Astronomy – Exploring evening skies

At this time of year, we can go out and enjoy exploring the evening sky without the chill of winter. Even those who prefer to go to bed early can enjoy seeing a few interesting things in the early evening sky.

If we go out at around 8.30pm, we find that the sky is still quite light. But looking towards the west, we can start to see a few stars out. One in particular is lower on the horizon, hanging just above the last rays of sunlight. This is Venus.

If you observe Venus with a good pair of binoculars, or a small telescope, you may be able to see her ‘in phase’ – just like our moon. Depending on the day, you could see her quarter full, half full, or full and shining in all her glory.

A little higher in the sky, we notice another very bright star to the right. This is another fantastic thing to observe with binoculars. This star is the king of the planets – the mighty Jupiter.

With a good pair of binoculars, you will be able to see up to four of Jupiter’s moons. These are the same moons that Galileo first observed with his rudimentary telescope. There are apps for your phone that can show you the positions of the moons at the time of observing, as well as their names. If you have never seen a moon besides our own, then this will be a fantastic experience.

A bit higher and to the right, there is another brighter star, although not as bright as Jupiter. This is awe-inspiring Saturn. To observe Saturn, you will need a small telescope.

At present, Saturn is easy to find and perfectly situated for viewing her rings. If you have never seen Saturn’s rings and don’t have a telescope, visit a friend who has one, or come to an Astronomical Society meeting where you can get the opportunity to see them.

Almost directly above you will be the moon. The best time to observe the moon is when it is not full. When the moon is not full, the angle of the sun’s rays hitting the moon create shadows around and inside the craters, making them much easier to see. Binoculars are the best and easiest tool for viewing the moon.

Although it is visible all night long, viewing the Southern Cross is not easy at this time of year. It will be lying very close to the southern horizon, with the two pointers, Rigil Kent and Hadar, prominently seen above it. You will need a very clear horizon to see it properly.

In a particularly dark area, you will be able to see the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Extremely close and above the Small Cloud, you may be able to make out the 47 Tuc globular cluster with the naked eye. It will appear as a very faint fuzzy star. Otherwise use binoculars to view this amazing cluster of around 500,000 stars.

If you are the romantic type, take your special person to a dark sky area, lie on a blanket and look up at the stars. Position yourself so that you are looking roughly towards the north-east and wait. At this time of year, there are various meteor showers happening and they will be coming from this part of the sky.

Don’t forget that there are various apps and programs to help you explore the evening skies. Sky Map for Android phones, Star Walk 2 for iPhone and Stellarium for your PC.
Take advantage of our warm weather and start exploring our amazing southern night sky.