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Home , Chamaeleon, Constellation, Cor Caroli, Crux, IC 2602, Libra (constellation)

Winter tour

Welcome to our sky tour of the that can be seen in the early evening sky in winter in the . (please note neither or can be seen in June).

If you’ve got a dark sky and you know roughly where south is, you can use the to find the constellations and on our tour of the . If you’re in a brightly lit area you probably won’t see the Milky Way, so you’ll have to rely on hand-span measurements and a couple of bright to guide you.

You can also download our audio tour of the sky tour at (www.abc.net.au/science/starhunt/tour/outdoor/) and listen to astronomer Fred Watson take you on a guided tour of the night sky (please note will not appear in the early evening night sky again until 2016).

Mimosa Coalsack Start Southern Cross α Crucis rucis Face south and glance a couple of hand-spans to the right to where the Milky Way rises up from ε C the ground. Gazing up from the horizon a couple of hand-spans you’ll see the cross () lying on its side, with the pointers (α- and β-Centauri) almost directly above it. (You’ll have to tilt your head to the right to see the familiar cross shape). Crucis (α Crucis the brightest ) is at the foot of the cross. If you’re in a bright area you may not see the fifth star (ε Crucis), on the lower arm of the cross – welcome to the world of . 2 Coalsack

If the sky is dark enough for you to see ε Crucis, you might also be able to see the Coalsack. This dark looks like a black blob between the foot of the cross and , the star on the left hand side of the cross. It also forms the head of the best known Indigenous , the in the Sky. If you’re well away from bright lights you can follow the dark patches from the Coalsack along the length of the Milky Way to see the Emu.

Antares

3

Follow the Milky Way up from the Southern Cross until you’re looking straight above you. (If you can’t see the Milky Way, just follow the short arm of the cross upwards). The hook of the ’s tail curves near the point directly overhead, and a line of stars joins it to the bright red star off to the west in the scorpion’s body. Scorpius is a big constellation, and once you’ve seen it a couple of times you’ll never have trouble finding that backwards question mark with an anchor on the end again!

cont.

1 Outdoor sky tour 4 Lyra

From Scorpius and the galactic centre, it’s time to give your neck and the southern part of the sky a rest and turn north. Looking just to the right of north, not far above the horizon you’ll see the bright star , in the constellation Lyra. There are dozens of stars in Lyra, but the key ones are just Vega above and to the right of Vega. Four of them form a parallelogram that holds the strings of the lyre – the musical instrument on which the constellation is based.

5 Aquila

From Lyra, look to the right about 1.5 hand-spans and follow the Milky Way up about 2.5 hand-spans. The bright star you’ll see is , it’s on the far right of the Milky Way and forms a straight line with the two stars on either side. Altair is near the head of the , Aquila as it flies down towards . The eagle’s body follows the line of the Milky Way upwards for a couple of hand spans, and its wings are spread out for a hand span or so on either side. If you’re having Altair trouble seeing the eagle, look for a pterodactyl – it looks a lot more like that! And now, if you’re under a nice dark sky, it’s time to leave the !

6

Go back to the Southern Cross, and follow the long line of the cross to the left (east) for about 2.5 hand-spans. If the sky is dark enough you’ll see a small whitish that looks like a stray splash of the Milky Way, with a larger splash a couple of hand-spans below it. You are in fact looking outside our galaxy at two small neighbouring galaxies – the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds. When you look at the (SMC), you’re looking 210,000 back in time – at 210,000 light-years away it’s the furthest thing you’ll see on this night sky tour. Finish

Stargazing tips

• Cloudy make for lousy stargazing so check for local weather conditions on the Bureau of website (www.bom.gov.au)

• The darker the better, you don’t want to see the Southern triangle, so choose a location away from street lights.

• Take 10 –15 minutes to let your eyes adjust to the dark

• Use a red light to preserve your vision (you can make one by covering a torch with red cellophane).

2 June Sky Map

Latitude 30 o south between 7 and 8pm

Star OVERHEAD Symbols Magnitudes Galaxy –1 0 R 1 Diffuse nebula 2 3 Open 4 Globular star cluster

LIBRA C T I I P L C E Vindemiatrix E M5 H T

Mel 111 BOÖTES (CAPUT) M12 M10 M3 Sickle M48

MONOCEROS LEO CANES VENATICI CORONA MINOR BOREALIS α IC 4665 M44 URSA MINOR M13 6633 & WEST NORTH EAST LOOKING NORTH

OVERHEAD

HYDRA

ω

CRUX M4 4755 3532 β Antares Coalsack 3293 α 3372 THE MILKY WAY IC 2602 3114 6231 6025 SCORPIUS R 2808 IC 2391 OPHIUCHUS AUSTRALE 2547 M6 6397 2516 2477 M7 SCP 2451 M8 κ

2 6752 L CORONA AUSTRALIS M46 M25 M22 M47 Nunki LMC SMC 47 Tuc CANIS MAJOR M41 M50 β HOROLOGIUM EAST SOUTH WEST LOOKING SOUTH

How to use this map Facing either south or north, look at the appropriate star map. Your view of the sky should roughly match the major stars and constellations shown. You’ll see more stars as your eyes get accustomed to the dark, so wait for 10-15 minutes if you’re having trouble spotting the constellations. (These half-sky maps cover most of the sky, but for constellations that are directly above you, use the full sky map over the page).

