Southern hemisphere sky: an astronomy guide (2023)

FAQs

What is the guiding star in the southern hemisphere? ›

Crux: Commonly called the Southern Cross, Crux is the most important constellation for navigating in the Southern Hemisphere, as it can be used to find due south. Crux contains five stars that form a slightly irregular cross and is the smallest constellation in the sky.

As you go down in latitude from the North Pole to the South Pole, the sky you can see will gradually change. So the sky that someone in Arizona sees has some overlap with the sky that someone in, say, Chile (in the Southern Hemisphere) sees, but it is not the same.

While the north pole faces outwards to the Universe beyond, the south pole points to the galactic centre of the Milky Way. This means more bright stars and more constellations containing more stunning objects. Plus, everything in the southern hemisphere sky will look upside down, if you're used to northern skies.

Southern Hemisphere

Southern skies are more popular for their stargazing opportunities because the South Pole faces the center of the Milky Way. The brightest of these constellations is the Southern Cross, which can be seen year round. Some other popular constellations are: Centaurus, Circumpolar.

The sky's south pole has no such bright star. But, if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, you can indeed use the Southern Cross – also known as the constellation Crux – to find celestial south. Then you can draw a line downward from celestial south to find the direction due south.

The constellations shift in the night sky, and many are unique to the northern or southern hemisphere. These are called circumpolar constellations and never set or rise.

You can see the Milky Way

So indeed, the stargazers 'down South' do enjoy a better view of the galactic centre. But don't despair! You can spot the Milky Way from the Northern Hemisphere too! It appears above the Southern Horizon in the late Summer and looks absolutely stunning!

Orion's Belt is formed by three bright stars; Alnilam, Mintaka and Alnitak. Orion is in the southwestern sky if you are in the Northern Hemisphere or the northwestern sky if you are in the Southern Hemisphere. It is best seen between latitudes 85 and minus 75 degrees.

While the majority of the celestial sky is visible on both hemispheres, you are not able to see Polaris on the south pole, since Polaris is pointing directly towards the north pole.

So why does Orion look "upside down"? - Because YOU have turned over, not because the Earth or the Sky has suddenly "flipped over". AND, since you are now looking North instead of South, you find that East is now on your RIGHT, and West is on your LEFT.

How many constellations can we see in Southern Hemisphere? ›

Just as in the Northern Hemisphere, the southern night sky is divided into constellations. There are 88 constellations in all; 32 of them are found in the Southern Hemisphere.

In the southern hemisphere shines Sirius, the brightest star of all the sky; flashing and scintillating it glows as a mighty diamond of the winter nights.

Because the Milky Way is brighter in the southern hemisphere, the dark nebulae within it are more pronounced. Situated between the two brightest stars of the Southern Cross is the most prominent nebula in the Milky Way, the Coalsack Nebula.

Milky Way Galaxy Core

The full galactic center of our home Milky Way galaxy is visible to southern hemisphere observers. While part of it is also visible in the lower-northern latitudes, grazing the southern horizon, the whole thing stretches high overhead in all its glory for those in the southern hemisphere.

Due to the Earth's tilted axis, the Southern Hemisphere is best for observing dense regions of stars because at a latitude of –30 degrees (30 degrees south), the galactic center of the Milky Way is directly overhead.

You can however, use a crescent moon to navigate. If you draw an imaginary line down the side of the crescent moon (from tip-to-tip), that line will point you north (in the southern hemisphere) or south (in the northern hemisphere). If the moon rises before sunset, the illuminated side of the moon will face west.

Location. The Southern Cross lies in the far southern sky, at the forefeet of Centaurus. It is the most prominent of the three cross asterisms in the southern celestial hemisphere. The other two asterisms – the False Cross and the Diamond Cross – are formed by stars in the constellations Carina and Vela.

