmosphere and float some 50 miles (80 kilometres) above the ground. Normally too faint to see, they can appear when illuminated by the Sun a little while after it has dropped below the horizon as seen from the ground. Look for them on a dark, clear night, as the last daylight is draining from the northern sky.
• The June Lyrid meteor shower peaks on the night of the 15th-16th. The meteors appear to radiate from a point near the star Vega in Lyra. Although there will be probably be only about 8 visible meteors per hour, the very thin crescent Moon does not obscure viewing.
• Venus lies close to the Beehive Cluster (M44) in Cancer on the 12th and 13th.
• The waxing gibbous Moon passes close to Saturn after sunset on the 28th. They are just over 1 degree apart when they set around 02:30 BST on the 29th.
• Venus and Jupiter, the two brightest objects currently in the night sky apart from the Moon, are just 21' apart on the 30th. Both are moving eastwards, with Venus catching up while the two are approaching the star Regulus in Leo. The planets have similar angular diameters at this time, around 32" each, but Venus is a crescent while Jupiter, because it is much further from the Sun than is the Earth, appears almost full. Though low in the west-north-west, they are very noticeable for about an hour from 22:30 BST.

Southern Hemisphere

Claire Bretherton from the Carter Observatory in New Zealand speaks about the southern hemisphere night sky during June 2015.

The winter solstice occurs on the 22nd (New Zealand Standard Time or NZST, 12 hours ahead of Universal Time) of this month, when the southern hemisphere is at its greatest tilt away from the Sun and the hours of daylight are at their shortest. The word 'solstice' indicates that the Sun is still, because it rises and sets at its most northerly points before moving south again. Brilliant Venus and golden Jupiter appear in the north-west after sunset, getting closer together as Venus ascends and Jupiter descends in the sky. They are joined by the crescent Moon on the 20th, and by the end of the month the two planets are less than one Moon diameter apart.

The centre of the Milky Way, in the constellation of Scorpius, rises high in the sky when seen from the southern hemisphere, and is currently midway up the eastern sky in the evening. The winter constellations of Scorpius and Sagittarius will dominate the night sky over the next few months. The red giant star Antares marks the heart of Scorpius, the Scorpion, and a near-vertical line of stars to its left represents the Claws. Saturn, at magnitude +0.8, is a little further left still, with an almost-full Moon passing within 1.5 degrees of it on the 2nd. Scorpius is known to Maori as Te Matau a Maui, the Fish-hook of Maui. The mythical figure Maui used this to pull a giant fish from the ocean, which became Te Ika-a-Maui, the North Island of New Zealand. Antares is called Rehua, representing a drop of blood from Maui's nose that he used as bait. Scorpius was an important navigation aid in the South Pacific, as it moves overhead and shows the directions of east and west that would bring sailors to Aoteroa (New Zealand). Below the Fish-hook, the brightest stars of Sagittarius make the shape of an upside-down Teapot, and many star clusters and nebulae line the Milky Way in this part of the sky. M7, an open star cluster visible to the naked eye, sits about halfway between the stinger of the Scorpion and the spout of the Teapot. The nearby Butterfly Cluster, M6, is a lovely sight in binoculars.

The Maori new year, Matariki, happens this month when the Pleiades star cluster, also called Matariki, rises at dawn. Scorpius is on the west-south-western horizon at this time of year, with the Fish-hook pointing upwards, and Orion the Hunter is on the opposite side of the sky, rising due east. The three stars of Orion's Belt, known as Tautoru, line the horizon, and point to Sirius on their right. Sirius is called Takarua, and is the brightest night-time star. Following the Belt left leads to the V-shaped head of Taurus the Bull, with the orange star Aldebaran marking his Eye, and then to Matariki as it rises in the east-north-east. The Pleiades disappear from the sky in April, and their reappearance in early June indicates that the new year is approaching, with the next New Moon (or, in some areas, the next Full Moon) marking the actual turn of the year. This month, the New Moon happens on the 17th. Matariki, Tautoru, Takarua and Rehua are the four points of a celestial compass used to navigate the Pacific Ocean, with Matariki and Takarua marking the extremities of the Sun's rising points, Tautoru placed at one end of the celestial equator (the star Altair being at the other) and the Sun and planets moving along the line between Matariki and Rehua. They are also the four pillars, or Pou, holding up the Sky Father, Ranginui or Rangi, in Maori lore.

Northern Hemisphere

Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the northern hemisphere night sky during May 2015.

