What naked-eye objects can you see in the Southern Hemisphere?

You should definitely look at the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds; sister galaxies to the Milky Way. Along the Milky Way, the famous 'Coal Sack' can be seen in the constellation Crux. Check out our nearest stars Alpha and Proxima Centauri. There are also many pretty stars clusters and nebulae such as NGC 2602 and Eta Carina in the constellation Carina. It is also fun to see many of our familiar constellations such as Scorpio and Orion standing on their heads, and the lack of a bright star at the south pole!


Copyright 1997 Dr. Sten Odenwald
Return to Ask the Astronomer.