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 Author: Albert Jansen
Star Maps for Southern Africa is the first star guide of its kind in the southern hemisphere. It features 96 star maps for observing the southern skies with the naked eye, standard binoculars or a small telescope. Divided into 12 sets, the maps cover all eight principal views of the sky (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, and NW) for each month of the year and for different times during each night. For each set of star maps, the reader is alerted to prominent stars and constellations visible during that period of viewing. Terms and concepts are explained and frequently asked questions are addressed. - The maps are uncluttered and easy to read, drawn to a standard size on a generous scale. Star Maps for Southern Africa provides thorough and extensive coverage of our nights skies, enabling readers to track stars and related spectacles throughout the year. It will remain relevant for a lifetime.
The author, Albert Jansen, was born in The Netherlands. He became fascinated by astronomy at the age of nine. After high school he obtained an MSc degree in astronomy at Leyden University. He managed the Planetarium in The Hague for a number of years and has taught physics and computer programming at technikons in Amersfoort and Utrecht. In 1995, Albert and his wife Ellie emigrated to South Africa, where they established a private observatory in Prince Albert, welcoming many visitors each year.
Sunday Times Magazine: Cape Argus (Adelle Horler):
SET 11 A guided tour of the sky The horizon now coincides with the plane of our galaxy's 'disk'. Consequently, the Milky Way is low in every direction, and the sky's summit seems to be devoid of stars. The night sky reveals that the Milky Way Galaxy is not spherical but is a flat disk (like many other galaxies). Galaxies become this shape through the interplay of gravity and rotation. The Sun and its neighbours orbit near the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy so fast that they cover a few hundred kilometres each second. Yet it takes each star a few hundred million years to complete just one orbit, because our galaxy is so huge. Looking North, you can see the constellation of Pegasus with the four stars of the Spring Square. It points the way to the constellation Andromeda, which contains our neighbouring galaxy, visible to the naked eye as a distant blur. You may see the Andromeda Galaxy better through binoculars. In the North-East, the constellation of Cetus fills a large part of the sky. All the stars in this constellation are dim, except the one named Diphda. Very low in the sky are two star clusters, the Pleiades and the Hyades in the Taurus constellation. They are real beauties when seen through binoculars. Shining low in the East is the splendid Orion constellation. See how blue Rigel contrasts with red Betelgeuse. Near Orion's Belt (three stars in a row) is the famous Nebula. Bright Sirius is visible to the right and is so close to the horizon that its vivid twinkling may frighten the naive observer. Low in the South-East, you can see Canopus. Far above is Achernar, indicating one end of the huge, meandering 'river' Eridanus. The other end of Eridanus is near Rigel in Orion. Looking South, the Magellanic Clouds are easily spotted with the naked eye. These dwarf galaxies are a dozen times nearer to Earth than the Andromeda Galaxy. The two Pointers are almost on the horizon. In the South-West, the constellation of Crus can be seen, high up. Far below, you can see the constellation of Corona Australis. To the right of Corona Australis and lower in the sky, the constellation of Sagittarius is easy to identify. High up and due West, bright Fomalhaut shines in Piscis Austrinus. Directly below Piscis Austrinus, you can see the distorted triangle of Capricornus. Altair is a very bright star and can be seen diagonally to the right and far below Capricornus. Aquarius is hard to identify, but it can be seen high in the North-West, above and to the left of the 'neck' of Pegasus. The small constellation of Delphinus, to the right of Altair, is easy to spot. Neighbouring galaxies There may be as many galaxies in the Universe as there are stars in our own galaxy. However, only three galaxies are visible to the naked eye: the two Magellanic Clouds and the Andromeda Galaxy, which is the same size as our own, but a dozen times farther away than the two Magellanic Clouds. The Andromeda Galaxy bears a visual resemblance to our own. Its light travels a few million years to reach the Earth. NEW MOON IN NOVEMBER The week around new Moon is ideal for stargazing. A November new Moon will occur: 11th 2006 |