The winter constellations of Orion, Taurus and Gemini are setting in the west after sunset, with Auriga close behind. Leo is higher in the sky to their left, and further over is the bright star Arcturus in Bootes. Between them, in an otherwise fairly blank part of the sky, the Realm of the Galaxies offers 18 Messier objects to telescopic observers. The Summer Triangle rises in the east later in the evening, consisting of the bright stars Vega in Lyra, Deneb in Cygnus and Altair in Aquila. The constellation of Hercules is between Arcturus and Vega, and its four brightest stars make a trapezium called the Keystone. Two-thirds of the way up the Keystone's right-hand side, binoculars can locate the globular cluster M13. The asterism of the Plough is overhead, its hindmost stars, Merak and Dubhe, pointing towards Polaris in the north. Below Polaris is the W-shaped constellation of Cassiopeia.

The Planets

• Jupiter is in the south-south-west after dark. Receding from us, its brightness declines from magnitude -2.1 to -1.9 during the month, while its angular diameter decreases from 38 to 35". It moves eastwards from Cancer towards Leo, and a telescope shows its equatorial bands, Great Red Spot and Galilean moons. From 22:00 BST (British Summer Time, 1 hour ahead of Universal Time) on the 20th, observers can see the shadow of the moon Ganymede passing across Jupiter, followed by the moons Callisto and Io themselves.
• Saturn reaches opposition this month, when it is opposite the Sun in the sky and due south at around 01:00 BST.
• Mercury passed superior conjunction (behind the Sun in the sky) on the 10th of April, and can be seen low in the west after sunset in early May, a few degrees from the Pleiades Cluster in Taurus. It is best seen on the 7th, 22 degrees from the Sun in the sky at eastern elongation. Its brightness falls from magnitude -0.4 at the beginning of the month to +3.0 in the middle, when it becomes lost in the Sun's glare. At the same time, its angular size grows from 6.8 to 11".
• Mars may be just visible on the 1st, 9 degrees below the Pleiades Cluster and shining at magnitude +1.4, but is lost in the twilight after this. With an angular size of 3.8", it is too small for surface details to be seen.
• Venus shines brilliantly in the west after sunset, climbing from Taurus into Gemini and passing the star Epsilon Geminorum on the 16th. On the way to its greatest separation from the Sun in the sky on the 6th of June, it brightens from magnitude -4.2 to -4.4 and grows from 16 to 22" during May, while its illuminated fraction drops from 67 to 53 percent.

Highlights

• Saturn is well placed for observation this month, as it reaches opposition on the 23rd and is therefore visible for most of the night. The rings are inclined at 24 degrees to the line of sight, almost as visible as they can ever be. Saturn brightens to magnitude 0 during May, its brightest for 8 years, with the planet spanning 18.5" and the rings 42". Around the time of opposition, the lack of shadow on the ring system makes them appear brighter than usual, a phenomenon known as the Seeliger Effect. Saturn is moving retrograde (westwards) away from the double star Beta Scorpii and towards the constellation of Libra, which it reaches on the 12th. Unfortunately, it cannot currently be seen higher than 18 degrees above the horizon from the UK, making atmospheric scintillation a problem for viewers.
• Mercury can be seen between the Pleiades and Hyades Clusters shortly after sunset on the 2nd.
• The Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks before dawn on the 6th. The radiant, in Aquarius, is low in the south-eastern sky, but some meteors may be spotted around 90 minutes after sunset. A waning gibbous Moon in the west may hinder the view slightly.
• Venus and a crescent Moon are close together about an hour after sunset on the 21st and 22nd. Venus is below the stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini, with the Moon to its lower left on the 21st and to its left on the 22nd.
• Jupiter appears near the crescent Moon around 22:00 BST on the 23rd and 24th, close to the Mane of Leo the Lion. The Moon is below Jupiter on the 23rd and to its left on the 24th.
• Around the 23rd, Saturn is just above the fan of stars that marks the head of Scorpius. It is in the south-east at around 23:00 BST and rises higher over the following two hours.
• Comet Lovejoy is still visible as a faint, fuzzy ball this month, and can be found using binoculars or a small telescope when it passes within 1 degree of the star Polaris on the 28th.

Southern Hemisphere

Claire Bretherton from the Carter Observatory in New Zealand speaks about the southern hemisphere night sky during May 2015

Three bright planets are visible in the early evening. Venus appears low in the north-west as the Sun sets, outshining everything except the Sun and Moon as its atmosphere reflects almost 70 percent of the sunlight that falls on it. Jupiter appears soon after Venus, just to the left of the head of Leo the Lion in the north. It sets around midnight NZST (New Zealand Standard Time, 12 hours ahead of Universal Time) at the beginning of the month and 22:00 at the end, and is near the Moon in the sky on the 24th. Saturn rises a little later in the east, officially in Libra but close to the Claw of Scorpius and to the left of the star Antares. It is at its brightest and closest to us around the time of opposition on the 23rd, and appears high in the north at midnight. Its rings are inclined favourably for viewing, and the Moon passes within 2 degrees of it on the 6th.

