The skies were a mixture of familiar objects and totally foreign ones. Orion was a familiar sight, although with a different orientation with his head pointing downwards. As we travelled through Australia the patterns in the sky each night gradually took on a familiar look. I think now this must have been the way it was when we first looked at the sky at home. Trips to planetariums and a few books purchased along the way helped put some structure on what we were seeing.
Some favorite objects come to mind.
The brilliant triple star Alpha Centauri was a common sight at dusk. To the naked eye the brilliance was near the magnitude of a planet such as Saturn. Under 48x magnification the two brightest components were easily resolved. In the same sky I could see Mars, Jupiter and the crescent moon. There were clear skies for the most part.