Southern pole star (South Star)

Polaris Australis (Sigma Octantis) is the closest naked-eye star to the south celestial pole, but at apparent magnitude 5.47 it is barely visible on a clear night, making it unusable for navigational purposes. It is a yellow giant 294 light years from Earth.

In the Southern Hemisphere, people see the moon 'upside down' so the side which is shining (sunlit) seems the opposite from the Northern Hemisphere. Countries in the different hemispheres see the Moon from a completely different vantage point from each other.

For Southern Hemisphere dwellers who want to see the Big Dipper, you must go north of latitude 25 degrees South to see it in its entirety. Across the northern half of Australia, for instance, you can now just see the upside-down Dipper virtually scraping the northern horizon about an hour or two after sundown.

What are the two bright stars in the southern sky? ›

From latitudes like those in the southern U.S., Canopus – the sky's 2nd-brightest star – appears as a bright light closer to the horizon than Sirius (the sky's brightest star).

In the UK you can visit the Dark Sky Discovery website to browse a map that shows you where you can spot the Orion constellation and places you can even see the Milky Way.

The best time of year to see the Milky Way in the UK is from Mid-March to Mid-May. However, the Milky Way can be visible for shorter periods of time through the UK Milky Way season from late February to late September.

The milky way rises in the southeast, crosses the southern horizon, and then sets in the southwest. So you will want to choose a viewing site that does not have any major cities in that direction. Even if the sky overhead is very dark, a light dome from a city can ruin the view if it is located to your south.

Orion's Belt can be seen fairly easily if you look in the South West sky during the evening (or North West in the Southern Hemisphere). View with the naked eye for the bigger picture, or with a telescope to examine individual stars; unfortunately, they are simply too far away to see anything like planets or moons.

There is no "South Star". It's just a coincidence that there happens to be a bright star (Polaris) close to the Celestial North Pole. The Southern Hemisphere isn't so lucky. The only star that comes close is Sigma Octans, which is 1 degree away from the South Celestial Pole.

According to Greek myth, Orion, led a tragic life that ended when he stepped on a scorpion, known as Scorpius. The gods felt sorry for him so they put him and his faithful dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor, into the sky as constellations.

The UK is in the Northern Hemisphere and we have four seasons.

How do you find the North Star? Locating Polaris is easy on any clear night. Just find the Big Dipper. The two stars on the end of the Dipper's "cup" point the way to Polaris, which is the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper, or the tail of the little bear in the constellation Ursa Minor.

The southern constellations Carina, Centaurus, and Crux are found circling the south celestial pole and can be seen from southern latitudes at any time of year while remaining invisible for observers in most northern locations.

Can the UK and Australia see the Moon at the same time? ›

The Moon, of course, orbits the Earth, which in turn orbits the Sun. The peak of the Full Moon is when the Moon is opposite the Sun 180 degrees away. Therefore the Full Moon (and the other moon phases) occurs at the same time, regardless of where you are located on Earth.

For objects like the Earth, the force exerted by the Earth's mass pulls objects in the direction of the Earth's centre. This means that wherever you are on the Earth, the force is always "down" into the ground. That's what keeps everything on Earth "right-side up", even those in Australia!

Because the Big Dipper is circumpolar, it never rises or sets, but rather rotates around the north celestial pole, marked roughly by the position of Polaris.

If you were born in the Southern Hemisphere, your birth chart is not completely accurate. And no, not because of any 13th sign or peripheral factor. It's an inbuilt bias that applies Northern hemisphere settings to every chart.

Ursa Major is visible throughout the year from most of the northern hemisphere, and appears circumpolar above the mid-northern latitudes. From southern temperate latitudes, the main asterism is invisible, but the southern parts of the constellation can still be viewed.

Neptune rise and set in Great Britain

View after sunset. Use binoculars.

In the southern hemisphere, you can see it between October and December. During these seasons, Andromeda will appear as soon as the sky darkens. It is possible to view the Andromeda Galaxy all year long in the northern hemisphere, although it may be more difficult to find in other seasons.