On the same night, the Earth's passage through debris from Comet Halley causes the peak of the Eta Aquariid meteor shower, so named because the meteors appear to radiate from a point (the radiant) near the fourth-magnitude star Eta Aquarii in Aquarius. The radiant rises around 02:00 NZST in New Zealand, and up to a meteor a minute may be spotted streaking across the sky - although the Moon will obscure the fainter ones. The more minor Alpha Scorpiid meteor shower peaks on the 13th, its radiant near to Antares and Saturn. Although visible throughout the night and largely unhindered by the thin crescent Moon, it provides no more than 5 meteors per hour.

To the lower-left of Saturn, in the constellation of Serpens, is the globular cluster M5, also called NGC 5904. At magnitude +5.7, binoculars can be used to view it, while a small telescope picks out some of its hundreds of thousands of stars. It is home to over one hundred variable stars, the brightest of which is called Variable 42 and changes from magnitude +10.6 to +12.1 and back every 26.5 days. M5 is around two-thirds of the way from the red star Antares to the orange star Arcturus in Bootes, which rises in the north-east after dark. Above Arcturus is the bright blue star Spica, in Virgo, which is actually a double.

On the opposite side of the sky, Comet C/2015 G2 (MASTER) is expected to reach a peak brightness of magnitude +5.4 on the 14th, making it easily visible in binoculars. The comet begins May in the constellation of Sculptor, resides in Fornax from the 9th to the 14th, moves through Eridanus, Lepus and Canis Major and ends the month in Monoceros. It is visible above the south-western horizon after dusk on the 14th, setting just after 21:00 NZST.

Northern Hemisphere

Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the northern hemisphere night sky during April 2015.

Orion is sinking in the west as darkness falls, followed by Gemini and its bright stars Castor and Pollux. Further towards the south is the faint constellation of Cancer. It contains the Beehive Cluster, an open star cluster visible in binoculars, and currently plays host to the planet Jupiter as well. Leo is due south in the evening, with its bright star Regulus. Nearby, in Virgo and Coma Bernices, is an area called the Realm of the Galaxies. In this region, an 8" telescope can pick out a number of galaxies that are part of the Virgo Cluster, the largest cluster of galaxies in our local universe and itself part of a much bigger supercluster. Higher up is Bootes, with its bright star Arcturus, and overhead is Ursa Major. Later in the night, Lyra and its bright star Vega rise in the north-east.

The Planets

• Jupiter, two months past opposition (when it was opposite the Sun in the sky), is still high in the south-west in the evening. During April, it dims from magnitude -2.3 to -2.1 and shrinks from 41.5 to 38" across. As it switches from westward (retrograde) to eastward motion this month, it remains in Cancer and moves very little relative to the stars. A small telescope can reveal the equatorial bands, Great Red Spot (at certain times) and Galilean moons.
• Saturn rises in the evening, a little earlier each night, and lies close to the left-hand star of the fan of Scorpius. It brightens from magnitude +0.3 to +0.1 and grows from 17.8 to 18.4" in diameter during the month. It reaches 22 degrees' elevation when due south in the early hours of the morning, and the ring system is inclined at 25 degrees to our line of sight.
• Mercury reaches superior conjunction (behind the Sun in the sky) on the 10th, and remains invisible until around the 19th, when it appears low in the west-north-west about 45 minutes after sunset. Shining at magnitude -1.4, it climbs higher each evening on its way to eastern elongation (its furthest from the Sun in the sky) on the 7th of May.
• Mars, ever-present in the evening sky for many months, is finally disappearing into the Sun's glare. Lying close to Mercury from around the 19th to 24th, it has an angular size of 4" and so reveals no surface details to us here on Earth.
• Venus blazes at magnitude -4, rising higher in the evening western sky as the month progresses. It moves from Aries into Taurus on the 7th, aproaching the Pleiades Cluster around the 13th. Its angular size increases from 14 to 16" during April, as its phase wanes from 78 to 68 percent.

Highlights

• Saturn is near a waning gibbous Moon before dawn on the 9th.
• Venus can be seen near the Pleaides Cluster about 45 minutes after sunset from the 11th to 13th.
• Mars, Mercury and a wafer-thin crescent Moon form a near-equilateral triangle just after sunset on the 19th, with about 4-5 degrees between each of them. With the Moon under a day old and only 13.5 degrees from the Sun, it is only just visible and may require binoculars or a wide-field telescope to be seen. Look up and a little to the left of where the Sun has set, but not until the Sun really has gone down.
• Venus is close to a waxing crescent Moon, just above the red star Aldebaran and the Hyades Cluster in Taurus, in the western sky on the evening of the 21st.
• Jupiter lies about 6 degrees above a first-quarter Moon in Cancer on the 26th.

