Ellyard Southern Sky Guide

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The Southern Sky Guide

Thi rd Edi Ti on
Both novice and advanced skywatchers will value this comprehensive and easy-to-use guide
to the brilliant and ever-changing sights of the southern sky by night.
Readers are introduced to the many and varied objects in the sky and their movements and
changing appearances, as well as the ancient myths and legends entwined around the
groupings of stars.
Featured in this book are two groups of sky charts, designed so that readers can move easily
between them. The 24 Skyviews show the appearance of the whole night sky every two weeks
(or at each hour of sidereal time). The 20 Sky Charts show particular areas of the night sky
in detail and are accompanied by explanatory text.
This new edition features:
digitallyre-drawnSkyviews,SkyChartsandmapofthesurfaceoftheMoon
atableofplanetpositionsupto2017.
David Ellyard is an award-winning freelance science writer and broadcaster with a life-long
passion for astronomy.
Wil Tirion is a Dutch celestial cartographer and is widely regarded as the leading exponent
of his art in the world.
S_Sky_Guide_TEXT_3ed_00.indd 1 7/5/08 11:30:09 AM
The
Southern Sky
Guide
Thi rd Edi Ti on
david Ellyard and Wil Tirion
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, So Paulo
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK
First published in print format
ISBN-13 978-0-521-71405-1
ISBN-13 978-0-511-47858-1
David Ellyard and Wil Tirion 2008
2008
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521714051
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the
provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part
may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy
of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication,
and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain,
accurate or appropriate.
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
eBook (EBL)
paperback
ThE panorama of ThE niGhT Sky 1
Starting with the stars 1
Star stories 1
The stars by name 6
Brighter and fainter stars 6
How far away are the stars? 6
Stars of many colours 7
Sizes and distances in the sky 8
More than one at a time 8
Stars that change 8
The heavens in motion 9
mapping the sky 9
The line around the middle 9
The grid of the sky: (a) declination 12
The grid of the sky: (b) right ascension 12
Sun and moon 12
The ecliptic and the zodiac 12
Sky change throughout the year 13
The moving Moon 13
Eclipses 14
The face of the Moon 14
The planets 14
The movements of the outer planets 14
The movements of the inner planets 16
Which planet? 16
The waltz of the planets 16
Satellites, comets, meteors, minor planets 17
a variety of sights 17
Stars get together 17
The Milky Way 18
Nebulae, dark and bright 18
Nebulae beyond 18
ThE SkyviEWS 21
Using the Skyviews 21
The Skyviews 124 23
ThE niGhT Sky in dETail 47
Using the Sky Charts 47
The Sky Charts 120 48
appEndixES 89
a: Using binoculars and telescopes 89
B: planet positions 90
indEx 97
liST of TaBlES
Table 1. The 88 constellations 23
Table 2. The 25 brightest stars 7
Table 3. Main meteor showers 17
Table 4. Choosing the right Skyview 21
Table 5. Planet positions 20082017 9195
liST of illUSTraTionS
Constellations 45
Whole-sky map 1011
The main features of the surface of the Moon 15
The Skyviews 2346
The Sky Charts 4887
v
ConTEnTS
vi
1
When the night sky is dark and clear, it presents a daz zling
spec ta cle. Myriads of stars, glowing patches of gas, a planet or
two, the Moon in its phases, perhaps a meteor shower, an
eclipse of the Moon or even a comet, all such sights are there
for the taking by anyone who cares to look up.
Even when dimmed by city lights and smog, the night sky
is worth a long look. The pano rama is con stantly chang ing,
with the view never quite the same, even on suc ces sive nights.
There is always some thing of inter est, some sight to appre
ciate, whether you are viewing with binoc u lars, a small tele
scope, or just with your unaided eyes.
Astronomy, the science of the stars, is perhaps the most
ancient form of method i cal human knowl edge. To track the
paths of the celes tial lights today is to retrace the steps of the
frst observ ers many thou sands of years ago.
Starting with the stars
Most of the things we see in the night sky are stars, vast balls
of glowing gas similar to our Sun but so far away from us that
they are reduced to mere points of light, scat tered mostly at
random across the heavens. The unaided human eye can detect
about 6000 stars under dark, clear con di tions, but less than
half of those are visible at any one time.
For thou sands of years, sky watch ers in various cul tures have
been group ing the stars together into unchang ing pat terns
know as constellations or ast er isms (both expres sions come
from Greek or Latin words for star). These change their posi
tions and orien ta tions in the sky through out the night and the
year, but their shapes do not vary notice ably. You can always pick
them out and together they (and the brighter stars in them)
form a grid of famil iar ref er ence points across the night sky.
Nowadays, 88 con stel la tions are off cially rec og nised. Many
other con stel la tions have been devised over the cen tu ries but
have now fallen into disuse. All con stel la tions have names, and
the older and more spec tac u lar ones have myths and legends
asso ciated with them in many cul tures. The best known of
these stories are drawn from the mythol ogy of ancient Greece
and Rome, tales of gods, mon sters, heroes and great deeds.
Star stories
For example, the story of Andromeda, the maiden chained
to the rock, is recounted in no less than six con stel la tions.
Among the stars we fnd Andromeda herself, the monster
Cetus sent to devour her, her rescuer Perseus, her parents
Cepheus and Cassiopeia, and the won der ful winged horse
Pegasus (even though it was only periph eral to the
Andromeda story).
The leg en dary quest of the Argonauts for the Golden Fleece
has many memo ri als in the sky. In addi tion to their ship, the
mighty Argo itself, now broken into its Keel (Carina), Sail
(Vela), Poop (Puppis) and Compass (Pyxis), we also fnd the
won der ful ram that pro vided the feece (Aries), some of the
Argonauts (Gemini the Twins, Hercules and Orpheus the
Musician, through his harp Lyra), and even the centaur Chiron
(Centuarus) who tutored the expe di tion leader Jason.
There are still more, if you take the fgure of Ophiuchus,
the man holding a serpent, to be Aescalepius, the ships doctor
on the Argo, or the north ern fgure of Draco to be the serpent
that guarded the sacred grove where the Fleece hung, or Taurus
to be one of the fre breath ing bulls with horns of brass that
Jason had to tame. Strangely, Jason himself is not on show.
There are some vivid scenes. Orion the Hunter, accom pa
nied by his two dogs (Canis Major and Canis Minor), is in
trouble with a charg ing bull (Taurus), and is unknow ingly
tram pling on a hare (Lepus). Ophiuchus has his hands full
with the serpent. The two cen taurs are pre oc cu pied; Centaurus
is fght ing a wolf (Lupus) and Sagittarius the Archer has an
arrow aimed at the fear some Scorpion. Leo recalls the Nemean
Lion slain by the mighty Hercules as one of his 12 labours,
and Cancer the Crab that bit his heel while he was bat tling
with the many headed Hydra (and was crushed as a result).
In the sky, Hercules has his foot on the head of a Dragon. So
the struggle goes on.
The posi tions of some of the star groups are sig nif cant.
Crater the Cup, Corvus the Crow and Hydra the Water Snake
lie close together because of the story they share (see text to
Sky Chart 8). Orion, so the legend goes, met his end when
stung by the Scorpion. As a result, they are on oppo site sides
of the sky, one rising while the other sets.
Libra the Scales, lying between Virgo the Young Maiden and
Scorpius, has links to both. As the Goddess of Justice, Virgo
weighed the evi dence on the scales near at hand. But in some
old lists, Libra was not its own con stel la tion but the greatly
enlarged claws on the Scorpion coming close behind. In one
region of the sky, all the star groups have to do with water.
Most likely, this served as a cal en dar, indi cat ing when the rains
would come.
Not all the con stel la tions are so excit ing. Many are quite
dull, espe cially those more recently named in south ern skies
which could not be seen from the Middle East in ancient
times. Among these we fnd many sci en tifc instru ments!
Constellations vary greatly in size and many are surprisingly
THE PANORAMA OF THE NIGHT SKY
large, though this is perhaps not so surprising when we
realise only 88 cover the whole sky. The largest of all (though
not otherwise spectacular) is Hydra at more than 1300 square
degrees, six or seven times bigger than your hand at arms
length. Virgo is not far behind, and half a dozen are 1000
square degrees or more. At the other end of the scale, the
Southern Cross is less than 70 square degrees in size, and half
a dozen thumbs will hide it.
2
Table 1. The 88 constellations
Size(square Monthwhen Goto
Propername Meaning degrees) 25brighteststars highestat8p.m. Chart
Andromeda The Chained Maiden 722 November 13
Antlia The Air Pump 239 April 8
Apus The Bird of Paradise 206 July 3
Aquarius The WaterCarrier 980 October 12
Aquila The Eagle 652 Altair August 19
Ara The Altar 237 July 3
Aries The Ram 441 December 13
Auriga The Charioteer 657 Capella February 15
Bootes The Herdsman (or 907 Arcturus June 17
Waggoner or Ploughman)
Caelum The Engraving Tool 125 January 1
Camelopardalis The Giraffe 757
Cancer The Crab 506 March 15
Canes Venatici The Hunting Dogs 465 June 17
Canis Major The Big Dog 380 Sirius, Adhara February 7
Canis Minor The Little Dog 183 Procyon February 7, 15
Carpricornus The SeaGoat 414 September 11
Carina The Keel (of Argo) 494 Canopus March 2
Cassiopeia (mother of Andromeda) 598
Centaurus The Centaur 1060 Rigil Kentaurus May 3, 9
(Alpha Centauri),
Hadar (Beta Centauri)
Cepheus (father of Andromeda) 588
Cetus The Sea Monster (or Whale) 1231 November 5
Chamaeleon The Chamaeleon 132 April 2
Circinius The Pair of Compasses 93 May 3
Columba The Dove 270 February 6
Coma Berenices Berenices Hair 386 May 17
Corona Australis The Southern Crown 128 July 4, 11
Corona Borealis The Northern Crown 179 June 18
Corvus The Crow 184 May 9
Crater The Cup 282 April 8
Crux The (Southern) Cross 68 Acrux, Mimosa, Gacrux May 3
Cygnus The Swan 804 Deneb September 19
Delphinus The Dolphin 189 September 19
Dorado The GoldFish 179 February 1
Draco The Dragon 1083
Equuleus The Colt 72 September 19, 20
Eridanus The River 1138 Achernar December 1, 6
Fornax The Furnace 398 December 1, 5
Gemini The Twins 514 Pollux, Castor February 15
Grus The Crane 366 October 4
Hercules 1225 July 18
Horologium The Clock 249 December 1
Hydra The Female WaterSnake 1303 April 8, 9
Hydrus The Male WaterSnake 243 December 1
A full list of the 88 con stel la tions, the mean ings of their
names, their bright est stars, their sizes, their posi tions in the
sky and on the maps in this book is given in Table 1. Pages 45
provide a frst look at the betterknown and more spec tac u lar
star groups in the form of dia grams marking their shapes and
more notable stars. More details on these (and more on the
stories asso ciated with them) can be found along side the Sky
Charts later in this book (pages 4887).
3
Table 1. (cont.)
Size(square Monthwhen Goto
Propername Meaning degrees) 25brighteststars highestat8p.m. Chart
Indus The Indian 294 September 4
Lacerta The Lizard 201 September 20
Leo The Lion 947 Regulus April 16
Leo Minor The Lesser Lion 232 April 16
Lepus The Hare 290 January 6
Libra The Scales 538 June 9, 10
Lupus The Wolf 334 June 3
Lynx The Lynx 545 March 15
Lyra The Harp 286 Vega August 19
(Mons) Mensa The Table Mountain 153 February 1, 2
Microscopium The Microscope 210 September 4
Monoceros The Unicorn 482 February 7
Musca The Fly 138 May 3
Norma (et Regula) The Level (and Square) 165 July 3
Octans The Octant 291 All months 3, 4
Ophiuchus The Man with the Serpent 948 July 10
Orion The Hunter 594 Rigel, Betelgeuse January 6
Pavo The Peacock 378 October 4
Pegasus The Winged Horse 1121 October 20
Perseus (rescuer of Andromeda) 615 December 14
Phoenix The Phoenix 469 November 1
Pictor The Painters Easel 247 February 1
Pisces The Fish 889 November 4, 13
Piscis Austrinus The Southern Fish 245 Fomalhaut October 12
Puppis The Poop (of Argo) 673 February 2, 7
Pyxis The Compass (of Argo) 221 March 2
Reticulum The Reticule 114 December 1
Sagitta The Arrow 80 August 19
Sagittarius The Archer 867 August 11
Scorpius The Scorpion 497 Antares, Shaula July 10
Sculptor The Sculptors Chisel 475 November 5
Scutum The Shield 109 July 12
Serpens The Serpent 637 July 10, 11
Sextans The Sextant 314 April 8
Taurus The Bull 797 Aldebaran January 6, 14
Telescopium The Telescope 252 August 4
Triangulum The Triangle 132 December 13
Triangulum Australe The Southern Triangle 110 July 3
Tucana The Toucan 295 November 1, 4
Ursa Major The Great Bear 1280 April 16
Ursa Minor The Little Bear 256
Vela The Sail (of Argo) 500 March 2
Virgo The Young Maiden 1294 Spica May 9
Volans The Flying Fish 141 February 2
Vulpecula The Fox 268 September 19
4
+10o
+30o
5
h
2
h
+30o
+10o
+10o
30o
9
h
7
h
1
h
3
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30o
0o
6
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5
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+60o
+30o
3
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0
h
10o
30o
12
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6
0
o
30o
12
h
15
h 0o
+30o
0
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h
S
S
S
S
S
TAURUS, ARIES
Best visible: December January
CETUS
Best visible:
November January
PEGASUS
Best visible:
October November
LUPUS, CENTAURUS, CRUX
Best visible:
April August
PERSEUS, ANDROMEDA
Best visible: December
VELA, CARINA, PUPPIS
Best visible: January May
CORVUS, CRATER
Best visible:
March June
CANCER, GEMINI
Best visible:
January March
CANIS MINOR, ORION,
CANIS MAJOR, LEPUS
Best visible: January March
E
C
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L I P T I C
E CL I P T I C
Aldebaran
Pleiades
Betelgeuse
Algol
Rigil Kentaurus
Hadar
Mimosa
SCORPIUS
LIBRA
HYDRA
VELA
AQUARIUS
PISCES
ANDROMEDA
CARINA
TAURUS
PISCES
PEGASUS
ARIES
PERSEUS
ANDROMEDA
PERSEUS
ANDROMEDA
PISCES
CETUS
ORION
GEMINI
TAURUS
ARIES
CANIS
MAJOR
CRUX
CENTAURUS
VELA
PUPPIS
CARINA
VIRGO
HYDRA
HYDRA
HYDRA
CRATER
CORVUS
TAURUS
PUPPIS
PISCES
CANIS MINOR
ORION
TAURUS
LEO
HYDRA
ARIES
ORION
CANIS MINOR
CANIS
MAJOR
LEPUS
CETUS
GEMINI
CANCER
LUPUS
CENTAURUS
PEGASUS
CRUX
Acrux
Canopus
Acrux
Adhara
6
0
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3
0
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12
h
9 h
6
h
S
S
S
S
Pollux
Castor
Procyon
Betelgeuse
Procyon
Rigel
Sirius
Mira
Adhara
AQUARIUS
5
2
0
o
+
2
0
o
1
4
h
1
2
h
0o
+30o
12
h 10
h
S
S
LEO
Best visible:
March May
AQUARIUS
Best visible:
September November
PISCES
Best visible:
October December
PISCIS AUSTRINUS, GRUS
Best visible:
August December
VIRGO
Best visible:
April June
BOOTES
Best visible:
May July
Arcturus
Arcturus
Spica
Regulus
VIRGO
CANCER
HYDRA
LEO
BOOTES
LIBRA VIRGO
VIRGO
LUPUS
OPHIUCHUS
SCORPIUS
LIBRA
CORVUS
GRUS
PISCIS AUSTRINUS
PISCES
AQUARIUS
CRATER
HYDRA
30o
+
10o
18
h
1
6h
S
OPHIUCHUS, SERPENS
Best visible:
June August
CAPRICORNUS, SAGITTARIUS
Best visible:
July October
SERPENS
CAUDA
SERPENS
CAPUT
OPHIUCHUS
LEO
VIRGO
BOOTES
CAPRICORNUS
SAGITTARIUS
SCORPIUS
LEO
CANCER
VIRGO
CENTAURUS
AQUARIUS
AQUARIUS
ARIES
CETUS
PISCES
CAPRICORNUS
PISCIS AUSTRINUS
PEGASUS
ANDROMEDA
AQUARIUS
SCORPIUS SAGITTARIUS
SAGITTARIUS
10o
40o
21
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1
8 h
+20o
+50o
14
h
16
h
S
S
S
0o
30o
12
h
9
h
S
HYDRA ( + Corvus, Crater)
Best visible:
March May
SCORPIUS, LIBRA
Best visible: May August
0o
0o
30o
30o
50o
+30o
23
h
23
h
21
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21
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23
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2
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10o
40o
15
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18
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Fomalhaut
Fomalhaut
Antares
Regulus
Spica
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The stars by name
The night sky is a friendly place. You can greet many of the
stars by name. At least 100 of the brighter stars have proper
names, mostly Greek, Latin or (par tic u larly) Arabic in origin.
