Southern Hemisphere Sky Envy

Posted by Kelly Whitt Jan 18, 2007

I only got to see Comet McNaught for one brief day -- about 20 minutes, to be exact. It was a beautiful comet. Still is, as I understand. But because it is no longer visible to those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, all I can do is look at photos or replay my video of the one night I had a clear sunset sky.

Not only are people in the Southern Hemipshere enjoying a brilliant Comet McNaught after sunset, they don't have to stand outside in freezing weather to see it. Up in the wintry north, I dodged in and out of the house to watch Comet McNaught, while some lucky Australian is probably sitting on the beach at sunset getting the same view. Warmer weather gives the comet an opportunity for a wider audience, as people in cold weather don't tend to linger outdoors. They dash from their car into a building with their heads down, missing whatever wonders might be above them.

In another month I will be escaping my cold weather for a warmer climate, but still in the Northern Hemisphere. Florida is about 1400 miles south of my home, so while it may not be in the next hemisphere, it does allow some unique viewing opportunities I don't normally have.

For one thing, I enjoy watching satellites. The ISS, iridium flares, and others pass over my location regularly. But the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is usually invisible from the north. I worked on bagging all different types of manmade satellites but had to wait to catch the HST until a trip to Florida a couple years ago.

The second brightest star is visible from Florida. Canopus, at magnitude -0.72, lies in the constellation Carina. It will be just above the southern horizon at sunset while I am on vacation, directly south of the brightest star in the sky, Sirius. And if the variable star Eta Carinae is ever going to explode, if it would be so kind as to do so while I am in Florida, that would be much appreciated. I'd have to stay up until about 1 am to see it swing just above the horizon, but I'd be willing to do that.

As long as I am sacrificing sleep to observing time, I could stay up until about 3 am in February to spot the Southern Cross. At the same time I could catch Jupiter, from my location in Jupiter, Florida, just for the fun of it. One hour later, at 4 am, I would get to see the third brightest star in the sky, Alpha Centauri.

But some of the greatest Southern Hemisphere sights are still hidden from view. The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, satellite galaxies of our Milky Way, are too far south to see. Even a vacation as far south as the Dominican Republic would only bring them to brush the horizon. Tucanae, arguably the most beautiful globular cluster in the sky, is another deep south object unviewable by us northerners.

I guess it's time to just be thankful for what I do have. Instead of odd constellations such as a microscope, an air pump, a table, and a fly, I have a king and queen, a dragon, a pair of bears, a woman chained to rocks, monsters, and strong heroic men. I guess that's not so bad after all....