Copyright Kym Thalassoudis, Skymaps.com 3 July Sky Map

Latitude 30 o south between 7 and 8pm

Star OVERHEAD Symbols Magnitudes Galaxy –1 M4 Double star 0 Variable star 1 Antares R Diffuse nebula 2 SCORPIUS Planetary nebula 3 Open star cluster 4 Spica Globular star cluster

CORVUS M10 SERPENS M5 (CAUDA) C M12 I VIRGO CRATER T P I L SERPENS OPHIUCHUS C E (CAPUT)

E H SCUTUM T Arcturus MHWT KLYE I AY Vindemiatrix IC 4665 BOÖTES CORONA α BOREALIS

Denebola 6633 COMA HERCULES BERENICES M3 SEXTANS

Mel 111 AQUILA η Cor Caroli M13

LEO Regulus Altair M92 LYRA Cr 399 HYDRA Mizar Vega URSA & Alcor MAJOR ε WEST NORTH EAST LOOKING NORTH

LUPUS SCORPIUS 6231 CENTAURUS ω M6 NORMA CIRCINUS M8 M7 ARA α 6025 β 4755 THE MILKY WAY M25 6397 CRATER M22 Coalsack TELESCOPIUM CRUX CORONA AUSTRALIS MUSCA 3532 3372 HYDRA SAGITTARIUS 6752 κ APUS IC 2602 3293 PAVO OCTANS ANTLIA 3114

2808 R SCP VELA CHAMAELEON IC 2391 INDUS VOLANS 2516 MENSA CARINA SMC 2547 TUCANA 47 Tuc PYXIS HYDRUS LMC Alphard

PICTOR PUPPIS RETICULUM 2477 β PISCIS DORADO L2 2451 AUSTRINUS Canopus EAST SOUTH WEST LOOKING SOUTH

How to use this map Facing either south or north, look at the appropriate star map. Your view of the sky should roughly match the major stars and constellations shown. You’ll see more stars as your eyes get accustomed to the dark, so wait for 10-15 minutes if you’re having trouble spotting the constellations. (These half-sky maps cover most of the sky, but for constellations that are directly above you, use the full sky map over the page).

Copyright Kym Thalassoudis, Skymaps.com 4 August Sky Map

Latitude 30 o south between 7 and 8pm

Star OVERHEAD Symbols Magnitudes Galaxy M4 SCORPIUS –1 Antares Double star 0 Variable star M8 1 Diffuse nebula M22 2 Planetary nebula 3 SERPENS M25 Open star cluster (CAUDA) 4 SAGITTARIUS Globular star cluster LIBRA OPHIUCHUS C I T H E M I L K Y W AY SCUTUM T M10 I P L C M12 E E H T

M5 IC 4665 Spica SERPENS 6633 CAPRICORNUS (CAPUT) AQUILA α η

HERCULES Altair VIRGO VULPECULA Arcturus Cr 399 SAGITTA M2 Vindemiatrix M13 LYRA BOÖTES Vega M3 M92 ε χ M15 COMA Enif BERENICES R

DRACO Cor Caroli ν Denebola Mel 111 WEST NORTH EAST LOOKING NORTH

M6 SCORPIUS M7

6231 T H E M I L K Y W AY CORONA LUPUS AUSTRALIS

SAGITTARIUS NORMA TELESCOPIUM 6397 ARA CIRCINUS 6025 CENTAURUS CAPRICORNUS R 6752 α ω HYDRA κ TRIANGULUM β AUSTRALE MICROSCOPIUM INDUS PAVO 4755

APUS Coalsack

CRUX OCTANS MUSCA CORVUS SCP CARINA PISCIS 3532 AUSTRINUS TUCANA 47 Tuc IC 2602 3293 GRUS 3372 SMC CHAMAELEON CRATER 3114 R β HYDRUS 2808 AQUARIUS MENSA VOLANS VELA

PHOENIX LMC ζ RETICULUM 2516 ANTLIA IC 2391 DORADO EAST SOUTH WEST LOOKING SOUTH How to use this map Facing either south or north, look at the appropriate star map. Your view of the sky should roughly match the major stars and constellations shown. You’ll see more stars as your eyes get accustomed to the dark, so wait for 10-15 minutes if you’re having trouble spotting the constellations. (These half-sky maps cover most of the sky, but for constellations that are directly above you, use the full sky map over the page).

