Constellations are groups of stars that represent mythological figures, fanciful beasts or old scientific instruments. Some have been used for millennia as a tool to share significant cultural stories and to track the passage of the weeks and months. Today they also help astronomers mark out portions of the sky and locate astronomical objects. Those listed below have been selected for their visibility in the evening up to 2 hours after sunset as seen from the southern hemisphere.
The summer constellation Orion is lying on its side in the western sky. Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, is above and to the left or south of Orion. Procyon, the brightest star in the constellation Canis Minor, the Little Dog, is above and to the right or north.
In the east, we can see Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, the Maiden. Spica is, in fact, two hot, massive stars whirling around each other every four days.
In the south, the Southern Cross, Crux, is straightening up and is now at about the 4 o’clock angle. The first of the two pointers below is Beta Centauri, also known as Hadar, which is a hot giant star about 390 light years from us.
The second pointer is Alpha Centauri or Rigil Kentaurus. With a small telescope, you can see it as a pair of bright stars close together — one of the best sights in the southern sky. A third star in the Alpha Centauri system, called Proxima Centauri, is the closest star to the Sun, at just 4.3 light years away. Two or maybe three planets are known to be circling Proxima, with masses relative to Earth of one-quarter, a little more than one and, possibly, seven times.
The two pointer stars are part of the constellation Centaurus, the Centaur, which surrounds the Southern Cross on three sides. In Greek mythology, centaurs were half-human, half-horse creatures.
Canopus, the second-brightest star in the sky and the brightest star in the constellation Carina, the Keel, is high in the south.