Sirius can be seen in summer in the southern hemisphere, rising early in the morning before the sun, and in the evening when it sets after the sun. At the moment in the northern hemisphere, Sirius will rise above the horizon at about midnight, and …

Why do the constellations and the Moon appear upside down from ...

https://astronomy.com › 2014/02 › a-matter-of-perspective

https://astronomy.com › 2014/02 › a-matter-of-perspective

A: From the Southern Hemisphere, any object or constellation that lies near the celestial equator (the imaginary line that divides the northern and southern hal...

What is the southern star called? ›

Southern pole star (South Star)

Polaris Australis (Sigma Octantis) is the closest naked-eye star to the south celestial pole, but at apparent magnitude 5.47 it is barely visible on a clear night, making it unusable for navigational purposes. It is a yellow giant 294 light years from Earth.

Orion's Belt is formed by three bright stars; Alnilam, Mintaka and Alnitak. Orion is in the southwestern sky if you are in the Northern Hemisphere or the northwestern sky if you are in the Southern Hemisphere. It is best seen between latitudes 85 and minus 75 degrees.

If you were born in the Southern Hemisphere, your birth chart is not completely accurate. And no, not because of any 13th sign or peripheral factor. It's an inbuilt bias that applies Northern hemisphere settings to every chart.

There is no "South Star". It's just a coincidence that there happens to be a bright star (Polaris) close to the Celestial North Pole. The Southern Hemisphere isn't so lucky. The only star that comes close is Sigma Octans, which is 1 degree away from the South Celestial Pole.

Broadly speaking, the best time of year to see the Milky Way in the Southern Hemisphere is from late February to late October, while the Milky Way season goes from late January to late November.

So why does Orion look "upside down"? - Because YOU have turned over, not because the Earth or the Sky has suddenly "flipped over". AND, since you are now looking North instead of South, you find that East is now on your RIGHT, and West is on your LEFT.

Just as in the Northern Hemisphere, the southern night sky is divided into constellations. There are 88 constellations in all; 32 of them are found in the Southern Hemisphere.

Orion's Belt can be seen fairly easily if you look in the South West sky during the evening (or North West in the Southern Hemisphere). View with the naked eye for the bigger picture, or with a telescope to examine individual stars; unfortunately, they are simply too far away to see anything like planets or moons.

In the southern hemisphere shines Sirius, the brightest star of all the sky; flashing and scintillating it glows as a mighty diamond of the winter nights.

For Southern Hemisphere dwellers who want to see the Big Dipper, you must go north of latitude 25 degrees South to see it in its entirety. Across the northern half of Australia, for instance, you can now just see the upside-down Dipper virtually scraping the northern horizon about an hour or two after sundown.

Are zodiac signs opposite in Southern Hemisphere? ›

6. Horoscopes of the southern hemisphere. If one lives in the northern hemisphere and observes the planets, one will usually face towards south, because the Sun and the MC (the culminating degree of the zodiac) are always found in southern direction. Also, the planets are mostly found in the southern half of the sky.

Australian astrology has got 12 animal signs. These animal zodiac signs are only indigenous to the land of Australia and makes them unique.

Constellation Leo can be seen in both the northern and southern hemispheres. In the northern hemisphere, Leo is visible in the southern night sky.

In the Southern Hemisphere, people see the moon 'upside down' so the side which is shining (sunlit) seems the opposite from the Northern Hemisphere. Countries in the different hemispheres see the Moon from a completely different vantage point from each other.

From latitudes like those in the southern U.S., Canopus – the sky's 2nd-brightest star – appears as a bright light closer to the horizon than Sirius (the sky's brightest star).

In the northern hemisphere, the stars rise in the East, set in the West and revolve counter-clockwise around the North celestial pole. In the southern hemisphere the stars rise in the a) East, set in the West and revolve anti-clockwise around the South celestial pole.