As an experiment in shared-resource ‘project’ joint efforts (a little like Wikipedia):
Here is a DRAFT that a contributor^ submitted for anyone to use freely
and to help comment, correct!, edit, add permitted images or make into 5 slides.
Users should give credits as each contributor indicates, and to IIS for facilitating .
Features: Incorporate science, spectroscopic targets -intro, highlight south.
Anyone else can also start a calendar-month or bi-month or tri-month thread if preferred
(Recommend…. not seasonal, because autumn, say, may not apply to our tropical top.)
D-R-A-F-T ‘Sky for the Month mid-Feb to Mid-Mar 2017’
1. Around the SCP, -60 and -70 deg circles, constellations, 2 hours time a month,
Illustration [Ref 1]
2. The orbital plane: Moon, Planets and Events
Path of Mars and URANUS, in Pisces
^Fresh WaterFishes pull
and the Ram jumps over the Bull^
(Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus)
Mars 0.6deg N Uranus
(Venus greatest illuminated extent 17-Feb 18 hrs)
Venus at perihelion M20-Feb
Jupiter in Virgo, 3deg S Moon Th 16 Feb 02+1DS hrs
^The TwinsCrab over to the Lion
The MaidenScales away from the Scorpion^
(Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius)
Virgo is the direction our Local Group are heading
at about 600 km/s, from cosmic microwave background study.
Moon Max libration, heavily cratered region of its south pole 27-Feb.
3. Deep Sky Objects (apart from the most popular
Proxima Cen., Note Exoplanet Proxima b.
EsB365 carbon star next to beta Crux, Note: variable, arguably reddest
H3945 Yellow and blue, similar to the Albireo, Canis Maj, mag 4.8, 6.8, sep 26.6”, spec K5, F0, (J2000.0) RA 16.6 Dec -23.19 [Ref 3 Vol 1 pp86-7].
Sirius A-B Currently (over 10 yrs) near max separation ~11”, mag -5 and 8.5
NGC2736 (in Vela, the Sail): SuperNova Remnant –Emission Nebula, dia 20’ x 3’, Photo Br(ightness) 2-5, Colo(u)r 2-4, 09h00.3m -45deg57’, 12/14” scopes 100x, ‘Herchel’s Ray’ or ‘the Pencil’, use OIII; [image and text p368, Ref 3].
NGC 3132 ‘Eight Burst Nebula’ Planetary Nebula 88” dia m9.2v, centre star pair mag 11, UHC. [image and text p373, Vol 3, Ref 3].
Explore Vela: scan and discover. Example NGC2547 “Open Cluster. A sparkling array of stellar beacons in small telescopes and binoculars”; [image “courtesy of the UK Schmidt Telescope and the Digitised Sky Survey” and text p 361, Ref 3 Vol 3]
Globular Clusters NGC3201 in Vela 20’ dia, mag 6.9v, NGC 2801 in Carina 14’ dia m6.2v
Start bright: Visual…. Sirius, Betelgeuse, gamma Velorum (in the Sail), eta Carinae, alpha/beta Centauri, Crux, (for comparison, see fainter objects).
Start with A class for hydrogen in profiles, get Angstrom/pixel as a guide for future: Fomalhaut (alpha Piscis Austrini), A3 V, 3rd bright star known to have planets Canopus, A9 II beta Carinae, A1 III Sirius, A1V
Bonus..... B-Class Rigel, B8 IA
(A Class= No helium, strongest hydrogen. A0=hot ~9500 K, A9=less hot ~7000 K)
(B Class=Neutral helium, strong hydrogen, 9500-30k K)
(Compare with the Sun, Class G2, 5800 K)
C 41P/Tuttle-G-K mag 11→8, in Cancer. (Perihelion April.)
C 45P/Honda-M-P 18-Feb rises 22:42 in Aquila, rapid move,
close to Earth mag 7 (4-Feb)→12 (11-Mar rises18:31)
[Ref 1] Sky Chart by Toshimi Taki Jan 29, 2005, Chart 3S;
with an added overlay of constellation tracing 2015 Sep 5, after H A Rey “The Stars”
[Ref 2] (for parts of items 2. and 5) An excellent annual guide: Astronomy 2017 Australia,
[Ref 3] (for item 3) An excellent guide with images:
The Night Sky Observer’s Guide, Vol 1, Vol 3, Cooper, Kay, Kepple; Wilmann-Bell 2008.
(^ the contributor asked to donate time and effort without name, rewards or credits.)
Regards
Team
Southskyscience, volunteer field astronomers
Last edited by Southskyscience; 14-02-2017 at 11:55 AM.
Many thanks to those who kindly sent in info. and images.
Awesome collaboration
The draft was turned into .pptx slides, presented at MPAS, Vic
–submitted, attached below as .jpeg (.pptx not valid here (can it be please IIS), available via pm),
to be freely available
for anyone to use, with due credits to contributors as stated in the slides.
(And there was a thank you to IIS, a great facilitator.)
Only 1 set each month, by any 12 individuals or Societies taking turns,
could serve all 100s of groups in the southern hemisphere and many 1000’s of readers of IIS each year.
We’ll have 12 flavours? 12 highlighted fields (SN, VAR, Doubles/Multiples/Binaries, etc.)? Here is a special thank you and invitation (no obligation) with much hope to the BOSS team and
those experienced in Double Stars as per the thread by Bigjoe and others.
Likely need to have Comets and major events pick their months first, do you think?
And users can add and edit for their own local interests.
This trial is an experiment of evolving and of taking turns in collaboration.
Anyone and any Club/Society volunteering for the next months?
. 