Southern Hemisphere

Claire Bretherton from the Carter Observatory in New Zealand speaks about the southern hemisphere night sky during April 2015

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The night of the 4th-5th sees the first lunar eclipse of the year, and also the backward move of the clocks in parts of the southern hemisphere. In Wellington, New Zealand, the penumbral phase begins at 22:03 NZDT (New Zealand Daylight Time, 13 hours ahead of Universal Time) as the Earth begins to obscure sunlight from the Moon's surface. The umbral phase, when sunlight is fully blocked from part of the Moon, starts at 23:17. The Moon is cast into total shadow for 7 minutes, from 00:57 to 01:04. The umbral phase ends at 02:44, while the penumbral phase finishes at 02:58 NZST (New Zealand Standard Time, 12 hours ahead of Universal Time).

The Moon is in Virgo during the eclipse, about halfway between Jupiter in the north-west and Saturn in the east. Venus appears brightly in the evening, and sets 2 hours after the Sun by the end of the month. Saturn is in Scorpius, a little below the red star Antares. It rises around 22:00 NZDT at the beginning of the month and 19:00 NZST at the end.

The constellation of Centaurus is high in the east after dark, with its two brightest stars, Alpha and Beta Centauri, pointing towards Crux, the Southern Cross. Centaurus is one of the largest constellations and contains many bright stars, clusters and nebulae. The globular cluster Omega Centauri, the largest and brightest in the Milky Way Galaxy, appears similar in size to the full Moon when seen with the naked eye at magnitude +3.7. Binoculars reveal individual stars and a dense core. With a population of stars that are around 12 billion years old, it is a relic of the early Universe and may be the remnant of a dwarf galaxy that merged with the Milky Way. NGC 3766 and NGC 5460 are two open star clusters in Centaurus, both just visible to the naked eye. The planetary nebula NGC 3918, the 'Blue Planetary', is also located there, and, at magnitude +8, its blue oval shape can be seen with a small telescope. Centaurus hosts one of the closest galaxy clusters to Earth. Separately, it is home to NGC 5128, the galaxy known as Centaurus A. Centaurus A is elliptical, but has a dark dust lane across the middle, and the supermassive black hole at its heart is thought to be consuming a spiral galaxy with which it has merged. As a result, it emits relativistic jets that can be detected at radio and X-ray wavelengths. Located less than 5 degrees from Omega Centauri, Centaurus A is the fifth-brightest galaxy in our sky (excluding the Milky Way) and is easily visible in binoculars. The bright central bulge and dark lane may be viewed with larger binoculars, while a telescope reveals more of the galaxy's structure.

Northern Hemisphere

Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the northern hemisphere night sky during March 2015.

Orion, Taurus, Gemini and Canis Major are setting in the west in the evening. Gemini is the highest of these, with its bright stars Castor and Pollux representing the Heavenly Twins. Further east is Cancer, whose Beehive Cluster can be seen with binoculars and which is currently home to the planet Jupiter. Further over still is Leo the Lion, with its bright star Regulus. Bootes, containing the star Arcturus, is rising in the east. The Plough, an asterism within Ursa Major, is high overhead, its back two stars, Merak and Dubhe, pointing towards Polaris, the North Star. Capella, the yellow star in Auriga, is also high in the sky.

The Planets

• Jupiter reached opposition (opposite the Sun in the sky) on the 6th of February, and is still high in the south late in the evening. During March, it dims from magnitude -2.5 to -2.3 and shrinks from 44.5 to 41.6", as it moves retrograde (westwards) towards the Beehive Cluster in Cancer. A small telescope allows you to see the equatorial bands, the Great Red Spot (at certain times) and the four Galilean moons.
• Saturn is in Scorpius, near the leftmost star of the fan representing its head, and rises at around midnight UT (Universal Time) at the end of March. It grows from 16.9 to 17.8" during the month, as it brightens in magnitude from +0.4 to +0.3. Though no higher than 22 degrees when visible in the UK and therefore subject to significant atmospheric distortion, it is high enough in the south-south-east before dawn to make out its ring system using a small telescope, as this is now some 25 degrees from our line of sight. Saturn switches from eastward to westward motion relative to the stars around the 11th.
• Mercury sinks into the Sun's glare at the beginning of March, so is is not a good month to observe it.
• Mars starts the month on the boundary of Pisces and Cetus, before moving eastwards and entering Aries on the 30th. It dims from magnitude +1.3 to +1.4 during March, while its disc shrinks from 4.3 to 4". It is best seen about 15 degrees above the western horizon as darkness falls. It is just 18' above Uranus on the 11th.
• Venus has become an evening object, appearing higher above the horizon each night. Shining at magnitude -4, it dominates the western sky an hour after sunset. Its angular size increases from 12 to 14" over the month, and its illuminated fraction wanes from 86 to 78 percent, but it still appears blurred by atmospheric turbulence due to its relatively low elevation.

