Sydney Observatory night sky map
September 2011
A map for each month of the year, to help you learn about the night sky
www.sydneyobservatory.com.au
This star chart shows the stars and constellations visible in the night sky for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth for September 2011 at about 7.30pm (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 star 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.
North
Star brightness
First quarter: Full Moon: Last quarter: New Moon:
LACERTA Deneb CYGNUS
NE
LYRA Vega
05th 12th 20th 27th
NW
Zero or brighter 1st magnitude 2nd 3rd 4th
Moon phase
LYRA CORONA BOREALIS
HERCULES
BOOTES
VULPECULA SAGITTA
PEGASUS DELPHINUS
Arcturus
Altair EQUULEUS
SERPENS AQUILA OPHIUCHUS SCUTUM Centre of SERPENS the Galaxy
PISCES
Zubeneschamali SAGITTARIUS SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORNUS
East
Moon on 5th Antares Antares
Centre of the Galaxy
LIBRA Zubenelgenubi
VIRGO
SCORPIUS MICROSCOPIUM PISCES AUSTRINUS PISCIS AUSTRINUS CORONA AUSTRALIS
SCORPIUS
Spica
Fomalhaut
P
Saturn
TELESCOPIUM LUPUS
ARA NORMA
GRUS GRUS INDUS INDUS
CETUS
West
AQUARIUS
CORVUS
PAVO
SCULPTOR
CIRCINUS
CENTAURUS Alpha Alpha Centauri Centauri CENTAURUS Hadar Beta Centauri
TRIANGULUM AUSTRALE PHOENIX TUCANA
SMC Achernar
POINTERS APUS Beta Crucis APUS OCTANS Mimosa Coalsack MUSCA
South Celestial Pole MUSCA
South Celestial Pole CHAMAELEON
Jewel Box SOUTHERN CROSS CRUX CRUX
HYDRUS
Chart key
MENSA
SE
FORNAX
Bright star HOROLOGIUM LMC RETICULUM VOLANS Faint star DORADO Ecliptic Milky Way P Planet LMC or Large Magellanic Cloud South PICTOR SMC or Small Magellanic Cloud C
SW CARINA
VELA
ANTLIA
The spring equinox occurs on 23 September 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. 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 5th. 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 the constellations of Scorpius (the Scorpion) and Sagittarius (the Archer). Sydney Observatory, with a magnificent view overlooking Sydney Harbour, is open every day (except Good Friday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day) between 10am and 5pm. Day visits (excluding programs) are free. Bookings are essential for night programs (times vary – check our website). View the sky nightly through one of our telescopes, and see 3D movies about the Universe. For more information, check the website at www.sydneyobservatory.com.au or call (02) 9921 3485. Sydney Observatory is at Watson Road, Observatory Hill, in the historic Rocks area of Sydney. Our self-guided historic/scientific tour of Sydney Observatory and surrounds is now available for $1.99 as an app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch from the iTunes store http://from.ph/walkingtour. Sydney Observatory is part of the Powerhouse Museum. The Sydney Observatory night sky map is prepared by Dr M Anderson using the software TheSky. © 2011 Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney.
