Sydney Observatory night sky map A map for each month of the year, to help you learn about the night sky

June 2014www.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 June 2014 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 on the chart. To use it, rotate the chart 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

ARA

BOOTES

CAELUM

CANCER

CANES VENATICI

CANIS MAJOR

CANIS MINOR

CARINA

CENTAURUS

CHAMAELEON

CIRCINUS

COLUMBA

COMA BERENICES

CORONA AUSTRALIS

CORONA BOREALIS

CORVUS CRATER

CRUX

DORADO

GRUS

HERCULES

HOROLOGIUM

HYDRA

HYDRUSINDUS

LEO

LEO MINOR

LEPUS

LIBRA

LUPUS

LYNX

MENSA

MICROSCOPIUM

MONOCEROS

MUSCA

NORMA

OCTANS

OPHIUCHUS

PAVO

PICTOR

PUPPIS

PYXIS

RETICULUM

SAGITTARIUS

SCORPIUS

SCUTUM

SERPENS

SEXTANS

TELESCOPIUM

TRIANGULUM AUSTRALE

TUCANA

URSA MAJOR

VELA

VIRGO

VOLANS

SERPENS

Achernar

AdharaAlpha Centauri

Antares

Arcturus

Canopus

Hadar Mimosa

Pollux

Procyon

Regulus

Sirius

Spica

Zubenelgenubi

North

NE

Ea

st

SE

South

SWW

est

NW

June evenings are great for seeing the brightest part of the Milky Way high overhead. June 21st is the shortest day of the year (winter solstice; 9 hours and 48 minutes of daylight) when the Sun is at its most northerly position in the sky. Saturn is located towards the east in Libra. Mars can be seen high in the sky towards the north in Virgo. The best time to view the Moon with a small telescope or binoculars is a few days either side of the first quarter Moon on the 6th. The Southern Cross is high in the sky towards the south and is easily located using the two nearby Pointer stars. The brighter of the Pointers, Alpha Centauri, is the nearest star system to the Sun. Nearby are the False Cross and Diamond Cross that can both be mistaken for the Southern Cross. High in the sky are the constellations Leo (the Lion), Scorpius (the Scorpion) and Hydra (the Water Snake).

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 31st December. Open Monday to Saturday for night telescope sessions (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 1003 Upper Fort Street, 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. © 2014 Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney.

Star brightness Zero or brighter 1st magnitude 2nd 3rd

4th

Moon phase First quarter: 06th

Full moon: 13th Last quarter: 20th New moon: 27th

HYDRA

HYDRA

Antares M4

M7

Zubeneschamali

Zubenelakrab Zubenelgenubi

LIBRA

Coalsack

NORMA

Alpha Centauri

OCTANS

CARINA

CRUX

Moon on 6th

Saturn P

POINTERS

FALSE CROSSDIAMOND CROSS

Eta Carina-crucis

Jewel Box -crucisM6 Centre of the Galaxy

Mars P

Chart key Bright star Faint star Ecliptic Milky Way Planet LMC or Large Magellanic Cloud SMC or Small Magellanic Cloud

P

Leo question mark

Denebola Vindemiatrix

Spica

CORVUS

M104

CENTAURUS SOUTHERN

CROSS NGC 5139

Virgo galaxy cluster

Virgo galaxy cluster

Sigma Octantis