Australian Geographic – July-August 2019

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The

looking up

Naked eye

Perched high in

the evening sky is

Scorpius and Sagittarius,

marking the Milky Way’s

central hub. A less obvious

member of this group is

Ophiuchus, the Serpent

Bearer. Look near Antares

for a dark region marked

out by six faint stars

arranged in a box shape.

Glenn Dawes is a

co-author of the

yearbook Astronomy

2019 Australia

(Quasar Publishing).

x1 x10 x100

with Glenn Dawes

PHOTO CREDITS, FROM LEFT: TIM FAN; JASON EDWARDS/AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHICSCIENTIFIC NAME:

Erythrura gouldiae

View

E

XPLORE THE SUCCESSFUL entries from the 2019 Australian Geographic Nature
Photographer of the Year competition in this prestigious exhibition at one of
Australia’s most highly regarded cultural institutions. Packed with stunning
images of the natural world, the exhibition celebrates the unique bioregion that
includes Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and Papua New Guinea.
naturephotographeroftheyear.com.au

Australian Geographic Nature

Photographer of the Year exhibition

16 August–10 November

South Australian Museum, Adelaide, SA

H

OME TO MORE

than one-third of

Australia’s avian

species, Kakadu National Park

is a bird-lover’s paradise.

Join traditional owners,

Parks Australia and local

birding specialists to celebrate

the Top End’s diverse birdlife,

ranging from woodland species

of the tropical savannah to

waterbirds gracing the region’s

famed billabongs. Explore what

the region has to offer while

keeping an eye out for a

multitude of species, from

colourful finches to majestic

birds of prey.

parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu

Explore

Kakadu Bird

Week

28 September–5 October,

Kakadu National Park, NT

Small telescope

The constellation

of Sagittarius is home to

many bright globular

clusters. These massive

‘cities’ of stars don’t all

look the same – the stars

in the core of Messier 75

are very dense; those in

the brighter and larger

Messier 22 are more

loosely scattered.

Binoculars

Where the ‘tail’

stars of Scorpius make a

near 90° turn is an area

rich in star fields. A great

example is the open

cluster NGC 6231,

dominated by a dozen hot

blue-white stars with

three others nearby

arranged in a distinctive

equilateral triangle shape.

30 Australian Geographic