Highlights<\/strong><\/h2> See all five naked-eye planets in the evening sky this month \u2013 let the Moon be your guide.<\/p>
In late twilight, low in the west, Mercury is 2\u00b0 from the thin crescent Moon on the 3rd.<\/p>
Two days later, spectacular Venus is 5\u00b0 from the Moon.<\/p>
As twilight closes on 11th, Saturn and the Moon are together due north.<\/p>
Look north at midnight on 17th to find the full Moon close to Jupiter.<\/p>
Finally, at midnight on 20th, Mars and a near third-\u200bquarter Moon have just risen in the northeast.\u00a0<\/p>
Stars and constellations<\/strong><\/h2> The Circlet asterism (bottom right) makes up one of the two fish in Pisces. Credit: John Sanford, David Parker \/ Science Photo Library. <\/figcaption> <\/figure> Several lesser-known asterisms and constellations take centre stage, many with a water theme.<\/p>
Being mostly composed of fourth-magnitude stars, they can be surprisingly easy to find.<\/p>
Look north to find the Circlet of Pisces (the western fish), followed by another circle to the east, the head of Cetus the Whale.<\/p>
High above Pisces\u2019 circlet is the fish-shaped Piscis Austrinus (southern fish), with Fomalhaut forming its mouth.<\/p>
Next door (west) is the smiley-shaped Capricornus the Sea Goat.<\/p>
The Planets<\/strong><\/h2> ![\"Jupiter](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2019\/02\/Jupiter-e41152d.jpg\")
Jupiter by Tom Bishton, Brisbane, Australia. Equipment: Celestron CPC 800 SCT, Skyris 618C CCD. <\/figcaption> <\/figure> November sees a brief evening return by Mercury, remaining low in the western twilight and lost in the Sun\u2019s glare by month\u2019s end, to return to dawn skies in late December.<\/p>
The early evening sees Venus ruling the western sky, with Saturn and Neptune having already transited in the northwest<\/p>
Jupiter arrives around 21:00, presenting excellent opportunities to observe this gas giant high in the northern morning sky.<\/p>
As Mars rises around midnight, its best views will be before dawn.<\/p> ![\"Saturn](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2019\/02\/Saturn-6-065470c.jpg\")
Saturn by Tom Bishton, Brisbane, Australia. Equipment: Celestron CPC GPS 800 telecsope, Celestron Neximage 5, 2x barlow lens <\/figcaption> <\/figure> Deep-sky<\/strong><\/h2> The Small Magellanic Cloud appears as a 4\u00b0 fuzzy blob high in the southern evening sky at this time of year. Binoculars display some tantalisingly scattered bright knots.<\/p>
The brightest example is located near the northern edge of the cloud: NGC 346 (RA 00h 59.1m, dec. \u201372\u00b0 11\u2019).<\/p>
This is the most active star-forming region in the SMC, like the Tarantula is to the Large Magellanic Cloud. Telescopes show NGC 346 as a compact open star cluster, embedded in an oval-shaped nebula, roughly 5 arcminutes across.<\/p>
Also, in the same (wide) field of view, lies the open cluster NGC 371 (0.4\u00b0 to the east).<\/p>
Compared to NGC 346, it\u2019s larger (10 arcminutes), more diffuse and made up of fainter stars. Lying 0.3\u00b0 southwest of NGC 346 is the open cluster NGC 330.<\/p>
It is bright and compact, around 1 arcminute across, in a rich but faint star field.<\/p> ![\"The](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2020\/09\/ATs_Magellanic_Clouds_hires-CC-e1599128475832.jpg\")
The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds appear over the Very Large Telescope in the night sky above Chile. Credit: J. C. Mu\u00f1oz\/ESO <\/figcaption> <\/figure> Southern Hemisphere Star Charts<\/strong><\/h2> Access this month’s and all previous star charts for the Southern Hemisphere by clicking on the links below.<\/p>
Southern Hemisphere Star Chart November 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart October 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart September 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart August 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart July 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart June 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart May 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart April 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart March 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart February 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart January 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart December 2023 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart November 2023 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>
Several lesser-known asterisms and constellations take centre stage, many with a water theme.<\/p>
Being mostly composed of fourth-magnitude stars, they can be surprisingly easy to find.<\/p>
Look north to find the Circlet of Pisces (the western fish), followed by another circle to the east, the head of Cetus the Whale.<\/p>
High above Pisces\u2019 circlet is the fish-shaped Piscis Austrinus (southern fish), with Fomalhaut forming its mouth.<\/p>
Next door (west) is the smiley-shaped Capricornus the Sea Goat.<\/p>
The Planets<\/strong><\/h2> Jupiter by Tom Bishton, Brisbane, Australia. Equipment: Celestron CPC 800 SCT, Skyris 618C CCD. <\/figcaption> <\/figure> November sees a brief evening return by Mercury, remaining low in the western twilight and lost in the Sun\u2019s glare by month\u2019s end, to return to dawn skies in late December.<\/p>