For example, Fomalhaut means the mouth of the fsh, and
Rigel means the foot (of Orion). Antares means the rival of
Ares, because its red colour is similar to that of the planet Ares
(now called Mars). Regulus in Leo the Lion means little king
and Deneb is the tail of Cygnus the Swan. It is ftting that
Sirius, the bright est of the nightsky stars, has a name meaning
the spark ling one. Many of these names have become very
garbled over the cen tu ries and their origins are hard to fnd.
Astronomers do not use these names much, espe cially as
only the brighter stars have them. Instead they follow a prac tice
popu lar ised in the early seven teenth century by the German
astron o mer Johann Bayer, though the system dates back to
Ptolemy. They attach the letters of the Greek alpha bet (alpha,
beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, and so on) to the stars in a con stel
la tion in general order of bright ness. After the letter comes the
name of the con stel la tion in the pos ses sive (or gen i tive) form.
When the Greek letters run out (which does not take long in
most con stel la tions) ordi nary Roman letters are used.
For example, Antares (which marks the heart in the strik
ing con stel la tion of Scorpius the Scorpion) is off cially
Alpha Scorpii. Rigel, Betelgeuse and Bellatrix in Orion the
Hunter are respec tively Alpha, Beta and Gamma Orionis.
Regulus is Alpha Leonis and so on. The bright est star in a
con stel la tion is usually called alpha, but this is not always
the case. For example, Pollux in Gemini the Twins is brighter
than his brother Castor but is ranked as Beta Geminorum.
The discrepancy is some times due to stars varying in bright
ness over the years, as with Betelgeuse in Orion, which is
now notice ably fainter than Rigel.
The two pointers that indi cate the way to the Southern
Cross are known both as Rigil Kentaurus (the foot of the
Centaur) and Hadar (for ground) and as Alpha and Beta
Centauri, being the bright est stars in the con stel la tion of
Centaurus the Centaur. The Southern Cross itself is known as
Crux Australis. Its fve main stars in order clock wise, begin
ning at the bottom, are Alpha Crucis (also called Acrux), Beta
Crucis (Mimosa), Gamma Crucis (at the top), Delta Crucis
and Epsilon Crucis.
TheGreekalphabet
A o alpha N v nu
B beta E ( x
! y gamma O o omicron
A o delta H r p
I e eps lon ! p rho
Z ( zeta l o ; sigma
H q eta T r tau
O 0 theta Y u ups lon
! t iota 4 ph
K k kappa X ch
A X lambda + | ps
M mu U e o mega
Another naming system was begun by English Astronomer
Royal John Flamsteed in 1725. This numbers the stars in a
con stel la tion by posi tion, usually by increas ing right ascen
sion (see page 12), for example, 61 Cygni. Brighter stars will
have several names. Betelgeuse is 58 Orionis as well as Alpha
Orionis. There are other naming systems for var i able stars and
for double stars, usually based on various cat a logues.
Brighter and fainter stars
Not all the stars look the same. They differ, not only in their
posi tions in the sky, but also in their colours and bright nesses.
The bright ness of a star is indi cated by its mag ni tude, making
use of a system going back nearly 2000 years to the Greek
astron o mer Ptolemy. He divided the bright nesses of the
nakedeye stars into six levels, with the bright est stars being
of the frst mag ni tude. Those stars are roughly two and a half
times brighter than the more numer ous second mag ni tude
stars, which are in turn two and a half times brighter than the
even more plen ti ful third mag ni tude stars. This means that a
frst mag ni tude star is six times brighter than a third mag ni
tude star, and 100 times brighter than a sixth mag ni tude star,
the faint est visible without aid.
Nowadays this system had been extended. Magnitudes can
be sub di vided, so that 2.3 is just fainter than 2.2, and just
brighter than 2.4. First mag ni tude stars are those brighter
than 1.5 (there are 21 of these), second mag ni tude objects are
brighter than 2.5, and so on. Originally, the bright ness of stars
was judged by the expe ri enced eye; modern instru ments
assess bright ness to one hun dredth of a mag ni tude.
Very bright objects have neg a tive mag ni tudes, such as the
Sun (minus 27), the Moon (minus 12), some planets (for
example, Venus can reach minus 4) and even some of the
bright est stars (for example, Sirius is now off cially listed as
mag ni tude minus 1.5). The system works for fainter stars as
well, with the faint est stars detect able with the largest tele
scopes being of mag ni tude 27. (That makes them more than
10 billion times fainter than Alpha Centauri, the brighter of
the two point ers to the Southern Cross!)
How far away are the stars?
To be precise, what we have dis cussed so far is a stars appar
ent mag ni tude, that is, how bright it seems to be from Earth.
That depends not only on how bright a star actu ally is but also
on how far away it is. For example, the two Pointers (Alpha
and Beta Centauri) look to be about equal in bright ness. But
Beta is in fact 10,000 times brighter than Alpha and 100 times
further away.
The common measure of dis tance in deep space is the
light year. This is the dis tance travelled by a ray of light (cov
er ing 300,000 km every second) in a year, and is equal to
roughly 10 tril lion (10 million million) kilo me tres. The
nearest bright star to us (other than the Sun) is Alpha
Centauri, the brighter of the two Pointers to the Southern
Cross. This is a little over 4 light years away. Sirius is 9 light
years distant, Canopus 74 light years, Spica 220 light years,
6
Antares 520 light years. About 25 stars lie within 12 light
years of the Sun.
The most distant frst mag ni tude stars, such as Rigel in the
con stel la tion of Orion the Hunter or Deneb in Cygnus the
Swan, are 1400 or 1500 light years away. To be seen so clearly
at such a dis tance they must be immensely bright, much
brighter in reality than our Sun. The measure of intrin sic
bright ness is abso lute mag ni tude, which means how bright
the star would appear to be if it was 33 light years away. Our
Sun has an abso lute mag ni tude of 4.8, while Rigel rates at
8.1. The dif fer ence of 13 mag ni tudes makes Rigel 60,000
times brighter than the Sun in reality. If Rigel were as close as
Alpha Centauri, it would out shine the Moon.
The varying dis tances to the stars have another impli ca tion.
It means that the various star pat terns as we see them from
Earth are often purely a matter of chance and depend on our
viewing point. From else where in our stellar neigh bour hood,
the Southern Cross may not look like a cross at all. Nor are the
pat terns eter nally endur ing. The seem ingly fxed stars are
actu ally hur ry ing through space at many kilo me tres per
second. Even their great dis tances from us will not hide that
move ment if we are willing to wait a few thou sand years.
Stars of many colours
Across the sky, we fnd stars of many colours. Green and
purple stars may be rare but many stars have a red, orange or
yellow tinge, or a hint or more of blue. Nowadays, we under
stand that colour indi cates how hot the surface of the star is.
Stars cooler than our Sun are redder in colour (for example,
Aldebaran in Taurus the Bull, or Gamma Crucis), and stars
hotter than our Sun are bluer in colour (for example, Sirius
or Beta Centauri).
We also now know the link between a stars colour and its
intrin sic bright ness. For at least 90 per cent of stars, the
brighter they are, the hotter (and there fore bluer) they are.
Such stars are also bigger and heavier than the dimmer, cooler,
redder stars. They also have shorter lives. Our Sun has been
shining for over 5 billion years and has some billions of years
of life left yet. In contrast, very large, hot, blue stars exhaust
their fuel in only a few million years. Most of the stars redder
than the Sun (and there fore smaller than it) are too dim to be
seen with the unaided eye.
There are excep tions. A class of stars known as giants are
both brighter and redder (or at least yel lower) than our Sun.
This is even truer for the super giants. Both Betelgeuse and
7
Table 2. The 25 brightest stars
Name Constellation Apparentmag. Distance(l.y.) Absolutemag.
Sirius Canis Major 1.46 8.6 1.4
Canopus Carina 0.72 74. 2.5
Rigil Kentaurus Centaurus 0.27 4.3 4.1
Arcturus Bootes 0.04 34. 0.2
Vega Lyra 0.03 25. 0.6
Capella Auriga 0.08 41. 0.4
Rigel Orion 0.12 1400. 8.1
Procyon Canis Minor 0.38 11.4 2.6
Achernar Eridanus 0.46 69. 1.3
Betelgeuse Orion 0.50 (var) 1400. 7.2
Hadar Centaurus 0.61 (var) 320. 4.4
Acrux Crux 0.76 510. 4.6
Altair Aquila 0.77 16. 2.3
Aldebaran Taurus 0.85 (var) 60. 0.3
Antares Scorpius 0.96 (var) 520. 5.2
Spica Virgo 0.98 (var) 220. 3.2
Pollux Gemini 1.14 40. 0.7
Fomalhaut Piscis Austrinus 1.16 22. 2.0
Becrux (Mimosa) Crux 1.25 (var) 460. 4.7
Deneb Cygnus 1.25 1500. 7.2
Regulus Leo 1.35 69. 0.3
Adhara Canis Major 1.50 570. 4.8
Castor Gemini 1.57 49. 0.5
Gacrux Crux 1.63 (var) 120. 1.2
Shaula Scorpius 1.63 (var) 320. 3.5
Note: var = variable.
Antares are cool and red (at 3000 degrees their surface tem
per a tures are half that of the Sun) but they are vast in size and
bright ness, 10,000 times or more the bright ness of the Sun
and perhaps 500 times its diam e ter. Placed where the Sun is
they would engulf the inner planets, includ ing Mars. These
behe moths are stars in old age.
Another group of stars, the white dwarfs, are both hot and
dim. They are also small and rep re sent the remains of once much
brighter and bigger stars. Their inner fres have gone out.
Sizes and distances in the sky
It is useful early on to fnd a simple way to indi cate the appar
ent dis tances between stars in the sky and the sizes of the
con stel la tions. The usual measure is in degrees with 90 degrees
from the horizon to the zenith (the highest point in the sky,
directly over head) and 90 degrees between the four main
points in the compass (say from north to east).
Your hands are a good rough guide to dis tances. The hand
spread out at arms length meas ures about 20 degrees from the
tip of the thumb to the tip of the little fnger. Across the
clenched fst (includ ing the thumb) totals about 10 degrees at
arms length. A fst plus a span makes up 30 degrees, the size
of many a large con stel la tion, such as Leo or Orion or Scorpius.
For smaller sep ar a tions, use the thumb (about 2 degrees) or
the little fnger (about 1 degree), again at arms length.
It is easy to over es ti mate the sizes of objects in the night
sky. The Moon, for example, is only half a degree across, and
is easily covered by the little fnger at arms length. Its appar
ently larger size near the horizon is an illu sion, as use of the
little fnger will quickly show.
For small dis tances, we break down each degree into
60 minutes (of arc) and each minute into 60 seconds. The
Moon is there fore about 30 minutes or 1800 seconds of arc
across. We need these small meas ures to describe, for example,
the sep ar a tions of double stars (page 8), which are usually
meas ured in seconds of arc, or the sizes of nebulae (pages
1819), which usually amount to some tens of minutes of arc.
Minutes of arc are denoted by the symbol ', seconds by '.
More than one at a time
Most stars have some addi tional point of inter est. For instance
many are multi ple stars, two or more stars revolv ing about a
common centre. Of the 25 stars within 12 light years of our
Sun, 17 belong to double or even triple star systems. Our Sun,
having no com pan ion, is in the minor ity.
Alpha Centauri, the nearest star to the Sun, is a triple. Two of
its com po nent stars are close and similar, being both Sunlike.
The third, a dim red star called Proxima Centauri, is suf f ciently
far away from the other two to be notice ably closer to us. The
most spec tac u lar multi ple stars are those in which the com po
nent stars are about equal in bright ness but dif fer ent in colour.
To the naked eye, nearly all these multi ples appear to be
single stars, but in many cases binoc u lars or a small tele scope
can dis tin guish the sep ar ate stars. The closer together the stars
are the larger the tele scope needed to sep ar ate them.
Under ideal con di tions, a pair of good binoc u lars with
50 mm lenses will be able to sep ar ate a pair of sixth mag ni
tude stars only two and a half seconds of arc apart (a second
of arc is about 2000th of the appar ent angular diam e ter of the
Moon). A tele scope of 120 mm aper ture will sep ar ate a pair
only 1 arc second apart. The stars are harder to split if they are
unequal in bright ness, or if they are much fainter or brighter
than the sixth mag ni tude.
There are some notable nakedeye doubles, such as Theta
Tauri and Epsilon Lyrae. The latter is a good test of keen sight,
while each com po nent is itself double, with a small tele scope
needed to resolve them.
Various astron o mers have assem bled cat a logues of multi
ple stars. Three drawn on in this book are those of Dunlop
(sig nifed by a Greek delta), Struve (Sigma) and Herschel (h).
The Dunlop list con tains many south ern stars.
Stars that change
Other stars provide fas ci na tion by varying in bright ness, by a
little or a lot, reg u larly or unpre dict ably. About 3 per cent of all
nakedeye stars are var i ables. You can tell a var i able star from
its name. The letters R to Z are put in front of the name of the
con stel la tion, and if more names are needed, the system uses
the pre fxes RR to RZ, SS to SZ and so on. For example, RR Lyrae
is a var i able star (and a famous type of var i able star at that).
These var i able stars are of several types.
About 20 per cent of var i able stars are eclips ing var i
ables. These are double stars so aligned that one of the pair
passes frst in front of and then behind the other. The way the
bright ness of the com bined light of the two stars varies depends
on their rel a tive bright nesses. If one is very much brighter than
the other, there will be one deep minimum in the light curve
(when the dim star hides the bright one) and one shallow
maximum (when the bright star is in front).
This is the case with the most famous such star, the demon
star Algol (Beta Persei). This varies in mag ni tude from 2.2 to
3.5 every three days. In the case of Beta Lyrae, the stars are
more even in bright ness and the light varies more grad u ally
over the whole period.
Far more common (more than 60 per cent of all var i ables)
are single stars that pulsate in some way, mostly in and out.
For such pul sat ing var i ables, the amount of change and the
time taken cover a wide range and have a range of causes.
For Miratype stars (of which Omicron Ceti, the won der
ful star is the proto type), a typical range of mag ni tudes is 4
to 11 (that is, from a nakedeye object to one invis ible even
in binoc u lars), with the vari a tions taking any thing from 80
to 1000 days. Miratype stars are red giants or super giants and
make up one ffth of all var i ables.
