A popular old saying claims, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” For me, this describes my love of the southern sky. I’ve spent maybe 50 nights total under it, but each one has been filled with discovery and fascination.
For this story, I’ve chosen deep-sky objects in the far south — within 30° of the South Celestial Pole. Once you point a telescope toward that region, you’ll encounter constellations you may not be familiar with: Apus, Ara, Carina, Centaurus, Circinus, Crux, Dorado, Horologium, Hydrus, Indus, Mensa, Musca, Octans, Pictor, Reticulum, Triangulum Australe, Tucana, and Volans. And although Carina, Centaurus, and Crux contain bright stars you can navigate by, luminaries in the other groups are few and far between.
What are the best locations to view these southern wonders? One is the tip of South America, either in Chile or Argentina. From a latitude of 50° south, the South Celestial Pole stands 50° high, so the objects in this story will never set. Instead, they’ll lie between 20° and 80° above the horizon all night.
But let’s say you’re heading to Melbourne, Australia. From there, targets on this list will appear about 12° lower. Your best views from either location will come when an object stands highest above the horizon.
I’ve listed these objects in order of right ascension. Pick one that’s high in the sky, and the subsequent objects will rise to their highest points after it. Good luck!
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