Need help with Australian constellations

[davewitley]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "malaprop2000" <malaprop2000 at y...> wrote:
> Hope someone here lives in Australia - or New Zealand.
> 
> Am writing a fanfic and need to now if there are any particularly 
> bright constellations (it's October in Potter time)  that Harry 
might be able to see and remember (it's a dream sequence).
> 
> I have a star guide and I really love the idea of Harry seeing the 
> Phoenix but I want to make sure that he could see it.  The Southern 
> Cross looks like it would be an excellent choice - four bright 
stars 
> in the shape of a cross -  but I don't know if it can actually be 
seen 
> from the Southern Hemisphere.
> 
> Our boy is about 100 miles north of Alice Springs.

I'm guessing latitude about 15 - 20S.

I would need to check my maps at home but I believe that in October 
the Phoenix would indeed be visible very high up in the south.  Later 
on it would be lower in the west.  The Southern Cross *might* just be 
up in the early evening and just before dawn, but I think it would be 
below the horizon for the middle part of the night, .

However, the Phoenix isn't particularly bright - it has one 2nd 
magnitude star.  Also, Harry will only know it's a phoenix if he 
already knows his constellations (those damned elusive Astronomy 
lessons with Sinistra - but, remember, Phoenix is *not* visible 
without magic from Hogwarts as it's too far south in the sky) - 
constellations are notorious for not looking like the thing they 
represent: stars are just bright dots in the sky.  Bright 
constellations that would be visible in the evening include Scorpius, 
Sagittarius, Aquila (eagle), and Grus (crane, i.e. the bird).  
Slightly less bright but of possible interest would be Lupus (wolf).  
Achernar (in Eridanus the river and Fomalhaut (in Piscis Austrinus 
the southern fish) are rather isolated bright stars.  Later you will 
have Carina (the keel, brightest part of the ship Argo), Orion, 
Taurus and Canis Major (which includes Sirius).  I think Sirius would 
be almost overhead at about 4-5am solar time.

David