For Cepheids (of which Delta Cephei is the proto type),
bright ness will swing by two mag ni tudes in between one and
135 days. Though quite rare (less than 1 per cent of all var i
ables) Cepheids are of par tic u lar inter est, since the time taken
for the swing is directly related to the stars abso lute bright
ness. This has let astron o mers use them as stan dard candles
to plot dis tances in the uni verse. Cepheids are super giant blue
8
and white stars, which appear to infate and defate in size by
about 10 per cent. RR Lyrae stars are similar to Cepheids, but
the vari a tions take two days at most.
Flare stars or novae sud denly increase in bright ness by a
factor of a thou sand or more, and then fade away once more
into obscur ity. Many other stars are irreg u lar var i ables or semi
reg u lar at best. Betelgeuse is an example. That makes their
swings hard if not impos sible to predict and there fore more
impor tant to track. Amateur astron o mers can play a sig nif cant
role here.
The heavens in motion
The heavens do not stand still. Throughout the night, the posi
tions of the stars change rel a tive to the horizon and the zenith,
though not rel a tive to each other (that is, the con stel la tions
hold their shapes). Generally speak ing, stars frst appear some
where along the eastern horizon and slowly move west wards
across the sky. They are highest in the sky when cross ing the
median, that is, the line north and south passing right over
head (through the zenith). Some hours later, the stars in ques
tion will set at some point on the western horizon.
Even 10 minutes of observ ing, using your hands to mark
the posi tion of a bright star rel a tive to some nearby object
such as a tree or build ing, will show that the stars are on the
move. Since the heavens turn over roughly once a day, the stars
shift by some 15 degrees every hour. That is about one and a
half fst widths at arms length. This grand motion, like so
many in the night sky, is only appar ent, since it is actu ally the
Earth that is turning from west to east.
For stars high in the south ern sky, the turning of the earth
shows as a steady clock wise move ment of the stars around a
fxed point known as the south celes tial pole (south pole
for short). This point lies due south and at an angle above the
horizon equal to the observers lat i tude. For an observer at
35 degrees south lat i tude, the pole lies 35 degrees above the
south ern horizon. For observ ers further north, it is lower in
the sky, for those further south, it is higher.
The south ern stars appear to circle the pole at the same
15 degrees per hour rate, amount ing to a 90 degree or right
angle shift every six hours. This means that, if a star such as
Achernar lies due east of the pole at six in the evening, it
would be above the pole at mid night and due west of it at six
in the morning.
The north celes tial pole, visible to people in Europe, North
America and North Asia but below the horizon for us, is
marked by a bright ish star called Polaris (or the Pole Star),
which marks the end of the tail of the con stel la tion of the
Little Bear (Ursa Minor). There is no southern pole star. The
nearest star to the South Pole (Sigma Octantis) is quite faint
(as its name would suggest), but the pole is quite easy to fnd
using some of the nearby bright stars.
A line extended through the long bar of the Southern
Cross passes very close to the Pole, which lies some four
crosslengths (about 27 degrees) from Acrux. A line passing
at right angles between the Pointers also fnds the Pole. So the
Pole lies where the two lines (through the Cross, between the
Pointers) intersect. A point on the horizon directly below the
Pole marks due south. Skywatchers have no excuse for being
lost if the south ern stars are visible.
Mapping the sky
To help us get to know the night sky better, skywatch ers have
been making maps and charts of the heavens for thou sands of
years, just as explor ers and geog ra phers have done with the
surface of the Earth we live on. The map on pages 1011 is an
example. It shows the whole sky in four pieces, with the
brighter stars (down to mag ni tude 3) and the boun dar ies of
the 88 con stel la tions marked. The numbers in boxes refer to
Sky Charts 1 to 20 in the third part of this book, which show
the night sky in much greater detail.
The Earth is a sphere (more or less) and the con ti nents and
seas lie on its surface (more or less). The stars are very dif fer
ent. They lie at vastly varying dis tances from us, and we can
map them only by ima gin ing that they are attached to the
inside of a vast celestial sphere (size unknown) centred on
the Earth (Indeed, until a few hundred years ago, most people
thought that really was the case!).
Trying to make maps on fatplane paper of the inside of
this celes tial sphere meets the problem faced by car tog ra phers
on Earth. The job cannot be done without dis tort ing the
picture, espe cially away from the equator. Some maps show
Greenland bigger than Australia, which is not the case. We have
kept the dis tor tion down by drawing sep ar ate maps for the
regions of sky around the north and south celes tial poles.
One aspect of the maps is puz zling. With north at the
bottom of the map, and south at the top, the righthand end
should mark the west. On a map of the Earth that would cer
tainly be true. Instead, the righthand end indi cates the east.
The dif fer ence arises from the fact a map of the surface of the
Earth is drawn from the outside looking in. Sky maps are
drawn from the inside of the celes tial sphere looking out. This
reverses some of the direc tions.
The line around the middle
If Map A were a map of the Earth, the line across the middle
of the rec tan gu lar chart (marked 0 degrees) would be the
equator. On this map it marks the celes tial equator, an imag
i nary line across the night sky, 90 degrees from each of the
celes tial poles (that is, running around the widest part of the
celes tial sphere).
Where the celes tial equator lies in the sky depends on
where you are. For observ ers on the Earths equator, it passes
right over head from east to west. If you were at the south
(geo graphic) pole, it would lie along the horizon, with the
south celes tial pole right overhead.
Throughout the south ern hemi sphere, the celes tial equator
still cuts the horizon due east and west, but passes across the
north ern sky, missing the zenith by an amount equal to the
observers lat i tude. Thus for an observer at 35 degrees south
9
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Canopus
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Capella
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Deneb
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Map A. Whole-sky map
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COMA BERENICES
CORONA AUSTRALIS
CORONA
AUSTRALIS
CORONA BOREALIS
CORVUS
CRATER
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CYGNUS
DELPHINUS
DORADO
DORADO
DRACO
DRACO
DRACO
EQUULEUS
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FORNAX
GEMINI
GRUS
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HOROLOGIUM
HOROLOGIUM
HYDRA
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INDUS
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LMi
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Hadar
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Betelgeuse
Canopus
Canopus
Capella
Capella
Castor
Pollux
Deneb
Deneb
Fomalhaut
Polaris
Procyon
Regulus
Rigel
Rigil Kentaurus
Sirius
Vega
Spica
Algol
Algol
Mira
Mimosa
Mimosa
ANDROMEDA
CASSIOPEIA
CETUS
PEGASUS
PHOENIX
PISCES
SCULPTOR
TUCANA
E CL I P T I C
lat i tude, the celes tial equator crosses the north ern sky
35 degrees away from the zenith, or 55 degrees above the
north ern horizon. Some notable stars, such as the belt stars
of Orion (see Sky Chart 6) or those of Virgo (Sky Chart 9), lie
very close to the celes tial equator, and can there fore show you
where it can be found.
The dotted line on the map, curved so that it is some times
north and some times south of the celes tial equator, is the
eclip tic, which marks the annual path of the Sun against the
back ground of the stars. The eclip tic cuts the equator in two
places, known as the equi noxes, and reaches its maximum
dis tances north and south of the equator (23
1
2 degrees) at
two other points, known as the sols tices. Along the way, the
eclip tic passes through 12 con stel la tions, pop u larly called the
Signs of the Zodiac. See pages 1213 for more on these
impor tant matters.
Also shown curving north and south of the equator (but
going much further north and south than the eclip tic does)
is a broad and patchy band of light with the popular name of
the Milky Way. See page 18 for more on this.
The grid of the sky: (a) declination
On maps of the Earth, we fnd our way around by using the
grid of lines marking lat i tude and lon gi tude. The same is true
with maps of the sky, with a few dif fer ences. Distance north
and south of the celes tial equator, the equiv a lent of lat i tude
on Earth, is known as dec li na tion (dec. for short) and
increases from zero degrees on the equator to 90 degrees at
the poles. We do not speak of north or south in describ ing
dec li na tion. Instead, dec li na tion north of the celes tial equator
is listed as pos i tive, dec li na tion south is neg a tive. On most of
the star maps in this book, lines of dec li na tion are spaced
10 degrees apart.
Declination tells a lot about how the stars appear in the
night sky. Stars lying close to the celes tial equator (such as
the Belt Stars of Orion or some of the stars of Virgo) always
rise and set due east and west and are above the horizon for
around 12 hours at a stretch. Stars north of the equator
(that is, with pos i tive dec li na tions) rise north of east, set
north of west and are visible for less than 12 hours from
rising to setting. Arcturus, Vega or the stars of Gemini are
exam ples.
The further north the stars (the more pos i tive their dec li
na tion) the lower they are in the sky (even when cross ing the
merid ian) and the briefer their appear ances. The most
north erly stars will not rise at all when viewed from south of
the equator. Your lat i tude sets the limit. From our popular
viewing spot at 35 degrees south, stars with more than
plus 55 degrees dec li na tion are always out of sight. These
include famous north ern con stel la tions such as the Big and
Little Bears.
Stars south of the equator (that is, with neg a tive dec li na
tions) rise south of east, set south of west and are above the
horizon for at least 12 hours at a time. Fomalhaut, Canopus
or the stars of Scorpius dem on strate this. The further south a
star lies (that is, the more neg a tive its dec li na tion) the longer
it stays in view. Many never set. From 35 degrees south lati
tude, stars south of minus 55 degrees dec li na tion are always
in view (if the sky is clear). So we can always see the Southern
Cross and the Pointers, though you will fnd them in dif fer ent
parts of the sky depend ing on the time of the night and the
year.
The grid of the sky: (b) right ascension
The celes tial equiv a lent of lon gi tude, the posi tion of an object
east or west of a fxed point, is right ascen sion (RA for short).
There are some major dif fer ences from ter res trial lon gi tude.
Right ascen sion is meas ured in hours, not degrees, though
each hour is equiv a lent to 15 degrees. Unlike lon gi tude,
which is meas ured both east and west, right ascen sion
increases in only one direc tion, that is, to the east, running
from zero hours to 24 hours in one circuit of the sky.
The start ing point for the meas ure ment of lon gi tude
(zero degrees) on Earth is the Greenwich Observatory in
London. On the celes tial sphere the meas ure ment of right
ascen sion starts where the eclip tic cuts the celes tial equator
near the western end of the con stel la tion of Pisces the Fish
(one of the signs of the zodiac: see page 13). This point is
called the vernal equinox. During its yearly migra tion along
the eclip tic, the Sun reaches this point around 21 March,
which is the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
A line north and south across the sky passing through the
vernal equinox there fore marks zero hours of right ascen sion.
Similar lines through the other equinox and the two sol tices
mark 12, 6 and 18 hours of right ascen sion. On Map A and
on most maps in this book RA is marked every hour.
At any time only half the total sky area shown on the map
will be visible, the sector cov er ing six hours of right ascen sion
either side of the stars then cross ing the merid ian. The dates at
the bottom of Map A indi cate the month of the year when the
stars on each line of right ascen sion will be on or close to the
merid ian (that is, highest in the sky) at nine in the evening.
Sun and Moon
Dominating the sky by day and night are the two bright est
extraterrestrial objects, the Sun and the Moon. Their move
ments deter mine how much of the rest of the uni verse we are
per mit ted to see. For instance, the stars are not fully visible
until the rota tion of the Earth has taken the Sun a suit able dis
tance (some 18 degrees) below the horizon and the sky has
grown dark. At lat i tudes around 35 degrees, this point in time
(known as the end of astro nom i cal twi light) is not reached
until more than an hour after sunset.
The ecliptic and the zodiac
The Sun also appar ently con trols which stars and con stel la
tions will become visible once it sets. While the stars behind
the Sun will not be visible in its glare, you can fgure out
12
where the Sun is among the stars by looking at the stars that
rise just before the Sun rises, or set just after it sets. The yearly
journey of the Earth around the Sun causes the Sun, as seen
from Earth, to move against the back ground of the stars,
tracing out the eclip tic.
Astronomers long ago divided the stars along this path into
12 con stel la tions, and each of these is now assigned a stretch
of sky 30 degrees long. The number of these special constel
lations equals the number of months in the year, and they
make up the 12 signs of the zodiac, which means the proces
sion of the animals. All but one of these con stel la tions rep re
sent living things. In the order they are usually given, they are:
Aries the Ram, Taurus the Bull, Gemini the Twins, Cancer the
Crab, Leo the Lion, Virgo the Young Maiden, Libra the Scales,
Scorpius the Scorpion, Sagittarius the Archer, Capricornus the
SeaGoat, Aquarius the WaterCarrier, Pisces the Fish.
The Sun takes a month to pass through each zodiac con
stel la tion, and during that month the Sun is said to be in that
con stel la tion. In this regard, a slow shift is evident in the
machin ery of the cosmos, known as the pre ces sion of the
equi noxes. Nowadays, the Sun is among the western stars of
Pisces around March 21 at the start of the north ern spring. But
2000 years ago this impor tant date was marked by the Sun
moving into Aries, one sign to the east. The astrol o gers and
casters of horo scopes still allo cate the sign of Aries to the
month begin ning 21 March.
Nowadays, the summer sol stice (Midsummers Day) north
of the equator arrives when the Sun enters Gemini. But 2000
years ago, the sol stice lay in Cancer (hence the now out dated
term Tropic of Cancer). Two thou sand years earlier still, at the
height of Babylonian astron omy (and astrol ogy), the sol stice
was hosted by Leo. This is a likely origin of the asso ci a tion
between the lion and royalty (for more on this see the text to
Sky Chart 16).
Sky change throughout the year
The move ment of the Sun along the eclip tic places it about
1 degree further east rel a tive to the sur round ing stars each day.
Conversely, the stars are about 1 degree further west rel a tive to
the Sun every day. Since the posi tion of the Sun con trols our
reck on ing of time (traditionally, noon or twelve midday on
the clock marks the time when the Sun is highest in the sky),
this shift causes the stars to rise and set earlier each day (accord
ing to the clock) by about four minutes. This difference gives
rise to the concept of sidereal time. That is, time according
to the stars rather than to the Sun. You can explore this in more
detail on pages 2122.
The net result of all this is a slow change in the appear ance
of the night sky through out the year, on top of the faster
change which occurs hourly through out the night. From
week to week, new stars and con stel la tions are found rising
in the east as the Sun goes down while those near the western
horizon are stead ily swal lowed up by the sunset.
Four minutes a day makes two hours a month and six hours
in three months. So stars which are rising in the east at sunset in
January will be cross ing over head at sunset in April. In July they
will be setting with the Sun and will not be visible again in the
night sky for a few months, and then only in the small hours.
This move ment also affects stars high in the south ern sky,
stars that never set. At a given time each evening, those stars
will be found posi tioned about 1 degree further clock wise.
One degree a day amounts to 90 degrees in three months. So
the Southern Cross, which is high in the southeast in the
early evening in May, will be high in the southwest three
months later. In November it will be low in the southwest
(and almost upsidedown), while an early February evening
will fnd it low in the southeast but rising.
The moving Moon
The move ments of the Moon, and the changes in its appear
ance, are the most obvious of all the night sky hap pen ings. For
this reason many ancient cal en dars were based on the Moon;
the Hebrew and Islamic cal en dars still are, with each month
(moonth) begin ning with the very frst appear ance of the
Moon as a thin cres cent after sunset. The move ment of the
Moon among the stars of the zodiac is the result of its orbit
of the Earth from west to east (the same direc tion as the Earth
turns on its own axis).
The monthly cycle beings with the Moon invis ible against
the glare of the Sun (the strict meaning of the term New
Moon). Within a day or two it appears as a thin cres cent
(what is com monly called a new moon) close to the western
horizon after sunset. As the days go by, the Moon moves
stead ily east among the stars, along a line lying close to the
eclip tic. Each night it is posi tioned about 12 degrees (a little
more than a fst width at arms length) further east, taking
about two and a half days to pass through each zodiac sign.
At the same time, its rising occurs about 50 minutes earlier
each day, amount ing to a change of 24 hours in the full month,
and its appear ance alters as it passes through its cycle of phases.
