I have used the Apple Ipad Sky Safari Pro app to quickly produce a few introductory sky charts that can be used tonight (Christmas night) and the following few nights. If you have a clear sky, you will be able to step outside and easily find the planets Venus and Jupiter plus the Southern Cross and ‘The Pointers’ using just your unaided eyes. If you are after a bit more of a challenge, you can use binoculars or a telescope to find Uranus, Nepturne and the Andromeda galaxy. Patience will be required though for the last three if you haven’t looked for them before.
Above: Look above the Western horizon at 9 pm AEST (10 pm AEDT) to locate Venus. While Neptune’s position is shown, you will need a more detailed finder chart than the one above to easily locate Neptune due to its faintness. A suitable finder chart can be found here for both Neptune and Uranus.
Above: Look above the North West horizon at 9 pm AEST (10 pm AEDT) to locate Uranus, Jupiter and the Andromeda Galaxy. A pair of binoculars will make finding the Andromeda Galaxy and Uranus (use the finder chart mentioned above) easier than using your unaided eyes. Jupiter on the other hand will be visible to the unaided eye as a bright star.
Above: Look above the North West horizon at 9 pm AEST (10 pm AEDT) to locate the group of stars that make up Orion ‘The Hunter’. The constellation isn’t labelled in this view. Look for the upside down stick figure, with the stars Rigel and Betelgeuse labelled.
Above: Look above the North West horizon at 9 pm AEST (10 pm AEDT) to locate the Southern Cross and the two Pointers (Alpha and Beta Centauri). If you live in Brisbane or even further North, you may find that either group of stars is not visible due to the curvature of the Earth. South of Canberra, the stars will be higher in the sky.
