Observing at the OzSky "Classic" Star Safari

The southern night skies at the OzSky "Classic" Star Safari are something to behold!

Not only does the hub of the Milky Way reach the zenith (yes, both Sagittarius and Scorpius will cross through the zenith!), but you'll also enjoy Omega Centauri overhead, the entire Crux / Carina region, the stunning Magellanic Clouds early in the evening, and so much more.

Eye Candy, Observing Lists & Other Resources

While this list is by no means exhaustive, it will hopefully act as a starting point to help you get your own personal observing lists started, or perhaps provide some inspiration to get yours refined if you've already started one.

Crux / Carina / Centaurus / Vela / Musca

Ruby Crucis (DY Crucis / EsB 365)
The Jewel Box (NGC 4755)
The Coal Sack
Eta Carinae Nebula (NGC 3372)
The Homunculus (NGC 3372)
The Keyhole Nebula (NGC 3372)
The Football Cluster (NGC 3532)
Southern Pleiades (IC 2602)
Carina Wolf-Rayet (NGC 3199)
Omega Centauri (NGC 5139)
Son of Omega (NGC 2808)
Pencil Nebula (Vela SNR) (NGC 2736)
Eight Burst Nebula (NGC 3132)
The Spiral Planetary (NGC 5189)
Centaurus A (NGC 5128)
The Blue Planetary (NGC 3918)
Centaurus Cluster (Abell 3526)
Centaurus Cigar (NGC 4945)

Scorpius / Sagittarius (At the Zenith!)

Scorpius at the zenith
Sagittarius at the zenith
The Bug Nebula (NGC 6302)
Trifid Nebula (NGC 6514 / M 20)
Lagoon Nebula (NGC 6523 / M 8)
Swan / Omega Nebula (NGC 6618 / M 17)
Zeta Scorpii – One of the most luminous stars

Tucana & Dorado

47 Tucanae (NGC 104)
Tucana Spare Globular (NGC 362)
Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC / NGC 292)
Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC)
The Tarantula Nebula (NGC 2070)
Dorado Seyfert Galaxy (NGC 1566)

Other Regions (in no particular order)

Fornax Barred Spiral (NGC 1365)
Antlia Spiral (NGC 2997)
Ara Globular (NGC 6397)
Southern Pinwheel (NGC 5236 / M 83)
Meathook Galaxy (NGC 2442)
Ghost of Jupiter (NGC 3242)
Thor's Helmet (NGC 2359)
Norma Planetary (Shapley 1)
Antennae Galaxies (NGC 4038 + 4039)
Sombrero Galaxy at the zenith!! (NGC 4594 / M 104)
Starfish / Pavo Cluster (NGC 6752)
The Dark Doodad (NGC 4372 region)
Silver Dollar Galaxy (NGC 253)
Sculptor Cigar (NGC 55)
The Hand of God (CG 4)
Helix Nebula (NGC 7293)
Saturn Nebula (NGC 7009)
Wild Duck Cluster (NGC 6705 / M 11)
Orion Nebula & The Trapezium (NGC 1976 / M 42)

Challenge Objects

Murrell 1 – Planetary Nebula discovered by OzSky’s very own Master Observer, Andrew Murrell
Horsehead Nebula (IC 434) – A classic, but it's technically a Southern Object!
The Emu (Dark Nebula) – not really a "challenge", but you won't believe it until you see it!
Proxima Centauri – The closest star to Earth (other than the Sun, of course!)
The "Field of Nothing" – You guessed it: a field of view containing absolutely nothing (well, almost nothing...)
The Aurora Australis – Yes, The "Southern Lights" - Not at all "likely" to see this (hence being listed here as a "Challenge Object"), but we have seen it from "worse" latitudes in the past!

Online OzSky Resources

The OzSky Star Safari website contains several very useful observing resources which you might like to review prior to your trip, including:

Further information and additional observing lists can also be found on the OzSky Star Safari website at https://www.OzSky.org/resources (under the "Resources" link), however in the interim, hopefully this page will serve to whet your appetite for what else there might be to discover in the Southern Night Skies at the 2027 OzSky "Classic" Star Safari.

As mentioned previously, this list is just a very small sample of some of the Southern Skies Eye Candy objects and will hopefully inspire you to get some ideas together for your 2027 OzSky "Classic" Star Safari southern skies observing lists.

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Overview, Trip Planning, Bookings & Logistics
Observing Expectations at OzSky "Classic"

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Weather & Climate Expectations