Cant find Magellanic Clouds

[Jazza11 (Jeremy)]

I cant seem to find the magellanic clouds anywhere i can see the milkyway dust fine even on nights of bad seeing but i cannot seem to find them anywhere does anyone know any techniques to finding them???

[renormalised (Carl)]

Whereabout in QLD are you, then I can give you a site specific map for you to look at

[Barrykgerdes]

Originally Posted by Jazza11

I cant seem to find the magellanic clouds anywhere i can see the milkyway dust fine even on nights of bad seeing but i cannot seem to find them anywhere does anyone know any techniques to finding them???

If you can see the Milky way you should be able to see the Magellenic clouds. However at the moment in the early evening they are very low on the southern horizon and from Townsville they may even be below the horizon. Have a look around midnight the LMC will be a few degrees due east of the south celestial pole and the SMC will be over the top of the south celestial pole about the same distance.

Barry

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

These galaxies are huge.
You may even be mistaking them for actual clouds cause that's exactly what they look like. Hold your fist out at arms length and that's around about the size the Large Magellenic Cloud appears to be in the sky.

[DavidU (Dave)]

Here is a screen shot from central Qld at 10.00 tonight.
The curser is on the SMC.

[erick (Eric)]

Yes, not particularly high early evening from your part of the world - I think that is the problem. Have a good look to the South around midnight.

[Jazza11 (Jeremy)]

Originally Posted by renormalised

Whereabout in QLD are you, then I can give you a site specific map for you to look at

I live on the Sunshine Coast

And also i think i may have seen them naked eye before but if it was it seems alot closer to the Eta Carinae area

[renormalised (Carl)]

Here's the Magellanic Clouds at about 11:15pm tonight...

It's from Brisbane, but that's close enough to be correct for your lat/long' co-ords.