Sydney night sky map September 2013 A map for each month of the year, to help you learn about the night sky www.sydneyobservatory.com

This star chart shows the stars and constellations visible in the night sky for , , Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide and for September 2013 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. rth

No Star brightness Moon phase New Moon: 05th Zero or brighter First quarter: 13th 1st magnitude LACERTA nd Deneb Full Moon: 19th

2 CYGNUS Last quarter: 27th

rd N 3 E LYRA

th Vega 4 LYRA NW

CORONA BOREALIS HERCULES BOOTES VULPECULA

SAGITTA PEGASUS DELPHINUS Arcturus Altair

EQUULEUS SERPENS

AQUILA OPHIUCHUS SCUTUM PISCES SERPENS Moon on 13th Zubeneschamali AQUARIUS CAPRICORNUS

E SAGITTARIUS

LIBRA a

Centre of the Galaxy Antares Zubenelgenubi t s Antares

VIRGO s

t SAGITTARIUS SCORPIUS P P e PISCESMICROSCOPIUM AUSTRINUS SCORPIUS Saturn P Spica W PISCIS AUSTRINUS CORONA AUSTRALIS Venus on 21st Fomalhaut Centre of the Galaxy TELESCOPIUM Venus on 7th LUPUS ARA GRUSGRUS INDUS NORMA CORVUS INDUS CETUS SCULPTOR PAVO CIRCINUS CENTAURUS TRIANGULUM AUSTRALE AAlphalpha CentaurCentaurii CENTAURUS BetaHadar Centauri APUSPOINTERS PHOENIX Beta Crucis TUCANA APUS Jewel Box OCTANS Mimosa Coalsack SOUTHERN CROSS MUSCA SMC CRUX South CelestialMUSC PoleA CRUX Achernar South Celestial Pole CHAMAELEON HYDRUS

Chart key MENSA S FORNAXE Bright star HOROLOGIUM W Faint star RETICULUM LMC VOLANS S Ecliptic DORADO CARINA ANTLIA Milky Way VELA P Planet LMC or Large Magellanic Cloud PICTOR South SMC or Small Magellanic Cloud C

The spring equinox occurs on the 23rd when the length of day and night is almost equal, about 12 hours each. Saturn and Venus are visible low in the west. On the 8th the crescent Moon is near Venus. From the 17th to 20th Venus is a few degrees from Saturn. 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 13th. 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 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 . The Sydney Observatory night sky map is prepared by Dr M Anderson using the software TheSky. © 2013 Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney.