TheSky (c) Astronomy Software 1984-1998 CASSIOPEIA URSA MINOR CEPHEUS Night sky map DRACO September 2016 North STAR BRIGHTNESS Zero or brighter LACERTA 1st magnitude Deneb nd CYGNUS 2 NE rd Vega 3 LYRA NW 4th CORONA BOREALIS HERCULES BOOTES VULPECULA SAGITTA PEGASUS DELPHINUS Arcturus Altair EQUULEUS SERPENS AQUILA OPHIUCHUS SCUTUM SERPENS First quarter Mars Moon on 9th AQUARIUS CAPRICORNUS P East SAGITTARIUS LIBRA P Centre of the Galaxy Saturn Antares Zubenelgenubi M7 VIRGO M6 P MICROSCOPIUM SCORPIUS Venus on Spica West PISCIS AUSTRINUS CORONA AUSTRALIS the 21st Fomalhaut TELESCOPIUM LUPUS ARA NORMA GRUS INDUS CORVUS CETUS SCULPTOR PAVO CIRCINUS TRIANGULUM AUSTRALE Alpha Centauri Hadar CENTAURUS APUS PHOENIX POINTERS TUCANA Jewel Box OCTANS Mimosa Coalsack SOUTHERN CROSS MUSCA SMC CRUX South Celestial Pole Achernar CHAMAELEON HYDRUS MENSA CHART KEY SE FORNAX Bright star HOROLOGIUM SW Faint star RETICULUM LMC VOLANS MOON PHASE New Moon 01st Ecliptic Milky Way DORADO CARINA ANTLIA Celestial Equator VELA First quarter 09th Full Moon 17th P Planet Last quarter 23rd LMC or Large Magellanic Cloud PICTOR South SMC or Small Magellanic Cloud Canopus CAELUM THE CHART HIGHLIGHTS IN SEPTEMBER 2016 PYXIS The star chart shows the stars and constellations visible The spring equinox occurs on the 23rd of September, in the night sky for Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart whichPUPPIS marks the movement of the sun over the and Adelaide for September 2016 at about 7:30 pm (local equator from the northern to the southern part of the COLUMBA standard time). For Darwin and similar northerly locations sky. The best time to look at the Moon with a small the chart will still apply, but some stars will be lost off the telescope or binoculars is a few days either side of its southern edge while extra stars will be visible to the first quarter phase, which falls on the 9th of north. Stars down to a brightness or magnitude limit of September. Saturn and Mars are high in the western 4.5 are shown on the star chart. To use this star chart, skyAdhara throughout the month. To the south-west is the rotate the chart so that the direction you are facing constellation Crux (the Southern Cross), which can (north, south, east or west) is shown at the bottom. The be easily located using the two nearby stars centre of the chart represents the point directly above commonly referred to as the Pointer Stars. The your head, called the zenith point, and the outer circular brighter of the two Pointer Stars, Alpha Centauri, is edge represents the horizon. the closest star system to our own. 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 Brenan Dew. © 2016 Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney. .