Since one side of the Moon is fully lit at any time, the chang ing
phase of the Moon is the result of a chang ing rela tion ship in
space between the Moon, the Sun and the Earth. This rela tion
ship, driven mostly by the Moons monthly orbit of the Earth,
permits us to see a chang ing amount of the lit face.
The cycle of phases begins at New Moon when the Moon
is on the sunward side of the Earth and we can see only the
side in dark ness. Day by day, the Moon moves further away
from the Sun in the sky, and its cres cent broad ens (a waxing
cres cent). Worth looking for on a very young Moon is the
effect of earth shine. Light refected by the Earth onto the
unlit portion causes it to glow faintly (the Old Moon in the
Young Moons arms). More than a few days after New Moon
this sight is lost in the growing glare of the sunlit portion
After seven days, the Moon reaches First Quarter, with the
lefthand half of its face lit, rising at noon and setting at mid
night. Another seven days as a waxing gibbous moon brings
it to Full Moon, rising as the Sun sets and setting as it rises.
The Moon then lies oppo site the Sun in the sky, and its lit face
is fully visible.
Thereafter the gibbous moon wanes, reach ing Last Quarter
after another seven days. The righthand side is lit and Moonrise
13
occurs at mid night. Seven more days as a waning cres cent brings
another New Moon. Just before it becomes new, the Moon is
visible as a thin cres cent low in the eastern sky before dawn.
The major impact of the Moon on night sky viewing
comes from the light it sheds, which can dom i nate the light
of the stars. Fainter sights such as the Milky Way are lost in its
glare. The best time to view the stars is when the Moon is
absent or merely a thin cres cent. For early evening sky watch
ing, that means the period from a few days after Full Moon
through until a day or two after New Moon.
Eclipses
From time to time as the Moon orbits the Earth, it passes
through our shadow. Such an eclipse of the Moon (or lunar
eclipse) can occur only at Full Moon, though at most Full
Moons there is no eclipse, as the Moon passes above or below
the cone of shadow the Earth casts into space. If the eclipse is
total (that is, the Moon passes through the centre of the Earths
cone of shadow), the Moon darkens to a strik ing copperyred
colour. Superstitious people in ancient times referred to the
Moon turning to blood. On other occa sions, only some of
the Moon will be blacked out. Lunar eclip ses can be seen from
wherever the Moon is above the horizon at the time of the
eclipse, which nor mally lasts several hours.
The equiv a lent pos sibil ity at New Moon is for an eclipse
of the Sun (or solar eclipse) with the Moon passing directly
in front of the Sun and cutting off its light for a few minutes.
Since these are obvi ously daytime events, they do not concern
us here, other than to say that during a total solar eclipse, the
sky does darken enough for the stars to appear. In any one
year, up to half a dozen eclip ses of the Sun and the Moon will
occur, though few if any will be total.
The face of the Moon
Even with the naked eye, the mottled face of the Moon is
inter est ing. The view through binoc u lars or a small tele scope
turns the inter est into fas ci na tion. The most obvious mark ings
are large dark areas called by the ancients the mare or seas,
for so they thought them to be. We now know them to be vast
almost smooth plains of vol canic rock, but the old names
persist. A fertile imag i na tion can turn them into the fea tures
of the face of the man in the Moon or into other images
(such as a rabbit) in other cul tures.
Though smaller, some of the craters and moun tain ranges
are strik ing, espe cially when close to the ter mi na tor, the line
divid ing the lit and unlit por tions of the Moon. Along this
line, an observer on the Moon would see the Sun rising or
setting, and the low Sun casts long shadows, greatly enhanc
ing the relief. The high lands are very old; the craters formed
more recently by the impact of aster oids or comets.
Because the Moon spins on its axis in the same time inter
val as it orbits the Earth, it always keeps the same face turned
towards us. From Earth we cannot see most of the far side of
the Moon. However, space craft have sent back images of the
hidden side, showing it to be much like the face we see
though with many fewer mare. It is not correct to call the far
side the dark side, since through out the month, it receives as
much light as the side we see.
Map B iden tifes the main mark ings on the Moons surface,
as revealed at Full Moon. The craters carry mostly the names
of famous people, such as ancient and modern astronomers
or other scientists, or philosophers. The largest of the craters
are a hundred kilometres or more across. The diagram is
oriented as the Moon is when seen high in the north ern sky
with the naked eye or with binoc u lars (that is, the North Pole
of the Moon is at the bottom). If the Moon is rising, turn the
chart clock wise (so that north is on the left). If the Moon is
setting, turn it anticlockwise. If you are using a tele scope
(which inverts the view), turn the chart upside down.
The planets
From time to time, you will notice among the stars other points
of light that do not hold their posi tions as the regular stars do,
and which are there fore not marked on any star map. The
ancient Greek astron o mers called these planetos or wan der ing
stars, from which comes our word planet. Five of these were
known in ancient times (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and
Saturn), and two more (Uranus and Neptune) have since been
found using the tele scope. Pluto, discovered in 1930, was long
regarded as the ninth planet but recently lost that status.
The ancients were puzzled by these objects and their often
strange beha vi our. They thought they were living things, even
man i fes ta tions of the Gods, and named them accord ingly. We
now know that planets are cold, rocky or gaseous spheres in
orbit around the Sun, as is our Earth. Two of the planets
(Mercury and Venus) are closer to the Sun than we are and orbit
it more quickly (the inner planets); the others lie outside the
Earths orbit and travel more slowly (the outer planets).
Some are larger than the Earth, some smaller. Like the
Moon, they shine only by the refected light of the Sun, unlike
the true stars which make their own light. A planets bright
ness is a measure of its size (Jupiter is bright because it is big),
its near ness (Venus is bright because it is close) or the nature
of its surface (Venus again because it is covered with highly
refec tive cloud).
The movements of the outer planets
Generally speak ing, these planets behave as do the Sun and the
Moon. They appear to move east wards along paths that lie close
to the eclip tic, passing through the zodiac con stel la tions one
by one. Mars moves most quickly, taking just over two years to
com plete one circuit of the sky and spend ing two months in
each zodiac con stel la tion. Jupiter, with a 12year journey
around the eclip tic, takes a year to pass through one sign. The
others travel more slowly still, with Saturn spend ing two and
a half years, Uranus seven years and Neptune 14 years.
This simple picture is com pli cated by retrograd ing. Over
a period of some months in every year a planet ceases its usual
14
east erly motion (that is, it becomes sta tion ary), moves back
wards (that is, towards the west), stops again (becomes
sta tion ary a second time) and then resumes its east ward
course. The further away a planet is, the longer retrograd ing
lasts, but the smaller the dif fer ence it makes to the posi tion of
the planet. For Mars, retrograd ing lasts only two months, but
the out er most planets spend half the year moving back wards.
However, Mars swings through a couple of constellations as it
retrogrades, while Saturn rarely leaves the constellation it was
in when it became stationary.
This odd beha vi our is only appar ent, not actual. In reality,
the planets move stead ily onwards in their orbits at an almost
steady pace. Retrograding is due to the fact that the Earth,
moving more quickly in its orbit than the planets outside it,
over takes them on the inside lane, so that for a time they
appear to move back wards. You see the same thing when out
driving. As you pass another car, it appears to move back wards
rel a tive to the scenery.
Roughly halfway through its move back wards, the planet
reaches a point exactly oppo site the Sun in the sky (that is, it
comes to oppo si tion). At oppo si tion, the planet rises around
six in the evening and crosses the merid ian at mid night. The
outer planets are bright est and appear largest in a tele scope at
oppo si tion, as they are then closest to the Earth, though the
15
Map B. The main features of the surface of the Moon
MARE
TRANQUILITATIS
MARE
HUMORUM
MARE
CRISIUM
MARE
VAPORUM
SINUS
AESTUUM
MARE FRIGORIS
SINUS
IRIDUM
SINUS
RORIS
OCEANIS
PROCELLARUM
MARE
SERENITATIS
OCEANIS IMBRIUM
Blancanus
VALLIS
RHEITA
MARE
NECTARIS
MARE
FECUNDITATIS
MARE
NUBIUM
MARE
COGNITUM
MONTES
RIPHAEUS
M
O
N
T
E
S
A
L
P
E
S
V
A
L
L
IS
A
L
P
E
S
VALLIS
SCHRTERI
Scheiner
Clavius
Schiller
Phocylidus
Schickard
Longomontanus
Tycho
Wilhelm
Wurzelbauer
Cuvier
Faraday
Maurolycus
Fabricius
Walter
Werner
Regiomontanus
Purbach
Apianus
Playfair
G
Arzachel
Alpetragius
Alphonsus
Ptolemaeus
Herschel Hipparchus
Albategnius
Abulfeda
Tacitus
Catharina
Sacrobosco
Fracastorius
Santbech
Petavius
Colombo
Vendelinus
Langrenus
Goclenius
Gutenberg
Capella
Isidorus
Vlacq
Pitiscus
Fabricius
Metius
Rheita
Furnerius
Stevinus
Rabbi Levi
Piccolomini
Snellius
Zugat
Stfler
Gauricus
Cichus
Pitatus
Mercator
Capuanus
Campanus
Vieta
Mersenius
Gassendi Bullialdus
Aliacensis
Mdler
Geminus
Franklin
Cepheus
Hercules
Brg
Endymion
Strabo
Atlas
Posidonius
Reinhold
Copernicus
Condorcet
Procius
Plinius
Vitruvius
Macrobius
Cleomedes
Burckhardt
Ritter
Godin
Agrippa
Triesnecker
Lansberg
Cyrillus
Theophilus
Delambre
Apollonius
Firmicus
Tarantius
Maskelyne
Julius Ceasar
Sabine
Messala
Bianchini
Mairan
Struve
Seleucus
Herodotus
Aristarchus
Lambert
Euler
Eratosthenes
Manilius
Menelaus
Harpalus
Crger
Grimaldi
Riccioli
Kepler
Marius
Wallace
Timocharis
Archimedes
Autolycus
Aristillus
Cassini
Pico
Plato
Eudoxus
Aristoteles
W. Bond
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vari a tion is more notice able with Mars than with the more
distant planets.
About six or seven months after oppo si tion, the planet dis
ap pears behind the Sun for a while and cannot be seen (that
is, it reaches con junc tion with the Sun). Before con junc tion,
the planet will be an evening star (that is, visible above the
western horizon after sunset). After con junc tion, the planet
becomes a morning star (visible in the east before dawn).
The movements of the inner planets
The move ments of Mercury and Venus against the back ground
of the stars are com pli cated by the fact that they never get very
far away from the Sun (Mercury a maximum of about
27 degrees, Venus a maximum of less than 50 degrees). These
planets there fore never come to oppo si tion and are never
visible in the mid night sky. They accom pany the Sun in its
yearly journey through the zodiac, being some times ahead
of the Sun in the sky (that is, with eastern elon ga tion),
and some times lagging behind (that is, with western
elongation).
The inner planets have two con junc tions with the Sun
during each orbit, one at which the planet passes the Sun on
the near side (infe rior con junc tion), the other with the
planet passing the Sun on the side away from the Earth
(super ior con junc tion). Between super ior con junc tion and
infe rior con junc tion, the planet is an evening star. Between
infe rior con junc tion and super ior con junc tion, it is a morning
star.
Like the Moon, Mercury and Venus both show phases
when viewed with tele scopes, moving from thin cres cent to
full disc and back again during each orbit. This, com bined
with great vari a tion in their dis tances from us, causes the
inner planets to vary greatly in appar ent size and bright ness.
Maximum bright ness occurs close to the time of maximum
elon ga tion east or west.
Which planet?
If you fnd a planet among the stars but are not sure which
one it is, the appli ca tion of a few simple rules will sort the
matter out
Mercury is never easy to fnd, since it stays close to the Sun
and to the twi light, and is there fore rarely seen against a dark
sky. The give away is its rapid move ment among the stars,
shift ing its posi tion mark edly from night to night rel a tive to
nearby stars. This is appro pri ate. The planet was named after
the feetfooted mes sen ger of the gods in ancient Roman
legend, and returns to the same posi tion in the sky (say to
maximum eastern elon ga tion, at which time it is highest in
the sky at sunset) every three months.
Venus on the other hand is very hard to miss, espe cially as
the evening star, blazing in the west high above the sunset.
(Any planet can become an evening star, of course, but Venus
is the acme.) Showings of Venus as an evening star are spaced
about eight months apart. It rises up to three hours before the
Sun and sets up to three hours after, and so can clear the
twi light. At maximum mag ni tude it out shines every thing
other than the Sun and Moon, and can cast a shadow on a
moon less night. Its naming, after the Roman goddess of love
and beauty, seems most appro pri ate.
The dis tinc tive red or pink colour of Mars, the result of it
being covered by desert, was likened by the ancients to a drop
of blood and so it was named after the god of war. Unlike the
redder stars (such as Antares) with which it may be com
pared, Mars moves among the stars, pushing east through one
zodiac sign every two months. At oppo si tion, small tele scopes
may glimpse it as a coloured disc, with perhaps smudgy dark
mark ings and a touch of white at the poles.
Jupiter is the largest planet and can get quite bright,
though not as bright as Venus. It is there fore easy to spot, espe
cially in con stel la tions with dimmer stars. Its colour is almost
white, and its move ment is stately, as befts a planet named
after the king of the Roman gods. It takes a year to pass from
one zodiac sign to the next. In a small tele scope, Jupiter will
show as a dis tinct disc, with perhaps some streaky mark ings.
Saturn moves the most slowly of the nakedeye planets, so
sug gest ing a link to the Roman god of old age. It will be found
within the con fnes of a single zodiac con stel la tion for almost
three years. It may be found any where along the eclip tic, and
its offwhite colour is an added source of iden tif ca tion. The
chief attrac tion of Saturn is its system of rings, which can be
seen in small tele scopes.
There is a fas ci nat ing link between the planets and the old
pseudoscience of alchemy, the fore run ner of modern
chem is try. In ancient lore, each hea venly object was linked to
one of the seven metals known at the time, and the same
symbol used for both the metal and the planet. So Mercury
was linked to the metal mercury, Venus to copper, Mars to iron
(its rusty redness helped there), Jupiter to tin and Saturn to
lead. The Sun (gold) and the Moon (silver) were also part of
this scheme.
We can also con tem plate the way the names of the planets
are imbed ded in our lan guage, such as in the days of the week
(for example, Saturday was orig i nally Saturns Day), and in
words like mer cu rial, vene real, martial, jovial (Jupiter was
also called Jove) and sat ur nine.
The waltz of the planets
The move ment of the various planets through the zodiac at
dif fer ent speeds pro duces an endless variety of events, easily
tracked with the naked eye. Among these are numer ous con
junc tions, with planets drawing close to each other (often
within a few degrees), to bright stars (such as Regulus,
Pollux, Spica and Antares, which lie close to the eclip tic) or
to the Moon. Conjunctions with the Moon are most inter est ing
when the Moon is a cres cent, and there fore not overly bright.
At times three or even four planets will be found together in
the same part of the sky, and their move ments from week to
week or even night to night are fas ci nat ing to watch.
The Moon will some times occult a planet or star, that is,
pass in front of it. It is inter est ing to watch for the dis ap pear
ance or reemer gence of the object, again espe cially if the
16
Moon is a cres cent. Details of con junc tions, occul ta tions and
other events (such as eclip ses) can be found in pub li ca tions
com piled by astro nom i cal soci eties (such a listing is called an
ephem e ris) and on sale in astron omy supply shops.
You can also refer to Appendix B, which gives the posi tions
of four of the fve nakedeye planets each month for the next
ten years, together with details of some sig nif cant plan e tary
events.
Satellites, comets, meteors, minor planets
The solar system, the region of space con trolled by the
gravity of the Sun, con tains much more than the planets.
Many of these other objects are nightsky sights.
Satellites. All the planets except Mercury and Venus have
moons orbit ing them, though most of these are very faint
when viewed from Earth (mag ni tude 10 or fainter). The
easiest to pick out are the four largest sat el lites of Jupiter (Io,
Europa, Ganymede and Callisto). With mag ni tudes at oppo
si tion between 4.6 and 5.7 these can be seen with the naked
eye if con di tions are right, and are an easy target for binoc u
lars. They orbit Jupiter with periods of between one and a half
and 17 days, pro duc ing a con stantly varying dis tri bu tion of
bright points on either side of the planet. The pre dicted posi
tions of the moons are pro vided in an ephem e ris.
The moons of Jupiter line up on either side of the planet
more often than you might expect. This is the result of the
strong gravity of Jupiter locking the orbits of the three inner
moons into a res o nance. Each time Ganymede com pletes one
orbit, Europa goes round exactly twice and Io exactly four
times.
Saturns bright est sat el lite, Titan (period 16 days), is
within reach of binoc u lars at maximum mag ni tude, 8.3, with
Rhea (period four and half days) also a pos sibil ity at
maximum mag ni tude, 9.7.
Comets. Comets are icy bodies trav el ling around the Sun
in long thin orbits, becom ing bright and devel op ing the char
ac ter is tic tail when near the Sun. A few become spec tac u lar
nakedeye objects, but the arrival of those is unpre dict able. A
bright comet may take thou sands of years to return if it comes
back at all.
Of the reg u larly return ing comets, only the famous
Halleys Comet is bright enough to make a real showing to
the naked eye, but a number of others are worth track ing
down with binoc u lars. Again, you should refer to an ephem
e ris for details.
Meteor showers. As comets orbit the Sun, they leave behind
a trail of dust and small frag ments. When the Earth passes
through this trail, some of the rubble is swept up by gravity
and burns up in the Earths atmos phere, appear ing as bright
streaks of light across the sky. Such meteor showers (com
monly dubbed falling stars or shoot ing stars) emerge from
par tic u lar points in the night sky (their radi ants) at certain
times of the year. A list of the main showers is given in Table 3,
and ref er ence is made to them in the text beside the Sky
Charts. At the times of year the various showers occur, the
constellations hosting them do not rise until late, and so the
showers can normally be seen only in the small hours.
Minor Planets. Often called aster oids, these are small
rocky bodies orbit ing the Sun. There are most likely hun dreds
of thou sands of them, but most are small, a few hundred kilo
me tres at most. Most lie between Mars and Jupiter in the
aster oid belt. The largest, Ceres, is only 1000 km across. The
bright est is Vesta, which can reach mag ni tude 5.2 and so be a
nakedeye sight on a clear dark night. More are visible with
binoc u lars or a small tele scope, and the loca tions of the
bright est among the stars are given in an ephem e ris.
A variety of sights
The night sky has more to offer than indi vid ual stars and
planets. Many other sights may be glimpsed with the naked
eye, but all beneft from the use of binoc u lars or a small tele
scope (you will do even better with a large tele scope!).
Stars get together
In many areas of the sky, the stars cluster together, often pro
vid ing a contrast with their varied colours. Some of these are
open clus ters, with ample space between rel a tively small
17
Table 3. Main meteor showers
Peakrate(average)
Normallimits Maximum perhour Radiant(RA/Dec)
Quarantids (in Bootes) Jan. 16 Jan. 3 60 15 hr 30 min/+50
Lyrids Apr. 1925 Apr. 22 10 18 hr 10 min/+32
Eta Aquarids May 110 May 6 35 22 hr 20 min/01
Delta Aquarids July 15 Aug. 15 July 29 20 22 hr 39 min/17
Perseids July 23 Aug. 20 Aug. 12 75 3 hr 08 min/+58
Orionids Oct. 1627 Oct. 22 25 6 hr 27 min/+15
Taurids Oct. 20 Nov. 30 Nov. 5 10 3 hr 47 min/+14
Leonids Nov. 1520 Nov. 17 10 10 hr 11 min/+22
Geminids Dec. 715 Dec. 13 75 7 hr 31 min/+32
numbers of stars. Such clus ters, which are com monly only 10
or 20 light years across at most, contain from as few as
10 stars to as many as 500, all orig i nally formed together
from the one gas cloud. The Pleiades or Seven Sisters in
Taurus (there are actu ally more than 30 stars in this cluster),
Praesepe or the Beehive in Cancer, and the Jewel Box, hard
by the Southern Cross, are all notable exam ples, but this book
will refer you to dozens of others.
Far more thickly packed with stars are the glob u lar clus
ters, with up to a million stars crowd ing together like bees
around a honey pot. These clus ters are huge balls of stars, tens
or even hundreds of light years across, and the stars within are
on average about a light year apart. Globular clus ters are in
general both very old (con tain ing some of the most ancient
stars known) and very remote (many lying 10,000 or 15,000
light years distant). Omega Centauri (again close to the
Southern Cross) and 47 Tucanae near the Small Magellanic
Cloud are among the fnest such clus ters in the sky. We should
add that even through a telescope it is not easy to appreciate
the true form of a globular cluster; most of them look like
fuzzy stars.
The Milky Way
The Milky Way, best seen on a clear dark night, appears as a
faint band of light, winding its way around the sky and passing
through or close by a number of con stel la tions, includ ing
Crux, Vela, Carina, Canis Major, Orion, Auriga, Perseus, Cygnus,
Aquila, Sagittarius and Scorpius. Ancient observ ers thought it
was a stream of milk from the breast of some sky goddess and
used the term galaxy from the Greek for milk.
Since the time of Galileo (though some Greeks 2000 years
before guessed at the truth) we have known it is in fact made
up of bil lions of stars, so distant and so closely clus tered
together that the unaided eye cannot sep ar ate them. Binoculars
or a tele scope will quickly reveal many of those stars. The
Milky Way is widest and most dense between Scorpius and
Sagittarius, where the most distant observ able stars are about
30,000 light years away.
The appear ance of the Milky Way is the con se quence of the
Sun and its planets being located within a vast wheelshaped
con gre ga tion of stars, now known as the Milky Way galaxy
(or simply the galaxy). The hub of this system lies beyond
the stars of Scorpius and Sagittarius, and the rest of the Milky
Way is simply the con se quence of looking across the galaxy
along its longest dimen sion. Modern reck on ing makes our
galaxy about 100,000 light years in diam e ter, about 10,000
light years thick in the centre, and about 3000 light years
thick out in the outer suburbs where we are (some 30,000
light years from the hub). It con tains at least 200 thou sand
million stars, 10 per cent of which are similar in size and
tem per a ture to our Sun.
The axis of the wheel of our galaxy can be taken to cut
the celes tial sphere at the North Galactic Pole (NGP) and
South Galactic Pole (SGP) (just as the Earths axis cuts it at the
North and South Celestial Poles). The NGP lies in Coma
Berenices, the SGP in Sculptor. The Sun and its planets lie
slightly above the plane of the Milky Way, so we see more stars
(and more bright stars) looking south than looking north.
That is one reason why the skies of the Southern Hemisphere
are so bril liant!
Nebulae, dark and bright
Here and there along its length, the Milky Way is divided by
dark lanes and broken by patches appar ently devoid of stars,
for example, in the Scorpius/Sagittarius region and in Cygnus.
In truth, vast clouds of dust hanging in space block the light
from the stars of the Milky Way in these regions. Other such
dark nebulae (nebula is Latin for a cloud) include the Coal
Sack beside the Southern Cross and the spec tac u lar but elusive
(for small tele scopes anyway) Horsehead Nebula in Orion.
There are also a great many bright nebulae, patches and
wisps of glowing gas. Some of these are star nurseries,
patches of gas glowing pink from the energy of newly born
stars within them. The Great Nebula in Orion is one such star
nursery, as are the Trifd and Lagoon Nebulae front ing the
Milky Way near Sagittarius. Indeed, emis sion nebulae of this
kind are mostly found along the Milky Way, espe cially looking
towards the galac tic centre.
Some nebulae asso ciated with young stars are blue rather
than pink. This is the result of blue light from the young hot
stars being scat tered by clouds of dust. The blue wisps of gas
sur round ing the 50millionyearold Pleiades form such a
refec tion nebula.
A warning about the colours. You will see them in photo
graphs but, alas, not with your eye directly (even with binoc
u lars). At low light levels, the human eye picks up little colour,
and most of the nebulae will appear white with a green ish
tinge. They are still worth seeking out.
A few nebulae mark the loca tions of stars in old age, red
giant stars which have shed their outer layers to form glowing
rings of gas, some times mis lead ingly called plan e tary nebulae
(they have nothing to do with planets). The Ring Nebula in
Lyra the Harp is an example.
Others are star cemeteries, each marking the spot where
very large stars at the end of their brief violent lives have
blown them selves to pieces as super no vas. The Vela Nebula
and the Crab Nebula in Taurus lie in that cat e gory, though
both are hard to resolve into anything meaningful other than
in large telescopes. The Crab Nebula is the remnant of the
super nova recorded by Chinese astron o mers in 1054 AD.
Nebulae beyond
Still other nebulae are vastly larger and more distant, since we
now know that they are com plete star systems (gal ax ies) lying
beyond our own. The two Clouds of Magellan, which appear
as faint patches of light in the south ern sky, are the nearest of
these, being some 200,000 light years away. They are rel a
tively small and are essen tially satellites of our own Milky
Way galaxy. Binoculars will reveal the strik ing Tarantula
Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud, letting you glimpse
the spidery outline that provoked the name.
18
The Andromeda Galaxy, a nakedeye object in the north ern
sky, is the nearest of the large exter nal gal ax ies, being two
million light years distant. Such island universes, each con
tain ing bil lions of stars, are thickly clus tered in certain areas
of the sky, most notably in the con stel la tions of Virgo, Coma
Berenices and Canes Venatici. Numbers of gal ax ies are also
found in Fornax, Sculptor, Leo and Perseus. These con stel la
tions lie close to the Galactic Poles. Galaxies are not found near
the Milky Way as the dust clouds and thickly clus tered stars
hide them from view.
The various clus ters and nebulae have been cat a logued
several times. The oldest such effort was by the eight eenth
century French comethunter Charles Messier, who noted
over 100 fuzzy objects likely to be con fused with comets. His
list is still often used. The Crab Nebula is M1, the Lagoon
Nebula M16, the Orion Nebula M42, Praesepe M44, the
Sombrero Hat galaxy M104. Most of the Messier objects are
in the north ern part of the sky.
More recent and more com pre hen sive is the New General
Catalogue (NGC) frst com plied over a hundred years ago with
thou sands of entries. Objects listed with an N followed by a
number are from the NGC. Other letternumber combina
tions in this book indicate other catalogues.
19
Using the Skyviews
The fol low ing 24 Skyviews rep re sent the night sky at dif fer ent
times of the year and dif fer ent times of the night. Since the
stars on show in the night sky change noticably from hour to
hour during the night and week to week through out the year,
it is vital that you choose the right Skyview to use.
Each Skyview has been drawn to cor re spond with a certain
side real time. Sidereal time is set by the stars, rather than by
the posi tion of the Sun, as in ordi nary solar time. Whereas a
solar day is the period between two noons, that is, between
two pas sages of the Sun across the merid ian, a side real day is
the time between two suc ces sive tran sits of the vernal
equinox, or indeed of any par tic u lar star.
Since the east erly motion of the Sun along the eclip tic
causes the stars to rise earlier each day by about four minutes
21
the SkyviewS
table 4. Choosing the right Skyview (by hour and date of observation)
Localtime(h)*
Date 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 00 01 02 03 04 05 06
Jan. 5 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
21 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Feb. 5 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
20 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Mar. 7 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
22 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Apr. 6 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
22 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
May 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
June 6 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
22 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
July 7 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1
22 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2
Aug. 6 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3
22 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4
Sep. 6 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5
21 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6
Oct. 6 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
21 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Nov. 6 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
21 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Dec. 6 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
21 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
* Subtract one hour from these times during periods of daylight saving.
by the clock, a side real day is shorter than a solar day by four
minutes. Put another way, the sidereal clock runs faster than
the solar clock, gaining four minutes a day. Over the year, the
difference builds up to a whole day. A year contains 365
solar days but 366 sidereal days. Put another way, the side
real clock runs faster than the solar clock, gaining four
minutes a day.
To work out the side real time cor re spond ing to your day
and time of observ ing, and there fore deter mine which
Skyview to use, you can refer to Table 4.
Or you can apply the fol low ing simple rule:
Work out your solar time on a 24hour clock and add
four minutes for each day (or two hours for each month)
that has passed since last 21 September. (On 21 September
the solar and side real clocks read the same time.)
An example: to work out si dereal time at 6 pm on 15 April,
convert 6 pm to a 24hour clock, which gives 18 hours. Add
13 hours (two hours for each of the 6 months since last 21
September). That totals 31 hours, or 7 hours when reduced
by 24 hours. So side real time at 6 pm on 15 April is 0700
hours and there fore Skyview 7 is the one to use.
To make it easy to decide which Skyview is the right one
to use in the early evening (a time you will often be looking
at the night sky), each Skyview has a twoweek period listed
above it (for example, January: weeks one and two). This means that
particular Skyview accurately displays the layout of the night
sky at 9 pm (taking account of daylight saving if it is in
operation) in the middle of the stated fortnight (and will be
very close to right throughout the whole period). In other
words, for each Skyview, the side real time given is reached at
9 pm (2100 hours) in the middle of the given period (either
the seventh or twentyfrst day of the month). The Skyview
and cal cu la tion given above let you use the Skyviews at any
time of the night.
The turning of the Earth causes the posi tions of the stars and
other objects rel a tive to the horizon and the zenith to change
sur pris ingly quickly and notice ably. You need to be ready to
move on to the next Skyview after obser va tion for one hour.
Each Skyview shows the whole sky visible at the given side
real time. The outer rim rep re sents the horizon. The Skyview
should be turned so that the direc tion in which you are
looking is at the bottom. Therefore, if you are looking south,
the Skyview should be turned upsidedown.
The Skyviews are drawn for only one lat i tude, namely
35 degrees south. Most of the main pop u la tion centres in the
Southern Hemisphere lie close to this par allel of lat i tude.
Observers well to the north or to the south of this lat i tude will
notice some dif fer ences in the vis ibil ity of stars near the
north ern and south ern hori zons.
Each Skyview has marked the South Pole of the sky
(around which the sky appears to turn) and the prime
merid ian, namely the line marking 12 hours of right ascen
sion. Also marked are the celes tial equator and the eclip tic,
which passes through the stars of the 12 zodiac signs.
The other impor tant feature of these Skyviews is the
numbers which occur in the centres of large areas of each.
These refer the user to the more detailed Sky Charts later in
this book, which contain stars of higher mag ni tudes, together
with impor tant sights through binoc u lars such as double stars
and nebulae.
Two expres sions are com monly used in the text adjoin ing
each Skyview. One is cross ing the meridian. This means a
move ment from the eastern to the western half of the sky. The
top of the sky, used for south ern stars, also refers to cross ing
the merid ian, that is, rising as high as pos sible above the South
Pole of the sky.
Reference is also made to posi tions of stars rel a tive to the
South Pole of the sky in terms of hourly read ings on an ordi
nary clock face. So three oclock means due west of the pole,
and nine oclock means due east.
Remember that these Skyviews show only stars. Bright
starlike objects not marked on these Skyviews will almost
cer tainly be planets, espe cially if they lie close to the eclip tic.
(See page 14.)
22
23
Skyview 1
9 pm, November: weeks three and four
Sidereal time 0100
The grand summer pano rama is now unfold ing in the eastern sky. Orion the Hunter, with its bright stars bluewhite Rigel and
reddish Betelgeuse, is now clear of the horizon. Taurus the Bull, includ ing reddish Aldebaran and the Pleiades, lies in the north
east. In the southeast, Sirius, the bright est of the stars, has risen, marking the larger of the Hunters two dogs. A little higher
in the southeast lies Canopus, second bright est of all stars. It lies in Carina, the keel of the ship Argo.
Of the other bright stars, Achernar in Eridanus is high in the south, and Fomalhaut in the Southern Fish even higher in the
southwest. In the west Altair in Aquila the Eagle is setting.
The Great Square of Pegasus stands in the northwest. The zodiac signs visible stretch from Sagitarrius now setting in the
southwest, through Capricornus, Aquarius, Pisces and Aries, to Taurus in the northeast.
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24
Skyview 2
9 pm, December: weeks one and two
Sidereal time 0200
The eastern sky con tains the great sights: Orion the Hunter marked by the saucepan and the bright stars Betelgeuse and Rigel,
and in the northeast Aldebaran and the Pleiades marking the eye and the shoul der of Taurus the Bull. In the east Procyon in
the Little Dog has risen, joining Sirius and the stars of Canis Major now well up in the southeast.
Also in the southeast is Canopus in Carina, second bright est of the stars after Sirius. Achernar in Eridanus has crossed the
top of the sky, and now lies slightly southwest. Further west and higher is Fomalhaut, the mouth of the Southern Fish.
In the northwest, the Great Square of Pegasus is heading for the horizon. Of the zodiac signs, Sagittarius is setting in the
southwest and the frst stars of Gemini are in view in the northeast. Between those con stel la tions, from west to east, lie
Capricornus, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries and Taurus.
1
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H
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T R I A N G U L U M
A U S T R A L E
C I R C I N
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S
A
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A
A P U S
O C T A N S
P
A
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S
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A
A
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N
A
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S
C
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L
P
T
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CETUS
P
IS
C
E
S
ANDROM
EDA
PERSEUS
A
U
R
I
G
A
G
E
M
I
N
I
ARIES
TRIANGULUM
A
Q
U
I
L
A
E
Q
U
U
L
E
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S
P
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G
A
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A
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U
A
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M i m o s a
A c r u x
R i g e l K e n t
H a d a r
C
a
n
o
p
u
s
S
i
r
i
u
s
A
d
h
a
r
a
A c h e r n a r
M
ira
A
lg
o
l
A
l
d
e
b
a
r
a
n
R
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g
e
l
B
e
t
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l
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s
e
P
r
o
c
y
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n
F
o
m
a
l
h
a
u
t
25
Skyview 3
9 pm, December: weeks three and four
Sidereal time 0300
The long faint line of stars marking Eridanus the River, ending in Achernar, lies through the zenith. In the southeast, the stars
of the Argo con stel la tions (Carina, Puppis and Vela) are return ing to prom i nence, with Canopus in Carina leading the way.
The Cross and Pointers have pushed off from the south ern horizon.
The east and northeast are the domain of the hunter Orion, with his dis tinc tive belt and sword. His two dogs are fol low
ing him up the sky: the Lesser Dog with its bright star Procyon and, further south, the Greater Dog with daz zling Sirius.
Ahead of Orion lies the bull Taurus, notable for the star cluster the Pleiades and the red star Aldebaran as the bulls eye.
Below Orion, the stars of the zodiac sign Gemini con tinue to rise. The line of the zodiac then runs west wards and up the
sky through Taurus, Aries, Pisces and Aquarius to Capricornus, setting south of west. In the northwest Pegasus moves closer
to setting.
8
15
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1
1
1
2
13 14
20
1
2
h
0
h
NORTH
E
A
S
T
S O U T H
W
E
S
T
E
C
L
IP
T
IC
EQUATOR
Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C H A M
A E L E O N
H
yad
e
s
Pleiades
M U S C A
C
R
U
X
C E N T A U R U S
C
E
N
T
A
U
R
U
S
V
E
L
A
P
Y
X
I
S
P
U
P
P
I
S
A
N
T
L
I
A
C
A
R
I N
A
V
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L
A
N
S
P
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T
O
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M
E N
S A
D
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A
D
O
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E
T
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U
L U
M
H Y D R U S
H
O
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O
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T
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A
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A
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A
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P
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B
A
C
A
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M
A
J
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H
Y
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A
C
A
N
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E
R
C
A
N
I
S

M
I
N
O
R
T R I A N G U L U M
A U S T R A L E
C I R C I N U S
A
R
A
A P U S
O C T A N S
P
A
V
O
I
N
D
U
S
G
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C
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A
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M
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C
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C
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A
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T
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C
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A
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L
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T
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ID
A
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F
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P
IS
C
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S
A
N
D
R
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E
D
A
PERSEUS
A
U
R
IG
A
G
E
M
I
N
I
ARIES
TRIANGULUM
P
E
G
A
S
U
S
A
Q
U
A
R
I
U
S
M
i m
o s a
A c r u x
R i g e l K e n t H a d a r
C
a
n
o
p
u
s
S
i
r
i
u
s
A
d
h
a
r
a
A
c
h
e
r n
a
r
M
ira
Algol
C
a
p
e
lla
A
ld
e
b
a
r
a
n
R
i
g
e
l
B
e
t
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e
P
r
o
c
y
o
n
F
o
m
a
l
h
a
u
t
26
Skyview 4
9 pm, January: weeks one and two
Sidereal time 0400
In the south ern sky, two bright stars are prom i nent: Achernar in Eridanus high in the southwest, and Canopus in Carina well
up in the southeast. The Cross and the Pointers remain close to the southeastern horizon, but are moving up. High up,
Fomalhaut in the Southern Fish is heading west.
Looking north, Taurus the Bull is well placed, with the Pleiades and Aldebaran unmis tak able. The bril liant con stel la tion of
Orion the Hunter is above Taurus and east wards. Below Taurus, the far north ern star Capella, in Auriga the Charioteer, is making
a brief appear ance.
The Great Square of Pegasus is now setting in the northwest, but the Great and Little Dogs con tinue to rise in the north
east. There also the bright stars of Gemini the Twins, Castor and Pollux, are now in view.
The faint early stars of Cancer the Crab in the northeast mark the east ern most of the visible zodiac signs. Running upwards
and westwards are fve other zodiac con stel la tions, Gemini, Taurus, Aries, Pisces and Aquarius.
8
15
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1
2
13
14
1
2
h
0
h
NORTH
E
A
S
T
S O U T H
W
E
S
T
E
C
L
IP
T
IC
E
Q
U
A
T
O
R
Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C H A M
A E L E O
N
Hyades
Pleiades
M
U
S C A
C
R
U
X
C
E
N
T
A
U
R
U
S
V
E
L
A
P
Y
X
I
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P
U
P
P
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A
N
T
L
I
A
C
A
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I N
A
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A
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S
P
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T
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M
E N S A
D
O
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A
D
O
R E T I C U L U M
H Y D R U S
H
O
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O
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O
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I U
M
T
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A
N
A
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B
A
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A
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M
A
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A
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T
A
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C
A
N
C
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R
C
A
N
I
S

M
I
N
O
R
T R I A N G U L U M
A U S T R A L E
C I R C I N U S
A R A
A P U S
O C T A N S
P
A
V
O
I
N
D
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P
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T
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S
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L
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IO
N
M
O
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R
O
S
TAURUS
E
R
ID
A
N
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S
F
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S
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A
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D
A
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A
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IG
A
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IN
I
A
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S
T
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L
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M
i m
o
s a
A
c
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x
R i g e l
K e n t
H
a d a r
C
a
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p
u
s
S
i
r
i
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s
A
d
h
a
r
a
A
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r
n
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a
Algol
Capella
A
ld
e
b
a
ra
n
R
i
g
e
l
B
e
t
e
l
g
e
u
s
e
P
r
o
c
y
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n
P
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l
l
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x
C
a
s
t
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F
o
m
a
l
h
a
u
t
27
Skyview 5
9 pm, January: weeks three and four
Sidereal time 0500
In the north, Orion is nearing the merid ian, with the bril liant bluewhite Rigel in the lead. Taurus the Bull has passed the
merid ian, and, low on the horizon, Capella shines almost due north. Pisces and Aries are heading for the western horizon, but
in the east Orions dogs and the stars of Gemini the Twins are rising high.
The early stars of Leo the Lion are now rising, with Regulus prom i nent. The faint stars of Cancer fll the space between Leo
and Gemini. Leo is there fore the east ern most of the visible zodiac signs, fol lowed by Cancer, Gemini, Taurus, Aries and
Pisces.
Looking south, the stars of Vela, Puppis and Carina, once parts of the greater con stel la tion of Argo, are high in the south
east. Canopus is leading them up the sky. Behind the Argo stars come those of the Cross and Pointers, still low in the southeast.
Achernar is drop ping down the upper southwestern sky, and Fomalhaut is nearing the southwestern horizon.
8
15
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1
2
13
14
16
1
2
h
0
h
NORTH
E
A
S
T
S O U T H
W
E
S
T
E
C
L
IP
T
IC
E
Q
U
A
T
O
R
Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C
H
A
M
A
E
L
E
O
N
H
yades
P
le
iad
e
s
M
U
S
C
A
C
R
U
X
C
E
N
T
A
U
R
U
S
V
E
L
A
P
Y
X
I
S
P
U
P
P
I
S
A
N
T
L
I
A
C
R
A
T
E
R
C
A
R
I N
A
V
O
L
A
N
S
P
I C
T
O
R
M E N S A
D O R A D O
R E T I C U L U M
H Y D R U S
H
O
R
O
L
O
G
I
U
M
T
U
C
A
N
A
C A E L U M
P
H
O
E
N
I
X
C
O
L
U
M
B
A
C
A
N
I
S
M
A
J
O
R
L
E
O
H
Y
D
R
A
H
Y
D
R
A
S
E
X
T
A
N
S
C
A
N
C
E
R
C
A
N
I
S

M
I
N
O
R
T R I A N G U L U M
A U S T R A L E
C I R C I N U S
A R A
A P U S
O C T A N S
P
A
V
O
I N
D
U
S
G
R
U
S
P
I
S
C
I
S
A
U
S
T
R
I
N
U
S
M
I
C
R
O
S
C
O
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I
U
M
LEPUS
O
RIO
N
M
O
N
O
C
E
R
O
S
T
A
U
R
U
S
E
R
I
D
A
N
U
S
F
O
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A
X
S
C
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L
P
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C
E
T
U
S
P
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C
E
S
A
N
D
R
O
M
E
D
A
P
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R
S
E
U
S
A
U
R
IG
A
G
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M
IN
I
A
R
I
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S
T
R
I
A
N
G
U
L
U
M
P
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G
A
S
U
S
A
Q
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A
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I
U
S
M
i m
o
s
a
A
c
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x
R
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e
l K
e
n
t
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a
d
a
r
C
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o
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u
s
S
i
r
i
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s
A
d
h
a
r
a
R
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g
u
l
u
s
A
c
h
e
r
n
a
r
M
i
r
a
A
lg
o
l
Aldebaran
R
ig
e
l
B
e
te
lg
e
u
s
e
P
r
o
c
y
o
n
P
o
l
l
u
x
C
a
s
t
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r
F
o
m
a
l
h
a
u
t
Capella
28
Skyview 6
9 pm, February: weeks one and two
Sidereal time 0600
In the south ern sky, bright Canopus in Carina is nearing the merid ian, as is even brighter Sirius in Canis Major, which is nearly
over head. The Cross is close to nine oclock, with Achernar almost oppo site it at around two oclock. Fomalhaut is setting in
the southwest.
Looking north, the bril liance of Orion the Hunter cannot be missed, just west of the merid ian and high in the sky.
Taurus lies below Orion and a little to the west, while further down again is Auriga the Charioteer with Capella not far above
the horizon.
In the northwest Pisces and Aries are approach ing their setting. Stretched across the sky to the east of Taurus are the stars
of Gemini the Twins (with Procyon in the Little Dog just above), faint Cancer and most of Leo the Lion, notably Regulus. Thus
six zodiac signs can be seen, from just rising Leo in the east to soontoset Pisces in the west.
9
16
8
15
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1
2
13
14
1
2
h 0 h
NORTH
E
A
S
T
S O U T H
W
E
S
T
E
C
L
I
P
T
I
C
E
Q
U
A
T
O
R
Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C
H
A
M
A
E
L
E
O
N
H
y
a
d
e
s
P
le
ia
d
e
s
M
U
S
C
A
C
R
U
X
C
E
N
T
A
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U
S
V
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L
A
P
Y
X
I
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P
U
P
P
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A
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T
L
I
A
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A
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E
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C
O
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C
A
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I
N
A V
O
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N
S
P
I C
T
O
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M E N S A
D
O
R
A
D
O
R E T I C U L U M
H Y D R U S
H
O
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O
L
O
G
I
U
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T
U
C
A
N
A
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A
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U
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P
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N
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C
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U
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B
A
C
A
N
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M
A
J
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L
E
O
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Y
D
R
A
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D
R
A
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E
X
T
A
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S
L
Y
N
X
C
A
N
C
E
R
C
A
N
IS
M
IN
O
R
T R I A N G U L U M
A U S T R A L E
C
I R
C
I N
U
S
L
U
P
U
S
A R A
A P U S
O C T A N S
P A V O
I N
D
U
S
G
R
U
S
P
I
S
C
I
S
A
U
S
T
R
I
N
U
S
L
E
P
U
S
ORION
M
O
N
O
C
E
R
O
S
T
A
U
R
U
S
E
R
I
D
A
N
U
S
F
O
R
N
A
X
S
C
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L
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T
O
R
C
E
T
U
S
P
I
S
C
E
S
P
E
R
S
E
U
S
AURIGA
GEM
INI
A
R
I
E
S
T
R
I
A
N
G
U
L
U
M
A
Q
U
A
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M
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a
A
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R
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e
n
t
H
a
d
a
r
C
a
n
o
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u
s
S
iriu
s
A
d
h
a
r
a
R
e
g
u
l
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s
A
c
h
e
r
n
a
r
M
i
r
a
A
lg
o
l
A
ld
e
b
a
ra
n
R
i
g
e
l
Betelgeuse P
r
o
c
y
o
n
P
o
llu
x
C
a
s
to
r
F
o
m
a
l
h
a
u
t
Capella
29
Skyview 7
9 pm, February: weeks three and four
Sidereal time 0700
Looking south, Canopus has joined Achernar west of the merid ian. The stars of Carina, Puppis and Vela are nearing the top of
the sky. They cover the large area of the sky once allot ted to the one con stel la tion Argo. The Cross is becom ing prom i nent in
the southeast, with the Pointers fol low ing it up.
Gemini the Twins now lies across the merid ian, with Castor and Pollux just east of north. Higher up but still east of the
merid ian is the lesser of Orions dogs, marked by the bright star Procyon. Orion himself, with the wellknown saucepan and
the bright stars Rigel and Betelgeuse, is high in the northwest sky, along with the Great Dog Sirius marking its heart.
East of Gemini, one of the zodiac signs, lie the faint stars of Cancer the Crab, then the brighter stars of Leo the Lion, includ
ing Regulus, and lastly the early stars of Virgo, now rising due east. At the western end of the visible segment of the zodiac
lie some of the stars of Pisces and Aries.
9
16
8
15
1
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4
5
6
7
1
3
14
12
h
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NORTH
E
A
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W
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L
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Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C H A M A E L E O N
H
y
a
d
e
s
P
le
ia
d
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s
M
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V O L A N S
P I C T O R
M E N S A
D
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A
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C
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CANIS M
INOR
T R I A N G U L U M
A U S T R A L E C
I R
C
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U
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N
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AURIGA
GEMINI
A
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M
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B
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Procyon
Pollux
Castor
C
a
p
e
lla
30
Skyview 8
9 pm, March: weeks one and two
Sidereal time 0800
The spec tac u lar Pleiades are about to set in the northwest, with the rest of Taurus the Bull fol low ing them down. After only
a brief appear ance, the far north ern star Capella in Auriga the Charioteer is going down again west of north. Gemini the Twins
lies just west of north, with the little dog star Procyon higher up the sky.
Cancer the Crab and Leo the Lion are pushing through the northeastern sky, and behind Leo, the next zodiac sign Virgo
the Young Maiden is now well in view. Its bright star Spica lies above the eastern horizon.
