Happy New Year! It kicks off with a nova in Centaurus, which has been there since the middle of November and has reached a brightness of magnitude 4.5 - about as bright as the fourth star in the Southern Cross.
It should be around for a few more weeks yet.But without binoculars you will be hard pressed to see it. You will find it next to the closest pointer to the Southern Cross. This star's Arabic name is Hadar. In Maori, it is called Te taura o te waka o Tama-rereti. We also know it as Beta Centauri.
Now that we are a couple of weeks past the summer solstice we are entering midsummer. We still have a few weeks of long days and late evenings ahead of us before they get noticeably shorter. Venus is the most dominant planet in the evening sky, outshining everything except the Moon.
Keen observers will notice that it is setting slightly earlier each night as the month progresses, and setting with the Sun by mid-month.
After sunset, the east is dominated by the golden orb of Jupiter, rising about 8.50pm at the start of the month. By mid-month, it rises opposite the Sun and becomes the brightest planet in the evening sky.
