Year 6 - Beyond Earth Southern hemisphere night sky map
September 2012
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.
North
Star brightness
Last quarter: New Moon: First quarter: Full Moon:
LACERTA Deneb CYGNUS
NE
LYRA Vega
08th 16th 23rd 30th
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
PISCES
Moon on 23rd
SERPENS
CAPRICORNUS
East
SAGITTARIUS
Centre of the Galaxy
Centre of the Galaxy TELESCOPIUM ARA
TUCANA
SMC Achernar
VIRGO Spica
LUPUS CORVUS
CIRCINUS
CENTAURUS Alpha Alpha Centauri Centauri CENTAURUS Hadar Beta Centauri
TRIANGULUM AUSTRALE PHOENIX
P
NORMA
PAVO
SCULPTOR
P
Saturn
Mars
SCORPIUS
GRUS GRUS INDUS INDUS
CETUS
Zubenelgenubi
Antares
SCORPIUS
MICROSCOPIUM PISCES AUSTRINUS PISCIS AUSTRINUS CORONA AUSTRALIS Fomalhaut
LIBRA
Antares
SAGITTARIUS
West
Zubeneschamali
AQUARIUS
POINTERS APUS Beta Crucis APUS OCTANS Mimosa Coalsack MUSCA
South Celestial Pole MUSCA
South Celestial Pole CHAMAELEON
Jewel Box CRUX CRUX
SOUTHERN CROSS
HYDRUS
Chart key
MENSA
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 SE
FORNAX
SW CARINA
VELA
ANTLIA
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 the constellations of Scorpius (the Scorpion) and Sagittarius (the Archer).
Take time during you holidays to investigate the night sky. Use this diagram to help you identify various objects. Try to choose a night when there are no clouds. Good luck star gazing.