December, Mid-Southern Latitudes (December 15th, 10:30 p.m. local time)

Western Horizon
Eastern Horizon

West

It's spring still, as the summer solstice, in the southern hemisphere, will take place about next December 21. Hence the skies we are seeing are the ones of spring, as they are transitioning towards the summer ones! As the show in spring and summer is mostly about the northern horizon, or East, some fine views are seen West. As the Great Square of Pegasus is lowering, northwest, the faint chain of Pisces, the Fishes -above it- are another target of interest. The bright star, West, is Fomalhaut, of Piscus Austrinus, the Southern Fish as Aquarius, the Water Bearer is to its right. Some typical southern constellations are seen, further, southwest, like Grus, the Crane, or Indus, the Indian. Peacok, of Pavo, the Peacok, or Alnair, of Grus, are other fine views. Keep moving South. As Achernar, this bright star, is full South, see, just under it, both the Magellanic Clouds which are about their year's best. The Magellanic Clouds are satellite-galaxies to our own Milky Way Galaxy. to a printer-friendly chart
West for the tropics. West for the mid-northern latitudes

East

Mostly two parts of the sky are see East. Southeast, a chain of Milky Way-embedded, southern constellations is beginning to rise -as they will take their full, southeastern position, during summer- with such constellations ranging from Centaurus, the Centaur to Canis Major, the Great Dog. The northeastern part of the sky, on the other hand, is accommodating those constellations which, in the northern hemisphre, are part of the great sky which is seen during winter up there. Orion, the Hunter, and Taurus, the Bull are part of it. This part of the sky will fully deploy above the northern horizon during summer. The upper part of the eastern sky is showing Eridanus, the River Eridanus, which is meandering its way from Rigel, of Orion, to Achernar, where the river is ending its course. to a printer-friendly chart
East for the tropics. East for the mid-northern latitudes

(color maps with Stellarium; printer-friendly charts with Cartes du Ciel, Patrick Chevalley)