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 constellation Sagittarius, the Archer, is high in the eastern sky. More commonly known as the Teapot, the handle is below and the spout above. The lower star on the left or north of the handle has the name Nunki, of Babylonian origin. This star is 225 light years from us, it is fast-spinning and exceptionally hot.
Above Sagittarius, we find the curved line of bright stars forming Scorpius, the Scorpion, almost directly overhead. Its claws lie towards the west, while the tail is towards the east. Antares, the Scorpion's red heart, shines brightly near the zenith. Its name means 'Rival of Mars', as the planet Mars is a similar colour and brightness.
In the north-east, we see Altair, the brightest star in the constellation Aquila, the Eagle. Altair can be recognised easily, as it is flanked by two stars, Tarazed to the left or north and Alshain to the right or east.
Closer to the horizon than Altair and to its left or north, we see Vega, the brightest star in the constellation Lyra, the Lyre. Thirteen thousand years ago, Vega marked the pole in the Northern Hemisphere sky, just as Polaris does today.
In the southern part of the sky, the Southern Cross, Crux, is high in the south-west. Though we normally think of the Cross as consisting of five bright stars, the fifth star, Ginan, is becoming difficult to see from our over-lit cities and suburbs.
Intrinsically, Ginan shines with a brightness 330 times that of the Sun, but at 228 light years from Earth, it appears faint to us. Despite this, the star is shown as part of the Southern Cross on the Australian flag.
