Turn left at orion

[breammaster]

So I got this on kindle for cheap. Just wondering how I use it for the Southern Hemisphere. Are the objects viewable in the same months as listed in the book? They say orion is in January and feb, which it seems to be here aswell.

[barx1963]

A constellation that is visible in both hemispheres will be visible at the same time of year in both hemispheres. The orientation may be altered and a constellation that is high in the sky in the US will skim the horizon down here, but then they don't get to see 47Tuc!!

Malcolm

[julianh72]

I have the printed version, and it is a great asset. My printed copy has a chapter on Southern skies, covering specifically that part of the sky that is always visible to a Southern viewer, but always hidden to Northern observers - I assume the Kindle version has this as well?

As Malcolm says, the same constellations are visible in the night sky wherever you live, and transit at roughly the same time of night for optimal viewing (depending on your time zone), but what is high in the evening sky for a Northern observer may be low in the North for us, or possibly below the Northern horizon.

The other thing to note is that the star finding charts are printed with "South up", to suit a Northern observer. For Southern observers, "North is up", so the finder charts can appear to be upside down. Add this to the image inversion issues which depend upon your rig (refractor / reflector / cat / with or without a diagonal), and it can be a bit confusing at first. Stick with it, and you'll find it be a very handy guide.

There is also a companion web site that is worth a look - if only because it has finder charts which are correctly oriented for Southern viewers:
http://www.cambridge.org/features/turnleft/

[seeker372011]

It's a great book. The best beginners book in my opinion.

You won't see all the objects from Australia but you will see enough to get you going.

Most are binocular objects too.

[breammaster]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm really liking it. There's so much too see in the Orion constellation itself. I've always just gone straight to m42. Didnt realize how many double stars are there.