Copyright Kym Thalassoudis, Skymaps.com 5 Full Sky Map: 8pm, August

Latitude 30o south (just above Sydney).

Symbols Star Galaxy NORTH Magnitudes

Double star –1

ν Variable star ν 0 Diffuse nebula 1 Planetary nebula 2

Open star cluster 3

R R

M92 Globular star cluster M92 4

NE S U N G Y C

61 61

ε ε

NW

Vega A R Y L

T H E M IL K Y W AY

M13 M13

β β

χ χ

HERCULES

BOREALIS M57 M57

CORONA

Albireo

M3 M3

TES

ε ε

Ö

M27 M27 BO

Cr 399 399 Cr Cr

Arcturus

α α

S U S A G E P γ γ

S U N I H P L E D

Altair

M15 M15

6633 6633

(CAPUT)

SERPENS IC 4665 4665 IC IC

Enif Enif

η η (CAUDA)

SERPENS

A L I U Q A

M5 M5 M12 M12

Vindemiatrix Vindemiatrix

M2 M2 M10 M10 M11 M11

M16 M16

OPHIUCHUS S U I R A U Q A VIRGO

M25 M25

M23 M23

M17 M17

7009 7009 S U N R O C I R P A C

M21 M21

M22 M22 M20 M20

EAST

M8

M8 γ γ Nunki Nunki

Antares T H E E C L I P T I C M4 S A TG AI U RI S M4

M7 LIBRA Spica M6 Spica A U SRTA SLI C O RO N A WEST 7293 NUS I R T AUS

S I C S I P SCORPIUS M104

R 6231 6124

Fomalhaut M83 6397

CORVUS

G R U S 6752 6025 CRATER 5822 5128 S C U L P T O R ω κ CENTAURUS α HYDRA P AV O T R I A N G U L U M β 253 A U S T R A L E T U C A N A 4755 Coalsack

P H O E N I X CRUX 47 Tuc 3918 MUSCA β SCP 3532 IC 2602 3372 ζ SMC 3293 SE Achernar CARINA 3114 E R I D A N U S SW R 2808

2070

LMC 2516

SOUTH How to use this map Rotate the map around until you find the object you’re looking for (the map direction and constellation labels should be the right way up). Now turn around to face the direction indicated on the map (eg turn to the north if you’re looking for Lyra, south for the Magellanic Clouds). Then lift the map directly above your head (north on the map should point to north, south points south etc.) Your view of the sky should roughly match the major constellations on the map, and you can use their positions to find the object you’re looking for.

Copyright Kym Thalassoudis, Skymaps.com 6 September Sky Map

Latitude 30o south (just above Sydney). Star OVERHEAD Symbols Magnitudes Galaxy –1 SAGITTARIUS Nunki Double star 0 M22 T H E Variable star M8 E C 1 L I P Diffuse nebula M25 T I C 2 Planetary nebula 3 SERPENS Open star cluster (CAUDA) 4 SCUTUM Globular star cluster CAPRICORNUS

AQUILA η M10 IC 4665 M12 6633 AQUARIUS OPHIUCHUS Altair M2

LIBRA SAGITTA α EQUULEUS Cr 399 T H E M IL K Y W AY DELPHINUS M15 Enif SERPENS VULPECULA M5 (CAPUT)

Circlet HERCULES LYRA χ

PEGASUS Vega ε CYGNUS CORONA M13 BOREALIS R M92 Deneb VIRGO Arcturus BOÖTES M39 ν WEST NORTH EAST LOOKING NORTH

SAGITTARIUS

CORONA AUSTRALIS M7 M6

TELESCOPIUM SCORPIUS MICROSCOPIUM T H E M I L K Y W AY Antares M4 6231

6397 INDUS 6752 ARA PISCIS NORMA LIBRA AUSTRINUS PAVO κ 6025 GRUS LUPUS Fomalhaut TRIANGULUM AUSTRALE TUCANA APUS CIRCINUS α CENTAURUS 47 Tuc β SCULPTOR OCTANS

β SMC SCP 4755 ω Coalsack MUSCA CRUX ζ HYDRUS R Achernar MENSA CARINA 253 CHAMAELEON IC 2602 HYDRA Spica 3372 LMC 3532 HOROLOGIUM ERIDANUS 2808 3293 VOLANS R 3114 CORVUS RETICULUM DORADO 2516 VELA EAST SOUTH WEST LOOKING SOUTH How to use this map Rotate the map around until you find the object you’re looking for (the map direction and constellation labels should be the right way up). Now turn around to face the direction indicated on the map (eg turn to the north if you’re looking for Lyra, south for the Magellanic Clouds). Then lift the map directly above your head (north on the map should point to north, south points south etc.) Your view of the sky should roughly match the major constellations on the map, and you can use their positions to find the object you’re looking for.

Copyright Kym Thalassoudis, Skymaps.com 7