Highlights

• A partial solar eclipse is visible across the UK at around 09:00 UT on the 20th. It is total in some places between Scotland and Iceland, such as the Faroe Isles. To avoid damaging your eyes, don't look directly at the Sun unless you are wearing dedicated eclipse glasses. Alternatively, project an image of the Sun by making a pinprick-sized hole in a piece of foil and allowing the sunlight to shine through it into a dark hollow such as a shoebox.
• Venus and Mars lie close together after sunset from the 1st to the 7th, with Uranus about halfway between them at the end of this period.
• Venus and Uranus are just 6' apart in the sky on the 4th. Venus, at magnitude -4, is some 10,000 times brighter than Uranus, which requires binoculars to be seen at magnitude +5.9. In order to see the fainter object, you may need to use a telescope and eyepiece with high magnification, so that you can move Venus out of the field of view.
• Mars is just 2 degrees from a waxing crescent Moon after sunset on the 21st, low above the western horizon.
• Venus is only 3 degrees from the waxing crescent Moon on the evening of the 22nd.

Southern Hemisphere

Claire Bretherton from the Carter Observatory in New Zealand speaks about the southern hemisphere night sky during March 2015.

The evenings are drawing in as the autumnal equinox passes on the 21st. The summer constellations of Canis Major, Orion and Taurus are in the north-western evening sky. The brightest star in the night sky, Sirius - Takurua to Maori - is almost overhead, with Rigel and Betelgeuse below. Between them is Orion's Belt, three stars that are known as Tautoru in New Zealand. It points down through the head of Taurus the Bull, which contains the Orange star Aldebaran as the Bull's Eye. This V-shape also hosts the Hyades Cluster. For observers with binoculars or a telescope, over 100 stars brighter than 9th magnitude can be seen. Below the V and near the horizon is the Pleiades Cluster, representing the half-sisters of the Hyades in Greek mythology. Called Matariki in New Zealand, their first pre-dawn rising each June marks the Maori New Year.

The second-brightest night-time star, Canopus, is high in the south-west, with the blue star Achernar slightly below. The two of them form a near-equilateral triangle with the south celestial pole, around which the sky appears to rotate. Although this point lacks a nearby bright star, the constellation of Crux (the Southern Cross) helps to locate it. High in the south-east in the evening, Crux is accompanied by the Pointer Stars, Alpha and Beta Centauri. To find the pole, point one hand at Gamma Crucis, the star at the short end of the Cross, point the other hand at Achernar and then bring the two hands together in the middle. This should point you south.

The two dwarf galaxies known as the Magellanic Clouds are visible to the naked eye as two fuzzy patches near to the south celestial pole. Each contains billions of stars, and the Large Magellanic Cloud is the higher of the two. Binoculars or a small telescope can pick out some of its star clusters as individual patches of light within it. A bridge of gas connects it to the Small Magellanic Cloud, demonstrating tidal interaction between the two. It is easiest to spot them around New Moon on the 20th, when they are high in the south after dark.

Jupiter

• Jupiter dominates the northern sky this month, setting in the north-west in the early hours of the morning. The Moon passes close by on the 3rd and 30th.
• Venus appears briefly at dusk, low in the west. It sets about an hour after the Sun at the start of the month, rising to 1.5 hours by the end. In the middle of next month, it will begin to remain visible until after twilight.
• Saturn rises in the east before midnight NZDT (New Zealand Daylight Time, 13 hours ahead of Universal Time) at the beginning of March, and before 22:00 at the end. It sits just below the Claws of Scorpius the Scorpion, which is a winter constellation known as Te Matau a Maui to Maori. This represents a mythological hook that was used by Maui to catch a large fish that became the North Island of New Zealand. The red star Antares is higher and further south than Saturn, and represents the Scorpion's Heart - to Maori this is Rehua, a drop of blood from Maui's nose that he used as bait for the hook. A small telescope reveals Saturn's rings and its largest moon, Titan. Titan is the only known moon with an atmosphere, and the only body in the Solar System - apart from the Earth - with liquid lakes on its surface, although these consist of methane rather than water. Our own Moon appears close to Saturn on the 12th.
• Mercury is coming to the end of its best morning apparition of the year. It rises in the east around 05:00 NZDT at the beginning of March, but becomes lost in the morning twilight by the end as it appears less than an hour before the Sun.

Northern Hemisphere

Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the northern hemisphere night sky during February 2015.

