Sydney Observatory night sky map July 2011 A map for each month of the year, to help you learn about the night sky www.sydneyobservatory.com.au This star chart shows the stars and constellations visible in the night sky for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth for July 2011 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. URSA MAJOR h rt o N Star brightness Moon phase New moon: 01st Zero or brighter First quarter: 08th 1st magnitude nd Full moon: 15th 2 Last quarter: 23rd rd N 3 E Vega CANES VENATICI New moon: 31st th LYRA W 4 N BOOTES LEO MINOR CORONA BOREALIS HERCULES CORONA BOOTES BOREALIS COMA BERENICES Arcturus Arcturus SAGITTA SERPENS LEO Regulus Regulus P VIRGO Mercury Altair OPHIUCHUS P (21st July) Spica Saturn LIBRA ZubenelgenubiZubenelgenubi CORVUS SEXTANS SERPENS AQUILA CRATER SCUTUM Moon E on 8th a Antares Antares t s s t Centre of the Galaxy e SCORPIUS HYDRA W LUPUS SAGITTARIUS CENTAURUS NORMA CENTAURUSOmega Centauri TEA POT ANORMAlpha Centauri CORONA AUSTRALIS ANTLIA POINTERSHadar CRUX SOUTHERN CROSS ARA CIRCINUS Alpha Centauri Mimosa CRUX CAPRICORNUS TRIANGULUMTRIANGULUM AUSTRALE TELESCOPIUM PYXIS AUSTRALE VELA MUSCA Proxima Centauri MICROSCOPIUM APUS PAVO APUS CHAMAELEON CARINA INDUS South Celestial Pole OCTANSOCTANS VOLANS PUPPIS PISCIS AUSTRINUS MENSA Adhara CANIS MAJOR Chart key S GRUS E SMC LMC Canopus W Bright star TUCANA HYDRUS DORADO S Faint star Ecliptic PICTOR Milky Way RETICULUM COLUMBA Achernar P Planet PHOENIX LMC or Large Magellanic Cloud South SMC or Small Magellanic Cloud HOROLOGIUM This month the constellations of Scorpius (the Scorpion) and Crux (the Southern Cross) are high in the sky. The Southern Cross is easily located using the two nearby pointer stars. The brighter of the pointers, Alpha Centauri, is the nearest star system to the Sun. Near the end of the Scorpion’s tail is the unofficial constellation of the Tea Pot. On 5 July, the Earth is at its greatest distance from the Sun, a mere 152,091,221 km. Saturn is visible towards the north-west in the constellation of Virgo while Mercury is visible low in the north-west. The first quarter Moon can easily be seen towards the north on 8 July. Sydney Observatory, with a magnificent view overlooking Sydney Harbour, is open every day (except Good Friday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day) between 10am and 5pm. Day visits (excluding programs) are free. Bookings are essential for night programs (times vary – check our website). View the sky nightly through one of our telescopes, and see 3D movies about the Universe. For more information, check the website at www.sydneyobservatory.com.au or call (02) 9921 3485. Sydney Observatory is at Watson Road, Observatory Hill, in the historic Rocks area of Sydney. Our self-guided historic/scientific tour of Sydney Observatory and surrounds is now available for $2.49 as an app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch from the iTunes store - http://from.ph/walkingtour. Sydney Observatory is part of the Powerhouse Museum. The Sydney Observatory night sky map is prepared by Dr M Anderson using the software TheSky. © 2011 Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney. .