Sydney Observatory night sky map A map for each month of the year, to help you learn about the night sky September 2012 www.sydneyobservatory.com This star chart shows the stars and constellations visible in the night sky for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth for September 2012 at about 7:30 pm (local standard time). For Darwin and similar locations the chart will still apply, but some stars will be lost off the southern edge while extra stars will be visible to the north. Stars down to a brightness or magnitude limit of 4.5 are shown. To use this chart, rotate it so that the direction you are facing (north, south, east or west) is shown at the bottom. The centre of the chart represents the point directly above your head, called the zenith, and the outer circular edge represents the horizon. South Celestial Pole LMC SMC Centre of the Galaxy ANTLIA APUS AQUARIUS AQUILA ARA BOOTES CAPRICORNUS CARINA CENTAURUS CETUS CHAMAELEON CIRCINUS CORONA AUSTRALIS CORONA BOREALIS CORVUS CRUX CYGNUS DELPHINUS DORADO EQUULEUS FORNAX GRUS HERCULES HOROLOGIUM HYDRUS INDUS LACERTA LIBRA LUPUS LYRA MENSA MICROSCOPIUM MUSCA NORMA OCTANS OPHIUCHUS PAVO PEGASUS PHOENIX PICTOR PISCIS AUSTRINUS RETICULUM SAGITTA SAGITTARIUS SCORPIUS SCULPTOR SCUTUM SERPENS TELESCOPIUM TRIANGULUM AUSTRALE TUCANA VELA VIRGO VOLANS VULPECULA SERPENS Achernar Alpha Centauri Altair Antares Arcturus Deneb Hadar Mimosa Spica Vega Zubenelgenubi N r t N E E a s t S E South S W W e s t The spring equinox occurs on the 23rd when the length of day and night is almost equal, about 12 hours each. Saturn is visible low in the west in the constellation of Virgo. Mars is next to the star Zubenelgenubi in Libra. The best time to see the Moon using binoculars or a small telescope is a few days either side of the first quarter Moon on the 23rd. To the south-west is Crux (the Southern Cross) easily located using the two nearby stars called the Pointers. In the centre of the sky are t he constellations of Scorpius (the Scorpion) and Sagittarius (the Archer). Sydney Observatory, with a magnificent view overlooking Sydney Harbour, is open 10am to 5pm daily – except closed Good Friday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and open 10am to noon on New Year’s Eve. Open Monday to Saturday for night sessions (times vary depending on the season) for sky viewing through one of our telescopes (cosy planetarium session if cloudy), and 3D movies about the Universe. Bookings are essential for night programs. For more information, check the website at www.sydneyobservatory.com or call (02) 9921 3485. Sydney Observatory is at Watson Road, Observatory Hill, in the historic Rocks area of Sydney. Sydney Observatory is part of the Powerhouse Museum. The Sydney Observatory night sky map is prepared by Dr M Anderson using the software TheSky. © 2012 Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney. Star brightness Zero or brighter 1 st magnitude 2 nd 3 rd 4 th Moon phase Last quarter: 08th New Moon: 16th First quarter: 23rd Full Moon: 30th Saturn Chart key Bright star Faint star Ecliptic Milky Way Planet LMC or Large Magellanic Cloud SMC or Small Magellanic Cloud P P SOUTHERN CROSS Zubeneschamali CRUX CENTAURUS Antares SCORPIUS Jewel Box Moon on 23rd Beta Crucis Fomalhaut PISCES AUSTRINUS INDUS GRUS PISCES APUS POINTERS Alpha Centauri Beta Centauri SAGITTARIUS South Celestial Pole MUSCA LYRA Centre of the Galaxy Coalsack Mars P