The early evening sees Venus ruling the western sky, with Saturn and Neptune having already transited in the northwest<\/p>
Jupiter arrives around 21:00, presenting excellent opportunities to observe this gas giant high in the northern morning sky.<\/p>
As Mars rises around midnight, its best views will be before dawn.<\/p> Saturn by Tom Bishton, Brisbane, Australia. Equipment: Celestron CPC GPS 800 telecsope, Celestron Neximage 5, 2x barlow lens <\/figcaption> <\/figure> Deep-sky<\/strong><\/h2> The Small Magellanic Cloud appears as a 4\u00b0 fuzzy blob high in the southern evening sky at this time of year. Binoculars display some tantalisingly scattered bright knots.<\/p>
The brightest example is located near the northern edge of the cloud: NGC 346 (RA 00h 59.1m, dec. \u201372\u00b0 11\u2019).<\/p>
This is the most active star-forming region in the SMC, like the Tarantula is to the Large Magellanic Cloud. Telescopes show NGC 346 as a compact open star cluster, embedded in an oval-shaped nebula, roughly 5 arcminutes across.<\/p>
Also, in the same (wide) field of view, lies the open cluster NGC 371 (0.4\u00b0 to the east).<\/p>
Compared to NGC 346, it\u2019s larger (10 arcminutes), more diffuse and made up of fainter stars. Lying 0.3\u00b0 southwest of NGC 346 is the open cluster NGC 330.<\/p>
It is bright and compact, around 1 arcminute across, in a rich but faint star field.<\/p> The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds appear over the Very Large Telescope in the night sky above Chile. Credit: J. C. Mu\u00f1oz\/ESO <\/figcaption> <\/figure> Southern Hemisphere Star Charts<\/strong><\/h2> Access this month’s and all previous star charts for the Southern Hemisphere by clicking on the links below.<\/p>
Southern Hemisphere Star Chart November 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart October 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart September 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart August 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart July 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart June 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart May 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart April 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart March 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart February 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart January 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart December 2023 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart November 2023 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>
November sees a brief evening return by Mercury, remaining low in the western twilight and lost in the Sun\u2019s glare by month\u2019s end, to return to dawn skies in late December.<\/p>
The early evening sees Venus ruling the western sky, with Saturn and Neptune having already transited in the northwest<\/p>
Jupiter arrives around 21:00, presenting excellent opportunities to observe this gas giant high in the northern morning sky.<\/p>
As Mars rises around midnight, its best views will be before dawn.<\/p> The Small Magellanic Cloud appears as a 4\u00b0 fuzzy blob high in the southern evening sky at this time of year. Binoculars display some tantalisingly scattered bright knots.<\/p> The brightest example is located near the northern edge of the cloud: NGC 346 (RA 00h 59.1m, dec. \u201372\u00b0 11\u2019).<\/p> This is the most active star-forming region in the SMC, like the Tarantula is to the Large Magellanic Cloud. Telescopes show NGC 346 as a compact open star cluster, embedded in an oval-shaped nebula, roughly 5 arcminutes across.<\/p> Also, in the same (wide) field of view, lies the open cluster NGC 371 (0.4\u00b0 to the east).<\/p> Compared to NGC 346, it\u2019s larger (10 arcminutes), more diffuse and made up of fainter stars. Lying 0.3\u00b0 southwest of NGC 346 is the open cluster NGC 330.<\/p> It is bright and compact, around 1 arcminute across, in a rich but faint star field.<\/p> Access this month’s and all previous star charts for the Southern Hemisphere by clicking on the links below.<\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart November 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart October 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart September 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart August 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart July 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart June 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart May 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart April 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart March 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart February 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart January 2024 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart December 2023 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Southern Hemisphere Star Chart November 2023 (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Deep-sky<\/strong><\/h2>
Southern Hemisphere Star Charts<\/strong><\/h2>