A quick guide to the Southern sky (I)

Hi everyone!!

If you really know me, you should know that, before becoming a "professional" astronomer, I was (and I'll always be) an amateur astronomer. I really enjoy going outside, with a small telescope, a bunch of books, some sky maps, a green laser pointer, and some friends. Just ask me about astronomy, ask me the name of this bright star to the West during the sunset and I'll start speaking about our place in the Universe in order to make you understand that the particular star you are asking about is not actually a star, but a planet called "Venus"...

That's how I am, and nothing is going to change me. I really love observing with my own eyes the night sky and especially, I love letting you know all this stuff using the easiest way possible (though not always is possible)... That's right!! I LOVE SCIENCE OUTREACH!!! Some of you might think it is a waste of time, some others that I must be crazy, although I know that some of you will agree with me, spreading the scientific knowledge is one of the most rewarding experiences a scientist can have. After observing in the William Herschel telescope, in the 3.5m telescope at Calar Alto... Why on earth do you prefer to observe with a 200 mm telescope??? The answer is quite easy: Those telescopes can give you great images to analyse and obtain scientific information, everyone enjoys Hubble Space Telescope images, they are astonishing! But what about receiving all this amount of photons in your own retina. Energy that has travelled during millions of years across the Interstellar Medium... and finally, they happened to end up in your own retina... becoming a part of what you are... and thus, making you part of the UNIVERSE... I think that now you have enough information to know why I am writing this entry.

One of the best moments that I have experienced as part of my experience in Australia has been those nights using the 8-inch Mount Stromlo Telescope, a telescope devoted to outreach, but that I have borrowed to enjoy the Southern Sky. From the southern hemisphere you can see some constellations that are also visible from the northern hemisphere. However, there are other not available from our latitudes. Some wonders like the Large and Small Magellanic clouds - LMC and SMC, peculiar galaxies that are orbiting around our Milky Way (our own Galaxy) and that some day will end up forming part of our disc, the Milky Way disc - are only visible from these latitudes. Canopus, Achernar, Alpha-Centauri (the closest star to our Sun, at around 4 light-year), 47TUC, etc... are also objects that I have observed for the first time during my visit to MSO (Mount Stromlo Observatory). NGC0253 (the Sculptor galaxy), Sagittarius, Scorpius, NGC7293 (the Helix Nebula)... objects that normally are observed close to the horizon, and whose light is dimmed by the effect of the particles forming our atmosphere (particles that we need for life to be possible on Earth), are observed high in the horizon, where the effect of the atmosphere is minimised.

Picture of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), taken on 8 October 2014 close to Batemans Bay (Australia) by Scott Medling. Copyright Scott Medling

The first thing that I realised when observing the Southern hemisphere was that I couldn't recognise even a constellation, although Sagittarius, Scorpius or Orion were visible... "Holly crap!! What's wrong with them!" There was nothing wrong, I was observing them upside-down (not exactly, but kind of). So there you have another interesting feeling, being able to recognise constellations that you already know but oriented in a different way... Much more difficult than find them and memorise them for the first time... Somehow my brain was trying to identify a different constellation, but my eyes were not able to capture such image (Of course not!! I was in the Southern Hemisphere!!).

The second thing that catches your attention are some small clouds that, somehow seem to be there... but they do not move!! Wait a minute... Are those faint, motionless clouds what I think they are?? YES!!! The LMC and SMC! After so many years observing the night sky, reading about them, and even researching the star formation history of one of them (let's talk about that in another post)... I was able to observe them, and from my house backyard!! This is one of the great advantages of Canberra, even in the middle of the capital of Australia, you can observe the stars!!! Almost no light pollution!! Canberrans, you are so lucky that you can enjoy the night sky spectacle without travelling hundreds of kilometres!!

But, as I am starting to feel tired (and so are you, I guess), I think I am going to stop here and I will make this entry a three-post entry... I have to think about that but I think so... This will serve as an introduction, in the next entries I will speak about how to find the south celestial pole, the identification of the main constellations on a Australian-spring night... and finally I will share my experiences with my small, 8-inch friend (I mean the telescope)... so stay tuned and I hope you can learn something from my observing experience in the South!!

Have a great day and write to you soon!!!! ;)