Night sky map August 2017
North STAR BRIGHTNESS Zero or brighter Deneb 1st magnitude CYGNUS
nd 2 NE CANES VENATICI
rd Vega 3 LYRA NW 4th CORONA BOREALIS HERCULES BOOTES
VULPECULA
Arcturus SAGITTA COMA BERENICES
DELPHINUS SERPENS Altair Barnard’s star
EQUULEUS OPHIUCHUS AQUILA First quarter Jupiter SCUTUM Moon on 29th SERPENS VIRGO Saturn LIBRA Zubenelgenubi P Spica
East P Teapot Antares
SAGITTARIUS Centre of the Galaxy CORVUS M6 M7 CAPRICORNUS SCORPIUS
NGC 6231 CRATER West LUPUS AQUARIUS CORONA AUSTRALIS MICROSCOPIUM NORMA Centaurus A ARA Omega Centauri TELESCOPIUM CENTAURUS CIRCINUS PISCIS AUSTRINUS Alpha Centauri Hadar POINTERS INDUS Jewel Box Mimosa PAVO TRIANGULUM AUSTRALE SOUTHERN CROSS HYDRA Coalsac CRUX APUS GRUS MUSCA ANTLIA
OCTANS South Celestial Pole 47 Tucanae CHAMAELEON VELA TUCANA SMC SCULPTOR CHART KEY MENSA CARINA PYXIS SE PHOENIX HYDRUS VOLANS Bright star SW Faint star Achernar LMC MOON PHASE Ecliptic Milky Way Full Moon 08th Celestial Equator DORADO Last quarter 15th RETICULUM P Planet New Moon 22nd PUPPIS LMC or Large Magellanic Cloud HOROLOGIUM Canopus First quarter 29th
SMC or Small Magellanic Cloud South
THE CHART HIGHLIGHTS IN AUGUST 2017
The star chart shows the stars and constellations visible in On 8 August, there will be a partial lunar eclipse which the night sky for Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart will be visible across Australia. The eclipse will begin
and Adelaide for August 2017 at about 7:30 pm (local at 3:22AM AEST, when the Moon enters the Earth’s standard time). For Darwin and similar northerly locations shadow and then leave the Earth’s shadow at 5:19AM the chart will still apply, but some stars will be lost off the AEST, thus ending the eclipse. The planet Venus is southern edge while extra stars will be visible to the north. visible in the early morning, low in the north-east, all Stars down to a brightness or magnitude limit of 4.5 are month long. The best time to look at the moon with a shown on the star chart. To use this star chart, rotate the small telescope or binoculars is a few days either side chart so that the direction you are facing (north, south, east of its first quarter phase, which falls on the 29th of or west) is shown at the bottom. The centre of the chart August. High in the sky are the constellations represents the point directly above your head, called the Sagittarius (the Archer), Scorpius (the Scorpion) and zenith point, and the outer circular edge represents the Crux (the Southern Cross). When viewing the night horizon. sky from a dark location, it may be possible to see the white glow of our own galaxy, the Milky Way.
Sydney Observatory is part of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. The Sydney Observatory night sky map was created by Dr M. Anderson using the TheSky software. This month’s edition was prepared by Jane Kaczmarek. © 2017 Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney.