Sydney Observatory night sky map

A map for each month of the year, to help you learn about the night sky
October 2014
www.sydneyobservatory.com.au
This star chart shows the stars and constellations visible in the night sky for Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart and Adelaide
for October 2014 at about 8:30pm (summer time) and at about 7:30pm (local standard time) for Perth and Brisbane. 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 star 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.

South Celestial Pole
LMC
SMC
Centre of the Galaxy
ANDROMEDA
APUS
AQUARIUS
AQUILA
ARA
CAELUM
CAPRICORNUS
CARINA
CENTAURUS
CETUS
CHAMAELEON
CIRCINUS
COLUMBA
CORONA AUSTRALIS
CORONA BOREALIS
CRUX
CYGNUS
DELPHINUS
DORADO
EQUULEUS
ERIDANUS
FORNAX
GRUS
HERCULES
HOROLOGIUM
HYDRUS
INDUS
LACERTA
LIBRA
LUPUS
LYRA
MENSA
MICROSCOPIUM
MUSCA
NORMA
OCTANS
OPHIUCHUS
PAVO
PEGASUS
PHOENIX
PICTOR
PISCES
PISCIS AUSTRINUS
RETICULUM
SAGITTA
SAGITTARIUS
SCORPIUS
SCULPTOR
SCUTUM
SERPENS
TELESCOPIUM
TRIANGULUM AUSTRALE
TUCANA
VOLANS
VULPECULA
SERPENS
Achernar
Alpha Centauri
Altair
Antares
Canopus
Deneb
Hadar
Mimosa
Vega
Zubenelgenubi
N o r t h
N
E
E
a
s
t
S
E
South
S
W
W
e
s
t
N
W


Remember, summer (daylight saving) time begins on Sunday 5th at 2am in NSW, ACT, Victoria, Tasmania and SA. Mars can
be seen high in the west while Saturn is low in the west. On 26th Mars is above and Saturn is below the crescent Moon towards
the west. The best time to observe the Moon using binoculars or a small telescope is a few days either side of the first quarter
Moon on the 2nd or 31st. There is a total lunar eclipse on the 8th beginning at 8:15pm when the Moon enters the Earths
shadow and is fully inside the Earths shadow at 9:25pm. To the south-west is Crux (the Southern Cross), easily located using
the two nearby Pointer stars. To the west 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
Years Eve. Open Monday to Saturday for night sessions (times vary depending on the season) for
sky viewing through one of our telescopes (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.au 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 Powerhouse Museum. The Sydney Observatory night sky map is prepared by Dr M Anderson using the
software TheSky. 2014 Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney.
Star Brightness
Zero or brighter
1
st
magnitude
2
nd

3
rd
4
th

Moon Phase
First quarter: 02nd
Full Moon: 08th
Last quarter: 16th
New Moon: 24th
First quarter: 31st
Chart Key
Bright star
Faint star
Ecliptic
Milky Way
Planet
LMC or Large Magellanic Cloud
SMC or Small Magellanic Cloud
P
SOUTHERN CROSS
CRUX
CENTAURUS
Antares
1st Quarter Moon: 2nd
Fomalhaut
TUCANA
PISCES
POINTERS
Beta Centauri
OCTANS
Shaula
SCORPIUS
Teapot
Alshain
Tarazed
SAGITTARIUS
ERIDANUS
POINTERS
South Celestial Pole
Centre of the Galaxy
Mira
P
P
Saturn
Mars
Moon on 26th
47 Tucanae
1st Quarter Moon: 31st