The southern skies contain beautiful star clusters to rival those in the north, and the planetary line-up is at its best in February, writes Ian Musgrave.

February nights see the summer constellations of Taurus the Bull, Orion the Hunter and Canis major (Orion's hunting dog) slip into the north-western sky.

Orion is still visible, as are the Pleiades, a close grouping of six stars. A line drawn westward through the red star that forms the shoulder of Orion, Betelgeuse, and Aldebaran brings you to the Pleiades.

Although faint, the Pleiades is pretty to the unaided eye, and delightful in binoculars. If you're fortunate enough to have a decent telescope you'll be able to see a hint of the nebulous cloud that makes photographs of this cluster an astronomical icon.

The Pleiades is also known as the Seven Sisters in European culture. Interestingly, many Indigenous Australian groups also saw the cluster as women. The Boorong people of north-western Victoria called it Larnankurrk and described it as a group of women watching Kulkunbulla (the two dancing youths represented by the Saucepan of Orion's belt). However, the people of the Lake Albert area saw the Pleiades as a clutch of turkey eggs.

In February, you can also see a cluster of stars called the Southern Pleiades (it's only visible in the southern hemisphere). It's a lot less obvious to the unaided eye than the Pleiades themselves, but is truly beautiful in binoculars or a small telescope.

It's made up of a cluster of stars around theta Carina, which also glories in the name Vathorz Posterior.

Location of the Southern Pleiades in the February night sky. ( Ian Musgrave/Stellarium )

To find this small gem, look up from Acrux, the brightest star in the Southern Cross. The second bright star you come to is surrounded by a halo of dim stars. This is the Southern Pleiades.

You can easily see the Pleiades and the Southern Pleiades from around an hour after sunset as they emerge from the twilight.

As the night progresses the Pleiades sink into the west. In contrast, the Southern Pleiades rise higher above the southern horizon as February progresses but they will become harder to see due to moonlight.

Planetary line-up at its best

Position of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn on the north-eastern horizon on February 6 an hour before sunrise ( Ian Musgrave/Stellarium )

Mars or Antares? It is easy to get Mars and Antares confused in February as they are not far from each other and of similar brightness at the beginning of the month. So here are some tips to help you tell the difference between the two.

It is easy to get Mars and Antares confused in February as they are not far from each other and of similar brightness at the beginning of the month. So here are some tips to help you tell the difference between the two. At the start of the month Mars is further from Saturn and closer to Jupiter than Antares.

At the start of the month Mars is further from Saturn and closer to Jupiter than Antares. During the month Mars comes closer to Saturn and Antares, brightening visibly.

During the month Mars comes closer to Saturn and Antares, brightening visibly. By the end of February Mars, Antares and Saturn form a nice triangle in the morning sky.

February is the best time to see all five bright planets — Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Saturn and Mercury — lined up in the morning sky.

While it was hard to see in January, Mercury rises into prominence and is at its best on February 7.

But you'll need to be up before the sun. The best time to see the celestial line-up is 60-90 minutes before sunrise.

Venus is a hand-span from Mercury from the 6th to the 22nd and should be readily visible on the horizon. Venus is easily recognisable as the brightest object in the pre-dawn sky.

Jupiter is the second brightest object after Venus (not counting the Moon, of course) and Mercury the next brightest object. While it is visible in the morning, Jupiter can be seen in the evening as well. It rises above the eastern horizon from around 10:30pm. If you have binoculars, even small binoculars, you'll be able to see Jupiter's moons.

Saturn is the bright-ish yellow object above Venus near the bright red star Antares.

As the month wears on, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn will move further away from the pairing of Venus and Mercury.

As in January, the path of the Moon over the month coincides with the line of the five planets, and its location can help you identify the planets.