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 signpost to the winter sky, the constellation Scorpius, the Scorpion, is prominent in the east. With its head or claws to the left or north and its tail to the right or south, it is one of the few constellations that has a strong resemblance to its name. The Scorpion even has a red heart, the star Antares. This is a red giant star 550 light years from us with a width that is about four times that of Earth’s path around the Sun.
Farther to the north, we see the bright star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, high in the north-east. Below is the brilliant orange-coloured Arcturus in the constellation Boötes, the Herdsman. This star, 37 light years from us, has an exceptionally low concentration of elements other than hydrogen and helium.
In the north-west, we reach Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo, the Lion, named after the Latin word meaning ‘Little King’, as it was once considered the ruler of the heavens. A very hot star 79 light years from us, it has a flattened and distorted shape due to a very rapid spin around its axis.
Above Regulus, stretching across the sky, is the constellation Hydra, the Female Water Snake. This ancient constellation is the largest of the 88 that modern astronomers accept.
The Southern Cross, or Crux, is at its highest and standing vertically in the south. Its brightest star, Acrux, is the one closest to the horizon, while the highest star is the red giant Gamma Crucis.
