I love the winter constellations too. They are overhead here in Sydney too Stuart, at 34 degrees S. Can you actually see the MC's from your backyard? Not a chance in my location
And Ving, I concur, open clusters can be as breathtaking as anything else in the night sky. The Pleiades are a treat but nothing beats the Jewel cluster!
Hey Mike, those two are some of my favourite constellations too. Love scanning them on a cold winter's night, with no mozzies around! I still don't know what half of the objects are that I've found