The constellation of Orion the Hunter is in the south in the evening, now a little towards the west. The three stars of his Belt point up towards Taurus the Bull, with its Hyades and Pleiades Clusters, and down towards Canis Major and the brightest of night stars, Sirius. Orion's top-leftmost star is the red giant Betelgeuse, and to its left are Canis Minor and the bright star Procyon. Above these stand the Gemini Twins, with the higher bright star of Castor and the lower of Pollux. Up and right of Gemini is Capella, a bright star in the constellation of Auriga, wherein binoculars also reveal the open clusters M36, M37 and M38. Leo the Lion rises in the east, and to the right of its bright star Regulus is the even brighter planet Jupiter, which outshines all the stars and other planets during the night.

The Planets

• Jupiter reaches opposition (opposite the Sun in the sky) on the 6th, and is visible almost from dusk to dawn. At a maximum brightness of magnitude -2.6, it is highest in the sky around midnight. Jupiter moves westwards in retrograde motion from Cancer into Leo on the 4th, and it shrinks slightly in angular size from 45.3 to 44.6" during the month. A telescope reveals the planet's larger moons, its equatorial bands and, at the right times, its Great Red Spot.
• Saturn rises before dawn: around 03:00 UT (Universal Time) at the beginning of the month and 01:40 by its end. It is situated close to the leftmost star of the fan marking Scorpius' head and claws. It grows in apparent size from 16.2 to 16.9" during February, and shines at magnitude +0.5. Saturn's low elevation in the south-east - no more than 22 degrees - makes surface details fuzzy, but the ring system is visible as it has now opened out to 25 degrees from the line of sight.
• Mercury reached inferior conjunction (between the Earth and the Sun) on the 30th of January, so it appears low in the south-eastern pre-dawn sky only towards the end of February. It then achieves greatest elongation (largest angular separation from the Sun in our sky) on the 24th, but binoculars (to be used only before sunrise) may still be needed to see it.
• Mars is still resident in the evening sky, moving eastwards from Aquarius into Pisces on the 11th. It dims slightly from magnitude +1.2 to +1.3 over the month, while its angular size, decreasing from 4.4 to 4.3", prevents observation of surface details. It is best observed low in the southern-west as darkness falls, but sets some two hours after the Sun at month's end, and it is near to the much brighter planet Venus in the sky.
• Venus sets around 90 minutes after the Sun at the start of February and has a magnitude of -3.9. It is easily visible above the south-western horizon an hour after sunset if you have a low horizon, and, although it will appear fuzzy, refraction by our atmosphere may split its light into a spectrum when viewed through binoculars or a telescope. During the month, its angular size increases from 11 to 11.6".

Highlights

• Jupiter is spectacular this month, reaching 55 degrees elevation around midnight each night.
Venus and Neptune appear close together around 18:00 UT in the first few days of the month. Binoculars or a small telescope are required to spot Neptune at magnitude +8. Venus is 46' to Neptune's lower left on the 1st.
• Looking east before dawn on the 13th, a waning crescent Moon can be seen just 3.5 degrees to the left of Saturn.
• A thin, waning crescent Moon is 2.5 degrees to the left of Mercury in the south-east before dawn on the 17th.
• Mars and Venus lie within 2 degrees of each other from the 17th to the 26th. Seen about 1 hour after sunset, Mars is 8 degrees up and to the left of Venus on the 7th. Venus then rises rapidly, and lies to Mars' left on the 26th. Their closest approach is 23' on the 22nd, when binoculars or a telescope may be needed to perceive Mars against the glare of Venus.
• A thin, waxing crescent Moon is just 6 degrees to the right of Mars and Venus on the evening of the 20th.
• A first-quarter Moon passes in front of the Hyades Cluster on the 25th, moving within a few arcminutes of the red giant star Aldebaran just after midnight UT as the 26th begins. The star, at magnitude +0.8, is not near to the Hyades in space, but lines up with it in the sky.

Southern Hemisphere

Claire Bretherton from the Carter Observatory in New Zealand speaks about the southern hemisphere night sky during February 2015.

Venus is stunningly bright for an hour after sunset, low in the west. Mars, though fainter, is higher up to its right at the beginning of February, but it gets lower each night until it slips into the evening twilight at the end of the month. Venus and Mars are only 0.4 degrees apart on the 22nd. Jupiter is low in the north-east in the evening, and crosses the sky just in time to set at dawn. This is because it is at opposition on the 7th, and so is on the opposite side of our sky from the Sun. As well as being due north around midnight, it means that the planet is at its closest to us and appears as big and bright as it ever can.

