Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

What Northern Hemisphere Astronomers Are Missing From the Southern Hemisphere

Posted by timothy on from the sense-of-restraint-and-decorum dept.

creimer (824291) writes The New York Times Sunday Review has an interesting article on the astronomical night life when viewed from Sao Paulo, Brazil, featuring a treasure trove not visible to astronomers in the Northern Hemisphere: "Yet the Southern Hemisphere claims the three brightest stars of the night sky: Sirius, Canopus and Alpha Centauri. Canopus belongs to the Carina constellation, notorious for two things: the Carina Nebula, four times as large and even brighter than the famous Orion Nebula, and the star system Eta Carinae, which is expected to burst as a supernova or hypernova sometime in the next thousand years. (A scientist told the BBC that the explosion would be so bright that you would see it during the day, and you could even read a book by its light at night.) Alpha Centauri and Beta Centauri, the 11th-brightest star, are called "The Pointers," as they form a line in the sky to the constellation Crux (the Southern Cross). Crux is the smallest of all 88 constellations but one of the most distinctive. It is visible at practically any time of the year in all of the Southern Hemisphere."

4 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. I'm planning a trip to Chile by jfdavis668 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Just to view the southern sky from the Atacama Desert. Clear skies far from light pollution. I need to see these sights. Those and the LMC and SMC.

  2. Re:Sirius by Trepidity · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Yes, it's visible from most of the earth, with the only exception being really far north, north of the Arctic Circle. In the northern hemisphere it's considered part of the Winter Hexagon.

    --
    10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
  3. Emission spectroscopy by dbIII · · Score: 4, Interesting

    since it is relatively easy to filter out sodium

    And the wavelengths the LEDs are putting out - emission spectroscopy is what you are looking for.
    One positive is a lot of the new lights have fittings that reflect the light more in the direction where it is useful. It's easier to design such things for lights that are not very hot.

  4. Been there, done that by spaceyhackerlady · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Heading south is a very good thing for astronomers to do. It's like visiting another planet: lots of new stars and stuff, and the familiar constellations are all upside down.

    I've observed from Australia, New Zealand and the Cook Islands. My first view of the Eta Carinae region was from St. Kilda Beach in Melbourne. My first view of the Magellanic Clouds was from a highway rest area just south of Echuca, Victoria. One night at a motel in Forbes, NSW, I needed the bathroom in the wee hours and padded out to have a look. I knew the Sagittarius Milky Way would be out at that time of the night, but I couldn't find it at first. It was directly overhead.

    Of course I went to Parkes. A nerd's gotta do what a nerd's gotta do. :-)

    I'm watching Top Gear in Patagonia, and while Argentina has better scenery, Australia has better weather. And much better roads.

    ...laura