The western and northwestern sky still belongs to Orion and his twin dogs. Sirius, the true Dog Star, is well placed to show
its bril liance. Almost due south of Sirius is Canopus, the nearest to it in bright ness. It stands at one oclock and is begin ning
its descent of the southwestern sky. The Cross, coming up in the southeast, has reached ten oclock, with the Pointers trail ing
behind.
1
7
9
16
8
15
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
14
12
h
0
h
NORTH
E
A
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S O U T H
W
E
S
T
E
C
L
IP
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E
Q
U
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Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C H A M A E L E O N
H
y
a
d
e
s
P
le
ia
d
e
s
M
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C A R I N A
V O L A N S
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M E N S A
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A U S T R A L E
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Procyon
Pollux
Castor
C
a
p
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lla
31
Skyview 9
9 pm, March: weeks three and four
Sidereal time 0900
In the northwest, Taurus the Bull is close to setting, with the Pleiades frst to go. Higher up and a little to the south, Orion
the Hunter and his two Dogs make a spec tac u lar vista as they head for the horizon.
In the north ern sky, Gemini the Twins, with Castor and Pollux, lies west of the merid ian, and Leo the Lion with Regulus is
east of it. Cancer the Crab, devoid of bright stars, lies due north between them. The line of zodiac signs is com pleted by Virgo
the Young Maiden, coming up in the northeast with its bright star Spica, and by Libra the Scales, just rising.
To the south, the Pointers, and their home con stel la tion of Centaurus, are pushing the Cross up the sky in the southeast.
The stars of the old Argo, now in Vela, Carina and Puppis, are at the top of the sky, with the leading star Canopus, second
bright est in the sky, now past one oclock. The false cross, made up of two stars of Vela and two of Carina, is right on the
merid ian.
1
0
17
9
16
8
1
2
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4
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6
7
14
15
12
h
0
h
NORTH
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W
E
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E
C
L
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E
Q
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Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C H A M A E L E O N
H
y
a
d
e
s
M
U
S
C
A
C
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C
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A
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V E L A
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X
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P A V O
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Pollux
C
asto
r
32
Skyview 10
9 pm, April: weeks one and two
Sidereal time 1000
Two new con stel la tions, both zodiac signs, have cleared the eastern horizon. A bright ish pair of stars marks the frst, Libra the
Scales. The second is far more spec tac u lar. Scorpius the Scorpion forms a hook of stars, with red Antares among the frst to rise.
In the southwest, Achernar at the head of the river Eridanus is now well down, with the Cross and the Pointers in con se
quence high in the southeast. At the top of the sky and into the southwest lie the Argo con stel la tions of Carina, Puppis and
Vela, well marked by the bril liance of Canopus.
Orion is now nearing the western horizon, with the stars of his two dogs higher up the sky. Leo the Lion lies in the middle
of the north ern vista, with Regulus near the merid ian. Leo is fanked by Virgo in the northeast and Gemini going down in
the west. With Taurus now set, Gemini is the west ern most of the zodiac signs, with the line then running east through faint
Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra and newly risen Scorpius.
1
0
17
9
16
8
1
2
3
4
6
7
14
15
12
h
0
h
NORTH
E
A
S
T
S O U T H
W
E
S
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C
L
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Q
U
A
T
O
R
Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C H A M A E L E O N
M
U
S
C
A
C
R
U
X
C
E
N
T
A
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A
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C
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A
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A
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A
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A
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N
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C
O
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B
A
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A
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A
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LEO
LEO MINOR
H
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A
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P A V O
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Regulus
S
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to
r
33
Skyview 11
9 pm, April: weeks three and four
Sidereal time 1100
Scorpius the Scorpion, with its red star Antares, rides clear of the eastern horizon. In the northeast orange Arcturus marks the
posi tion of Bootes the Bearkeeper, while higher in the sky Spica glows in the hand of Virgo the Virgin.
Leo the Lion lies due north, with Regulus prom i nent. Gemini now in the northwest is the west ern most of the visible zodiac
signs, with Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra and Scorpius lying suc ces sively further east.
The great con stel la tion Orion is setting, leaving the western sky dom i nated by the stars of the Great and Little Dogs, includ
ing Sirius and Procyon.
In the south ern sky, the stars of the Argo con stel la tions (Carina, Puppis and Vela) are heading down in the southwest, with
Canopus leading the way. Achernar is almost out of sight. The Cross is nearing the top of the sky in the southeast with the
stars of the Centaur grouped around. Below the Pointers, three stars form the dis tinc tive Southern Triangle.
1
8
1
0
17
9
16
8
1
2
3
4
6
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15
S o u t h
P o l e
12
h
0
h
NORTH
E
A
S
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S O U T H
W
E
S
T
ECLIPTIC
EQUATOR
Magnitudes
C H A M A E L E O N
M U S C A
C
R
U
X
C
E
N
T
A
U
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U
S
V
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C
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LEO
LEO MINOR
H
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P
r
o
c
y
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n
P
o
l
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x
C
a
s
t
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r
34
Skyview 12
9 pm, May: weeks one and two
Sidereal time 1200
The unmis tak able hook of Scorpius, with red Antares in its centre, is climb ing the eastern sky, and the next zodiac sign,
Sagittarius, looking more like a teapot than an archer, has risen in the southeast. The Cross is almost as high as it can get in
the south, with the Pointers at ten oclock. The bright star Canopus is almost at three oclock in the southwest with the stars
of the old Argo con stel la tions, Carina, Puppis and Vela, trail ing behind.
The new stars in the east are a ragged square belong ing to Ophiuchus, the Man Wrestling with a Serpent. Orange Arcturus
in Bootes is prom i nent in the northeast, and Virgo is nearing the merid ian.
Leo the Lion now graces the northwest sky, with Regulus prom i nent, along with the faint stars of Cancer. Castor and Pollux,
the bright stars of Gemini, are departing from view. Above the western horizon, the dog stars Sirius and Procyon, both soon
to set, remind us of the departed Orion.
1
1
18
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9
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8
1
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4
6
7
15
12
h
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NORTH
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A
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C
L
IP
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IC
EQ
U
ATO
R
Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C H A M A E L E O N
M U S C A
C
R
U
X
C
E
N
T
A
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COM
A
BERENICES
CANES VENATICI
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URSA M
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c h e r n a r
P
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P
o
l
l
u
x
35
Skyview 13
9 pm, May: weeks three and four
Sidereal time 1300
The sky due north is dom i nated by the zodiac sign Virgo with its bright star Spica. Leo the Lion with Regulus is heading for
the horizon in the northwest. West of Leo lie the faint stars of Cancer the Crab. Ophiuchus the serpent man is clear of the
northeastern horizon, and another hero, Hercules, sim i larly large and faint, is rising further north.
To the south, the Cross is now just past the merid ian. Centaurus is high in the sky, and further east, the Scorpion is rising
to prom i nence, with the teapot of Sagittarius the Archer close behind. The line of the zodiac runs northwest across the sky
from Sagittarius, through Scorpius, Libra, Virgo and Leo, to the soontoset Cancer.
To the west, Canopus is sinking low. Both Sirius in the Great Dog and Procyon in the Little Dog foat above the western
horizon, ready to set in an hour or two.
1
1
18
1
0
17
9
16
8
1
2
3
4
7
1
5
12
h
0
h
NORTH
E
A
S
T
S O U T H
W
E
S
T
ECLIPTIC
E
Q
U
A
T
O
R
Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C H A M A E L E O N
M U S C A
C R U X
C E N T A U R U S
V
E
L
A
P
Y
X
I
S
P
U
P
P
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A
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I
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VIRGO
B
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BERENICES
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A c h e r n a r
P
r
o
c
y
o
n
36
Skyview 14
9 pm, June: weeks one and two
Sidereal time 1400
Most prom i nent in the north ern sky is Bootes the Herdsman, Ploughman or Bearkeeper, depend ing on which inter pre ta tion
of legend is taken. Its leading star Arcturus is close to the merid ian. In the northwest, Leo the Lion is near to setting, with
Regulus showing the way. Above Leo, Virgo is also heading down. Ophiuchus and Hercules hang in the northeast, big but
dim.
The Pointers have reached the top of the south ern sky, pushing the Cross into the southwest. The stars of the Centaur lie
in the zenith. As a result, Achernar is as low as it can get, hugging the south ern horizon.
Canopus in Carina, with the other old Argo stars, is well down in the southwest. Scorpius and Sagittarius stand high in the
southeast, and below them the dimmer zodiac sign Capricornus the SeaGoat is coming up.
19
1
1
18
1
0
17
9
16
8
1
2
3
4
7
12
h
0 h
NORTH
E
A
S
T
S O U T H
W
E
S
T
ECLIPTIC
E
Q
U
A
T
O
R
Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C H A M A E L E O N
M
U
S
C
A
C
R
U
X
C
E
N
T
A
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ic
a
Arcturus
A c h e r n a r
37
Skyview 15
9 pm, June: weeks three and four
Sidereal time 1500
The Cross, though high in the southwest, is now descend ing. The many stars of the old sign of Argo, now formed into the
con stel la tions Vela, Puppis and Carina, crowd the southwest, with Canopus near the horizon. The bright ish Southern Triangle
is about to cross the merid ian. In the east, Capricornus the SeaGoat is all but up, so that six zodiac signs span the sky to the
northwest where Leo is setting. The signs between (running east to west) are Sagittarius (the teapot), the bril liant Scorpius,
the dimmer Libra and Virgo high in the northwest.
Filling the north ern sky are Bootes the Herdsman, with its bright star Arcturus well west of the merid ian, and, further east
the heroes Hercules and Ophiuchus, large but with no bright stars. In the northeast, a new bright star has risen, Altair in
Aquila the Eagle.
1
2
19
1
1
18
10
17
9
16
8
1
2
3
4
7
12
h
0
h
NORTH
E
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S O U T H
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E
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E
C
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E
Q
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A
T
O
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Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C H
A
M
A
E L E O
N
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C
A
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C
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BOREALIS
SERPENS
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rcturus
A c h e r n a r
38
Skyview 16
9 pm, July: weeks one and two
Sidereal time 1600
In the northeast, Vega in Lyra the Harp has risen, making a pair with Altair in Aquila the Eagle higher in the east. In the north
west, Bootes with its bright star Arcturus vies with Virgo and Spica. Leo the Lion is setting, with Regulus already gone. Slightly
east of north, a large area of sky is taken up with the less than spec tac u lar Hercules and Ophiuchus.
To the south, the Cross is now well past the merid ian and notice ably lower in the sky, stand ing at two oclock. Anticlockwise
from the Cross are the Pointers and the fainter Southern Triangle at the top of the sky.
Further north the strik ing Scorpius is almost over head, with other zodiac signs Sagittarius and Capricornus between it and
the eastern horizon. Zodiac signs to the west are Libra, Virgo and the setting Leo.
Low in the southeast, two bright stars hug the horizon: the neversetting Achernar in Eridanus, and Fomalhaut in the
Southern Fish.
1
2
19
1
1
18
10
17
9
16
8
1
2
3
4
0
h
12
h
NORTH
E
A
S
T
S O U T H
W
E
S
T
E
C
L
IP
T
IC
E
Q
U
A
T
O
R
Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C H A M
A E L E O N
M
U
S
C
A
C
R
U
X
C
E
N
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V
E
N
A
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IC
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A U S T R A L E
C
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LES
CORONA
BOREALIS
SERPENS
CAPUT
S
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A
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A
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A
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A
A
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R
A
L
I
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A P U S
O
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T
A
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E
R
I D
A
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S
P
A
V
O
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D
U
S
A
c
r u
x
M
i m
o
s
a
R
i g
e
l K
e
n
t
A
n
t
a
r
e
s
A
l
t
a
i
r
V
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g
a
H
a
d
a
r
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F
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39
Skyview 17
9 pm, July: weeks three and four
Sidereal time 1700
The spec tac u lar Scorpius is now over head, lying across the Milky Way. Running down to the eastern horizon are three other
zodiac signs, the teapotlike Sagittarius the Archer, faint tri an gu lar Capricornus the SeaGoat, and newly rising Aquarius the
WaterCarrier. To the west of Scorpius lie a pair of stars marking Libra the Scales, and Virgo close to setting.
In the southeast, the bright star Fomalhaut is prom i nent, marking the Southern Fish. In the southwest, the Cross and the
Pointers are going down and the stars of the Argo con stel la tions (Carina and Vela) are drop ping out of sight. Puppis has already
gone.
In the northwest, the bright star Spica in the setting con stel la tion Virgo is still well up, while further east lies Bootes with
its lead star Arcturus. Due north lie the large but faint star signs of Ophiuchus and Hercules. In the northeast, we fnd Lyra
the Harp with Vega and Altair, the bright est star in Aquila the Eagle.
2
0
1
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19
1
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10
17
9
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12
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NORTH
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ECLIPTIC
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Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C H A M A E L E O N
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A
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G
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A
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I N
A
V O
L A
N
S
P I C T O
R
M E N S A
D O R A D O
R E T I C U L U M
H Y D R U S
H
O
R
O
L O
G
I U
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U
C
A
N
A
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A
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A
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T R I A N G U L U M
A U S T R A L E
C
I R
C
I N
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L
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P
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L
I
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R
A
OPHIUCHUS
L
Y
R
A
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G
N
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S
A
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E
L
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A
S
U
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V
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U
L
A
HERCULES
DRACO
CO
RO
N
A
BO
REA
LIS
S
E
R
P
E
N
S C
A
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A
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S
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A
A R A
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S
A
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r
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M
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o
s
a
R
i
g
e
l

K
e
n
t
Antares
A
l
t
a
i
r
Vega
H
a
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a
r
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p
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40
Skyview 18
9 pm, August: weeks one and two
Sidereal time 1800
In the northeast, a third bright star has risen, Deneb at the tail of Cygnus the Swan. With Vega in Lyra and Altair in Aquila, it
makes up the prom i nent Winter Triangle, to be visible for some months. In the west, Virgo with its bright star Spica is prepar
ing to set and Arcturus in Bootes is close to setting. The large faint con stel la tions Ophiuchus and Hercules fll the sky just west
of north.
Looking south, the Cross is now at three oclock in the southwest and going down, with the Pointers and the dis tinc tive
but only bright ish Southern Triangle above it.
Higher up still, six zodiac signs arch across the sky, from Aquarius in the northeast, through Capricornus and the bright
wellplaced Sagittarius and Scorpius, on through less showy Libra to Virgo setting in the west. Bright Fomalhaut in the Southern
Fish lies almost due east of the Pole.
5
20
1
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19
11
18
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17
9
8
1
2
3
4
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h 1
2 h
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T ECLIPTIC
EQ
UATO
R
Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C H A M A E L E O N
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U
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L
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E
R
V
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O
B
O
O
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E
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C
O
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U
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C A R I N A
V O L A N S
P I C T O R
M E N S A
D O R A D O
R E T I C U
L U
M
H
Y
D
R
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O
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A U S T R A L E
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LA
HERCULES
DRACO
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S
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A
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A
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A
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M
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s
a
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g
e
l
K
e
n
t
A
n
t
a
r
e
s
A
l
t
a
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r
Vega
D
e
n
e
b
H
a
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a
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a
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41
Skyview 19
9 pm, August: weeks three and four
Sidereal time 1900
The north ern sky is dom i nated by the three bright stars of the Winter Triangle, Vega in Lyra the Harp almost due north, Deneb
in Cygnus the Swan a little to the east, and Altair in Aquila the Eagle high in the sky. The rest of the north is dull by com par i
son; Aquarius and the rising Pegasus in the northeast, the large but dim Ophiuchus and Hercules in the northwest, and Virgo
and Bootes setting in the west and northwest.
The Cross is well down in the southwest, with the Pointers above it. Higher still, curved Scorpius is past the merid ian.
Libra and Sagittarius, both zodiac signs, lie west and east respec tively of Scorpius. The west ern most sign is the setting Virgo,
while Capricornus and Aquarius lie northeast of Sagittarius. The latter are out shone by Fomalhaut in the Southern Fish, which
is now prom i nent in the southeast.
