Each season of the year has its distinctive “sky look.” For stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere, December brings Orion up front and center high in the southern sky. For Southern Hemisphere sky watchers, Orion’s still one of the main attractions, but he’s apt to be on his side, or even close to upside-down. I’ve often wondered what it would be like to appreciate Orion during the holidays from, say, a dark-sky site in Australia or South Africa. December heralds early summer for the folks in those areas, a time of warmth and relaxation. Whereas, in the north, many of us are doing our best to stay warm and only duck outside for a little while to take in the sky sights.
I was at a party a couple of weeks ago and talking to a colleague from Australia. He mentioned the incredibly active amateur astronomy groups that meet and view the sky. So, on a day when it has been not much warmer than 20 degrees (F) (-6 Celsius) I decided to do a little web surfing for southern hemisphere sky gazing web sites. One of the first I ran across was Rogers Website of Southern Amateur Astronomy. Even if you’re not living in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s fun to see his writeups about what SoHemi observers are seeing these nights.
Another one I enjoyed reading was Southern Sky Watch. It gave me a great perspective to read, “Summer is here once more, and the beautiful constellations of Orion, Taurus and the magnificent rambling constellations of Carina, Puppis, and Vela grace our skies again.”
The Southern Sky Watch had a link to Steve Voss’s Aurora pages and a selection of gorgeous auroral images taken from New Zealand.
I also ran across the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa. It’s a venerable group, formed in 1912 and is quite active. It has a lot of really good resources for Southern Hemisphere observers, including star charts and observing hints.
Sometimes those of us in the Northern Hemisphere forget there is another half of the sky to explore, and equally avid fans of stargazing under that sky. I know that sky came alive for me when I spent several weeks under it, teaching others how to find their way among unfamiliar star patterns. It’s an experience I think everybody should have—but until you can go for yourself, do some browsing around and see how the other half lives!