Jupiter lies in the constellation of Cancer, which contains just five stars that are visible to the naked eye. However, Cancer does host M44 - the Beehive Cluster - at its heart, which is to Jupiter's north. At magnitude 3.7, it is visible to the naked eye and is one of the closest open clusters to the Earth. Galileo studied it with his early telescope and found about 40 stars, and around 1000 are now known. The bright star Regulus, in Leo, is on the other side of Jupiter and marks the Lion's head and mane. Shining at magnitude 1.35, it actually comprises four stars arranged in two pairs. The double star Algieba (the Mane), below Regulus, was first split by William Herschel in 1782, and its separation of 4" is a nice challenge for modern observers with telescopes of 8 centimetres or more in aperture. Leo rises higher in the north as the night wears on, and it also contains the Leo Triplet, consisting of the interacting spiral galaxies M65, M66 and NGC 3628. At 35 million light-years away, these provide the opportunity to witness the gravitational dance of galaxies in the local Universe. All three show tidal disturbance, with NGC 3628 exhibiting a tidal tail 300,000 light-years long. The Leo Triplet appears near the bright star Denebola and about halfway between the stars Theta Leonis (Chertan) and Iota Leonis. While M66 is visible in large binoculars, the other two galaxies can be found using a small telescope. A group of at least eight galaxies is nearby, including M95, M96 and M105.

The constellation of Gemini is on the other side of Cancer to Leo, and its bright stars Castor and Pollux, representing the Heavenly Twins, can be seen in the north after sunset. Although Pollux appears brighter in our sky, Castor is a system of no fewer than six individual stars. Eta Geminorum, at the foot of the figure of Castor, is near to the open cluster M35. While just visible to the naked eye, this group of stars makes a lovely sight in binoculars or a wide-field telescope.

Northern HemisphereNorthern Hemisphere

Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the northern hemisphere night sky during January 2015.

Orion is high in the south, pointing to other nearby constellations. Below Orion's famous Belt is his Sword, in the middle of which is the hazy glow of the Orion Nebula. This is an HII region in which stars are being born, and it is lit by the four stars of the Trapezium at its heart. Following Orion's Belt down to the left, you come to the brightest night-time star, Sirius. Following the Belt in the other direction brings you to the constellation of Taurus the Bull. The Hyades Cluster forms its head, while the red star Aldebaran represents its eye. A little further over is the Pleiades Cluster. Up to Orion's left is Gemini, the Twins, with the bright stars Castor and Pollux. Near the zenith is the yellow star Capella, in Auriga. The Milky Way runs through Auriga, giving it a number of open star clusters that can be seen with binoculars. Perseus and Cassiopeia lie north-west from here, along the Milky Way, with the Perseus Double Cluster between them. Leo the Lion rises in the east late in the evening, hosting the planet Jupiter at present.

The Planets

Jupiter, at magnitude -2.4, rises around 20:00 UT (Universal Time) at the beginning of January and is located 8.5 degrees up and right of the star Regulus in Leo. It is moving retrograde (westward) towards Cancer, which it will reach next month, and by the end of January it rises at 17:45 and shines at magnitude -2.6. It then reaches a maximum elevation of 56 degrees when due south around 01:00. Jupiter's apparent size grows from 43.4 to 45.3" during the month, and its equatorial bands and Great Red Spot are visible to a telescope, while observing its four largest moons requires only binoculars.

Saturn rises at about 05:00 UT at the start of the month and 03:30 by its end. It moves from Libra into Scorpius on the 4th, moving above the star Antares and the head of Scorpius. It grows from 15.5 to 16.1" during January, ending the month at magnitude +0.6 and high enough in the south-east before dawn to allow a telescope to make out its rings, which are now 24 degrees to our line of sight.

Mercury is low in the south-west before dawn on New Year's Day, 3 degrees down to the right of Venus and shining at magnitude -0.8. Mercury and Venus then stay within 1 degree of each other from the 8th to the 12th. Mercury's gibbous disc is 6.5" across, and it reaches greatest eastern elongation east (its furthest from the Sun in the sky, on this occasion 19 degrees away) on the 14th. Over the following week, it wanes in phase and drops to the lower right of Venus, disappearing from view as it moves between the Earth and Sun (inferior conjunction) on the 30th.

Mars starts the month in Capricornus and moves into Aquarius on the 8th. It dims slightly from magnitude +1.1 to +1.2 during January, while its disc shrinks from 4.8 to 4.4". It is best observed as darkness falls, low above the south-western horizon, but its small size and low elevation prevent surface details from being seen. Mars lies 24 degrees up and left of Venus as the year opens, and sets around 3 hours after the Sun all month as it progresses eastwards relative to the stars.

Venus shines at magnitude -3.9 and, as the month begins, sets in the south-west just over an hour after the Sun. Its angular size increases from 10.3 to 10.8" during January; Earth's atmosphere blurs its disc, but may also split its colours to produce a spectrum that can be seen with a telescope.

