Ken's Constellation Query: Viewing Same Constellation in AUS & SA

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Ken Osbourne
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the visibility of constellations from different locations in the southern hemisphere, specifically comparing views from Sydney, Australia, and Cape Town, South Africa. Participants explore the relationship between local time, latitude, and the appearance of constellations in the night sky.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Ken questions whether viewing a constellation directly south at the same local time from Sydney and Cape Town would yield the same visibility, given their similar latitudes.
  • One participant confirms that Ken's thinking is correct regarding the visibility of constellations at the same latitude and local time.
  • Ken expresses uncertainty about whether he is overthinking the correlation between local times and constellation visibility.
  • Another participant reassures that one cannot overthink astronomy or celestial navigation, highlighting the importance of the Earth's rotation and orbit in determining constellation positions.
  • References to tools like a planisphere and websites such as Heavens Above are provided to assist in understanding constellation visibility.
  • Ken acknowledges the helpfulness of the information shared and speculates about the geographical location of the responding participant.
  • A suggestion is made to consider using Stellarium software for further exploration of celestial positions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the principles of constellation visibility based on latitude and local time, but Ken expresses some uncertainty about his understanding of the concepts.

Contextual Notes

Discussion includes references to specific tools and resources for understanding celestial navigation, but does not resolve all uncertainties regarding the implications of local time on constellation visibility.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in astronomy, celestial navigation, or those traveling between southern hemisphere locations may find this discussion relevant.

Ken Osbourne
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TL;DR
new starter question.......same local time, elevation and latitude in southern hemisphere
I live in Sydney AUS and look into the night sky most evenings...my question is - I will be travelling between AUS and Cape Town in South Africa from time to time. If I view a particular constellation directly south of me at say 9pm local Sydney time, and then when in Cape Town SA (pretty much the same latitude), a day or two later, view directly south of my position, at the same elevation at 9pm local time, should I be able to see the same constellation as I did in Sydney with all the same parameters at the same local time. Would my thinking be the same for all positions around the southern hemisphere (same latitude) at the same elevation and local time ?.

Hoping someone can help,
Cheers
Ken Osbourne
 
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Welcome to PF.
Ken Osbourne said:
Would my thinking be the same for all positions around the southern hemisphere (same latitude) at the same elevation and local time ?
Yes.
 
Thanks for the quick reply,
What got me thinking, was the local times and how constellations correlated with being in those same positions, or was I just over thinking it ??
 
Ken Osbourne said:
or was I just over thinking it ?
You cannot overthink astronomy or celestial navigation.

The Earth orbits the Sun once each year, so the Sun appears to move through the constellations in the background, (astrology). The Earth rotates once each sidereal day. So there are two important parameters, the day of the year and the local time.

When you use a planisphere, you line up the date with the local time to show the position of the constellations on that date, at that local time. The planets wander along, near the ecliptic, which is shown on the planisphere.
Find yourself a planisphere for the latitude of Sydney.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planisphere

The quick reply came from 1000 km south of you.
 
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thank you so much for the info, you've been very helpful.

1000kms sth ......must be around Hobart somewhere ?
 
Ken Osbourne said:
thank you so much for the info, you've been very helpful.

1000kms sth ......must be around Hobart somewhere ?

hi Ken
welcome to PF

Greetings from another Sydney dweller :smile:
(inner west) West Ryde

Dave
 
Do you have the excellent software Stellarium?
 
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