Highlights

• Mercury and Venus appear just 39' apart after sunset on the 10th, low in the south-west. Mars is found higher and further south at the same time.
• Saturn is 3.5 degrees to the lower left of a waning crescent Moon an hour before dawn on the 16th.
• A waxing gibbous Moon can be seen about 1 degree up and left of the star Aldebaran and the Hyades Cluster after sunset on the 29th, having passed in front of them earlier in the day.
• The night of the 29th is a good time to observe the lunar craters Tycho and Copernicus using binoculars or a telescope. Tycho, the younger crater at around 108 million years old, is towards the bottom of the Moon in the Southern Lunar Highlands and may have been made by the impact of a Baptistina Family asteroid. It is 85 kilometres across and nearly 5 kilometres deep, and the rays of material shed by the impact can be seen arcing across the Moon's surface. Copernicus, some 800 million years old, lies in the easterly Oceanus Procellarum, beyond the end of the Apennine Mountains. It is a terraced crater, 93 kilometres wide and almost 4 kilometres deep. The Moon can be imaged very well using relatively simple equipment and processing.

Southern Hemisphere

Claire Bretherton from the Cearter Observatory in New Zealand speaks about the southern hemisphere night sky during January 2015.

The Earth reaches its annual perihelion (its closest to the Sun) on the 4th, but the extra solar radiation has only a small effect compared to the seasonal tilt of the planet's axis. With the summer solstice passed, the nights gradually begin to grow longer, and the Milky Way stretches across the eastern sky after dark. The brightest area is towards the Galactic centre, near the constellation of Crux, which to Maori is Te Punga, or the Anchor. Also known as the Southern Cross, Crux is near to the asterisms of the Diamond Cross and the False Cross. Canopus, the second-brightest star in the night sky at magnitude -0.7, sits above the Milky Way and never sets over New Zealand. It is known to Maori either as Ariki, meaning high-born, or as Atutahi, meaning stand-alone, and is considered Tapu, or sacred. Canopus is the brightest star in the constellation of Carina, the Keel, which once formed part of the great constellation of Argo Navis. This area of the sky hosts many nebulae and star clusters, including NGC 3372, the Carina Nebula. A huge cloud of glowing gas, it is one of the largest nebulae in our sky, and its bright centre is visible to the naked eye. Binoculars can pick out Eta Carinae, the golden star at the heart of the nebula, which is actually a system of two known stars. With a total combined luminosity of some five million times that of our Sun, these stars are very large, the bigger of the two barely held together by gravity as its intense radiation pushes outwards and drives a stream of material into space. Eta Carinae has changed brightness greatly over the last 350 years, varying from magnitude +4 in 1677 to -0.8 in 1843. Now back at around 4, it seems to be brightening once again, and the variation is believed to result from sudden outbursts of material.

Eta Carinae is part of the huge open star cluster Trumpler 16, which contains many young stars. The nearby open cluster Trumpler 14 is currently forming massive stars. IC 2602, known as the Theta Carinae Cluster or the Southern Pleiades, is about 4 degrees south of Carina. Home to around 60 stars and covering an area greater than that of the full Moon, its magnitude of +1.9 makes it a good target for the wide field of a pair of binoculars. NGC 2516 and NGC 3532 are other naked-eye open clusters in Carina that look spectacular in binoculars.

The Planets

• Brilliant Venus follows the Sun in the sky, setting around an hour after it throughout January.
• Mercury follows the Sun even more closely, and appears near to Venus in the south-western twilight for the first half of the month. It reaches eastern elongation (its greatest separation east from the Sun in the sky) on the 15th, before rapidly disappearing in the Sun's glare until next month. Due to their proximity to the Sun, Mercury and Venus never stray far from it in our sky, always appearing shortly before dawn or after nightfall.
• Red Mars is above and to the right of Venus and Mercury, and approaches Venus during the month. At a present distance of around 300 million kilometres from Earth, its disc appears tiny in a telescope. It sets at about 23:30 NZDT (New Zealand Daylight Time, 13 hours ahead of Universal Time) at the beginning of January, but by the end can only just be seen only as daylight vanishes.
• Jupiter becomes more prominent in the evening sky this month, rising in the east-north-east at 23:00 NZDT at the start and at 21:00 at the end.
• Saturn is a pre-dawn object, but rises ever earlier in the east-south-east as January progresses.

Highlights

• Comet C-2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) is brightening in the southern sky. First spotted at magnitude +15 in Puppis by amateur astronomy Terry Lovejoy, it reached +6 in mid-December as it approached the Sun. Early in January, its position in the sky moves from Lepus to Eridanus and then to Triangulum, and it may just be visible to the naked eye in Taurus on the 10th, although the Moon will hamper viewing. Comet Lovejoy disappears from New Zealand's skies in mid-January as it progresses northwards.