5
20
1
2
19
11
18
1
0
1
7
9
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2
3
4
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Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C H A M A E L E O N M
U
S
C
A
C
R
U
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C
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N
T
A
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R
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S
V
E
L
A
V
I
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G
O
B
O
O
T
E
S
C
O
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V
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S
C A R I N A
V O L A N S
P I C T O R
M E N S A
D
O
R
A
D
O
R
E
T
I C
U
L
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M
H
Y
D
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H
O
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N
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F
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N
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D
R
A
T R I A N G U L U M
A U S T R A L E
C
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L
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P
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S
L
I
B
R
A
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P
H
I
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C
H
U
S
LYRA
CYG
N
U
S
SAGITTA
D
E
L
P
H
IN
U
S
L
A
C
E
R
T
A
E
Q
U
U
L
E
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A
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A
H
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R
C
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E
S
DRACO
C
O
R
O
N
A
B
O
R
E
A
L
I
S
S
E
R
P
E
N
S
C
A
P
U
T
SERPENS
CAUDA
SCUTUM
A
Q
U
IL
A
S
C
O
R
P
I
U
S
SAGITTARIUS
C
A
P
R
I
C
O
R
N
U
S
A
Q
U
A
R
I
U
S
N
O
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M
A
A
R
A
T E L E S C O P I U M
M
I
C
R
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C
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P
I
U
M P
I
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C
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A
U
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T
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C
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O
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A
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A
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A
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O
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A
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A
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P A V
O
I
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D
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S
A
c
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M
i
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s
a
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e
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e
n
t
A
n
t
a
r
e
s
A
lta
ir
Vega
D
e
n
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b
H
a
d
a
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c
a
A
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42
Skyview 20
9 pm, September: weeks one and two
Sidereal time 2000
The south ern sky has its duller springtime look. The bright stars of the Cross and Pointers are sinking in the southwest,
Canopus in Carina is against the south ern horizon, and Achernar in Eridanus is still coming up in the southeast. Of the brighter
stars only Fomalhaut in the Southern Fish is high, lying in the southeast and forming a dis tinc tive pattern with some stars of
nearby Grus the Crane.
Scorpius is plung ing headfrst into the west, with Libra the Scales leading it down and Sagittarius the Archer close behind.
Further east are other fainter zodiac signs Capricornus and Aquarius.
Due north glitter the stars of the Winter Triangle: Altair in Aquila the Eagle, Vega in Lyra the Harp and Deneb in Cygnus the
Swan. No other bright stars are in sight, but the Great Square of Pegasus, only bright ish but dis tinc tive, has risen above the
northeast horizon, with the early stars of Pisces the Fish following it up the sky.
1
3
5
20
1
2
19
11
18
1
0
9
1
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3
4
0
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1
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h
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C
L
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T
IC
E
Q
U
A
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Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C H A M A E L E O N
M
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C
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C
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U
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C
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N
T
A
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R
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S
V
E
L
A
V
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O
C A R I N A
V O L A N S
P I C T O
R
M E N S A
D
O
R
A
D
O
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E
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I C
U
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U
M
H
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D
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H
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O
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O
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A
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F
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A
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D
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A
T R I A N G U L U M
A U S T R A L E
C
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U
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L
U
P
U
S
L
I
B
R
A
O
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H
I
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C
H
U
S
LYRA
CYGNUS
SAGITTA
D
ELPH
IN
U
S
L
A
C
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R
T
A
E
Q
U
U
L
E
U
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G
A
S
U
S
A
N
D
R
O
M
E
D
A
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I
S
C
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S
VULPECULA
H
E
R
C
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L
E
S
C
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O
N
A
B
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E
A
L
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U
T
S
E
R
P
E
N
S
C
A
U
D
A
S
C
U
T
U
M
AQUILA
S
C
O
R
P
I
U
S
S
A
G
I
T
T
A
R
I
U
S
CAPRICORNUS
A
Q
U
A
R
I
U
S
N
O
R
M
A
A
R
A T
E
L
E
S
C
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M
I
C
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C
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A
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T
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C
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A
A
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T
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A
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A
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O C T A N S E
R
I
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A
N
U
S
E
R
I
D
A
N
U
S
P A V O
I N D U S
A
c
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u
x
M
i m
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a
C
a n
o
p
u
s
R
i g
e
l K
e
n
t
A
n
t
a
r
e
s
Altair
Vega
Deneb
H
a
d
a
r
A
c
h
e
r
n
a
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F
o
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a
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43
Skyview 21
9 pm, September: weeks three and four
Sidereal time 2100
In the northwest Ophiuchus and Hercules are setting. The Winter Triangle of Vega, Altair and Deneb dom i nates the northwest,
with the fainter Great Square of Pegasus in the northeast. Further east still, all of the faint stars of the zodiac sign Pisces the
Fish are now in view. With the sur round ing con stel la tions such as Aquarius and Cetus the Whale (just rising), Pisces makes
up the wet corner of the sky.
In the south, the Cross is low to the southwest. Achernar, the end of the river Eridanus, is cor re spond ingly high in the
southeast. Higher still is Fomalhaut, the mouth of the Southern Fish.
In the west, Libra is close to setting and Scorpius is diving down wards, claws frst. The line of the zodiac then runs east wards
through Sagittarius, Capricornus and Aquarius to the newly risen Pisces.
6
13
5
20
12
19
11
18
1
0
9
1
2
3
4
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h
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h
NORTH
E
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S O U T H
W
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ECLIPTIC
E
Q
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Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C H A M A E L E O N
M
U
S C A
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R
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C
E
N
T
A
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C A R I N A
V O L A N S
P
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A
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ltair
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44
Skyview 22
9 pm, October: weeks one and two
Sidereal time 2200
On the southeast horizon, Canopus, second bright est star in the sky, is making a return, bal anc ing the sinking of the Cross
and the Pointers which are now at four or fve oclock. Higher in the southeast sky, Achernar marks the end of the river
Eridanus. Fomalhaut in the Southern Fish nears the top of the sky.
In the northwest, the Winter Triangle of Altair (in Aquilia the Eagle), Vega (in Lyra the Harp) and Deneb (in Cygnus the
Swan) remains prom i nent. The northeast sky belongs to the Great Square of Pegasus, rep re sent ing both Pegasus and
Andromeda.
Further east, the zodiac sign of Aries the Ram has risen. The faint sign Pisces lies mostly above Pegasus, while further west
are Aquarius and Capricornus. Sagittarius and Scorpius con tinue their fall down the western sky.
6
13
5
20
12
19
1
1
1
8
1
0
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3
4
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2
h
0
h
NORTH
E
A
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S O U T H
W
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ECLIPTIC
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Q
U
ATO
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Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C H A M A E L E O N
M
U S C A
C
R
U
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C
E
N
T
A
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45
Skyview 23
9 pm, October: weeks three and four
Sidereal time 2300
In the northwest, the Winter Triangle has begun to set, with Vega in Lyra the Harp frst to go. Deneb in Cygnus the Swan will
be next, leaving Altair in Aquila the Eagle higher in the sky. In the north, the Great Square of Pegasus is about to cross the
merid ian.
Aries the Ram in the northeast, with a dis tinc tive pair of bright ish stars, is the east ern most of the risen zodiac signs. Further
west, and running steeply up the sky, lie Pisces, Aquarius, Capricornus and the teapot Sagittarius. In the west, Scorpius is
setting.
The wet corner of the sky is over head, stretch ing both northeast and northwest. Constellations such as the Southern Fish,
Aquarius, Capricornus, Cetus, Eridanus and Pisces all have watery con nec tions.
1
4
6
13
5
20
12
19
1
1
1
0
1
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4
12
h
1 2
h
NORTH
E
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ECLIPTIC
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Q
U
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Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C H A M A E L E O N
M U S C A
C
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C
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A
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C E N T A U R U S
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M
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46
Skyview 24
9 pm, November: weeks one and two
Sidereal time 2400
In the east, the rising of Rigel signals the return of the bril liant con stel la tion Orion the Hunter, announcing that summer is
coming. To the northeast, reddish Aldebaran has joined the Pleiades marking Taurus the Bull. Though fainter, the Great Square
of Pegasus is prom i nent, strad dling the merid ian. In the northwest, Cygnus is setting, taking Deneb, and Aquila with its bright
star Altair is headed the same way.
In the southwest, Scorpius is setting, and the visible zodiac signs run from Sagittarius in the west, through Capricornus,
Aquarius and Pisces, to Aries and Taurus in the northeast. The Cross is upsidedown against the south ern horizon, but Canopus
in Carina and Achernar in Eridanus (in the southeast) and Fomalhaut in the Southern Fish (over head) are prom i nent. The
latter makes a lopsided cross with stars of Grus the Crane.
1
0
19
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1
1
12
13
14
20
0
h
1 2
h
NORTH
E
A
S
T
S O U T H
W
E
S
T
ECLIPTIC
EQ
U
A
TO
R
Magnitudes
S o u t h
P o l e
C H A M A E L E O N
H
y
a
d
e
s
P
le
ia
d
e
s
M U S C A
C R U X
C
E N
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C E N T A U R U S
V
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A
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P
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A c r u x
R i g e l K e n t
H a d a r
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Using the Sky Charts
The 20 charts in this section cover the whole night sky visible
from around 35 degrees south lat i tude in much greater detail
than the Skyviews in the pre vi ous section. Each chart is
accom pa nied by infor ma tion about the celes tial objects
visible in the par tic u lar region of the night sky and about the
stories behind the stars and con stel la tions.
To deter mine which of the Sky Charts to use, refer to the
large numbers dis trib uted across the Skyviews. For instance,
on the Skyview for 9 pm in early June (No. 14), the region
near Leo the Lion (in the north-western sky) bears the
number 16, indi cat ing that Sky Chart 16 shows this region in
greater detail.
There are three groups of charts in this section.
Charts 1 to 4
Mostoftheskyareacoveredbythesechartsisalwaysabove
the horizon.
Thesechartsaretobereadlookingtothesouth.
Charts 5 to 12
Thesechartsaretobereadlookingtothenorth.
Theskyareascoveredbythesechartsareabovethehorizon
for about 14 hours at a stretch.
The stars shown on these charts will be found in a band
running from east to west and cross ing the sky high up to
the north of the zenith.
Charts 13 to 20
Thesechartsaretobereadlookingtothenorth.
Theskyareascoveredbythesechartsareabovethehorizon
for around 8 to 10 hours at a stretch.
The stars shown on these charts will be found in a band
running from north-east to north-west and cross ing the
lower half of the north ern sky.
47
THE NIGHT SKY IN DETAIL
CHArT 1
0 Hours to 6 Hours rA
90 to 45 degrees Dec
This is a crowded corner of the sky in terms of con stel la tions, though none of the stars is bright other than Achernar.
This frst mag ni tude star, ninth in order of bright ness among the stars, marks the end of the long winding con stel la tion
Eridanus the River. This weaving line of faint ish stars (only Achernar is brighter than mag ni tude 3) is the longest of
the con stel la tions, and begins way to the north near Orion. Eridanus is most likely a hea venly rep re sen ta tion of the
Nile. It is far enough north to have been seen (and named) from Egypt in ancient times.
Grouped about Eridanus and mostly further south are a host of minor star pic tures named much more recently; a
couple of birds (a toucan and a phoenix), a male water serpent (Hydrus), a sword fsh (Dorado), the table mountain
(Mensa) and four very dull ones: Pictor (the painters easel), Caelum (the engrav ing tool!), Horologium (the clock)
and Reticulum (the reticle, a grid used for making star maps). Of these, the most inter est ing is perhaps Phoenix, with
a roughly Australia-shaped col lec tion of bright ish to medio cre stars lying clock wise of Eridanus.
Of far greater inter est are the two Clouds of Magellan, named after the great Spanish nav i ga tor but not dis cov ered
by him. They were seen by the frst Portuguese sailors to round the Cape of Good Hope some decades earlier and were
known for a time as the Cape Clouds. These two misty patches of light are visible to the naked eye only in a clear dark
sky.Botharecomposed,liketheMilkyWay,ofvastnumbersofseparatestars,asalookthroughbinoc ularswillreveal,
butliebeyondtheMilkyWay,beingtheneareststarsystemsorgal axiestoourown.Intheskytheylieroughlyequi
dis tant from each other and from the South (Celestial) Pole.
The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) lies mostly in the con stel la tion Dorado, tucked on the clock wise side of the
triangleofstarsthatcoversmostofHydrus.Itisabout10degreessquare,thewidthofafstatarmslengthineach
direction(or20timesthewidthoftheFullMoon).Binocularswillclarifyitsshape,andshouldrevealwithintheCloud
the spider-like Tarantula Nebula (N2070), also called the Great Looped Nebula, which is about the size of the Full
Moon.Thenebulasurroundsastarcalled30 Doradus. It was near to this nebula that the super nova known as 1987A
appeared in February 1987.
The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), which lies in Tucana, is only one sixth the appar ent size of its neigh bour, and
further away (200,000 light years rather than 160,000), but seems brighter. Two degrees (a thumbs width) clock wise
from the SMC lies one of the fnest globular clusters in the heavens, bettered only by Omega Centauri. This is
47 Tucanae (N104), spec tac u lar in binoc u lars or smaller tele scopes and aston ish ing in bigger ones. A smaller glob u lar
cluster (N362)abutstheSMConthesideawayfromthepole.
A double star worth seeking is Herschel 3670 in the con stel la tion Reticulum (near 4 hr 30, 63 deg.). A pair of
stars (mag ni tudes 5.9, 8.4) are sep ar ated by a large ish 32 seconds of arc. The colour contrast is strong, com monly seen
as yellow and blue. In Pictor lies Dunlop 18 (Iota Pictoris); a pair of yellow stars (mag ni tudes 5.6 and 6.4) sep ar ated
by 12 arc seconds (near 4 hr 50, 54 deg.).
HorologiumboastsanotableMiratypevariable.R Hor lies close to the border with Eridanus (near 3 hr, 50 deg.)
and varies from mag ni tude 4.3 to 14.3 every 404 days.
48
49
South
Celestial
Pole
MAGNITUDES DEEPSKY OBJECTS
6 5 4 3 1 2 0 brighter Double stars Variable stars Open star clusters Globular star clusters Planetary Nebulae Diffuse nebulae Galaxies
CHAMAELEON
OCTANS
APUS
MENSA
VOLANS
CARINA
PUPPIS
COLUMBA
PICTOR
DORADO
CAELUM
RETICULUM
ERIDANUS
ERIDANUS
FORNAX
SCULPTOR
PHOENIX
TUCANA
HYDRUS
INDUS
GRUS
HOROLOGIUM
2070
47 Tuc (104)
362
1313
1672
1566
1808
1851
1433
1291
300 55
1316
1365
1399
1360
1097
1232
1398
Tarantula
Nebula
RS
TZ R
R
WZ
R
h3670
i
g
f
h
y
e
s
Y
SN1987A
G
LMC
SMC
Achernar
Canopus
Ankaa
Acamar
o
o
o
o
r
1
r
2
i
1
i
2
i
1
i
2
t
4
t
3
t
2
y
1
y
2
q
1
q
2
i
1
q
1
i
2
q
2
i
1 i
2
q
3
y
o
o
o
o
o
q
q
r
2
r
1
q
i
i
i
x
x
r
x

v
r
r
p
t
o p
o
t
t
y
o
v
\
\
t
1
t
2
2
r
1
r
2
q
1
q
2
y
1
y
2
y
3
o
r
q
i
v
v
v
r
o
t
\
y
y
o
r
i
i
x
x
x
x
i
i
i
i
v
v r
p
o
R
p
q
1
q
2
1,2
3
y
r
q
i
p
q
x
r p
o
u
O
A
N
y
o
v
G
o
q
1
r
1
q
2
r
2
y
r
q
i
x
i
o
o
o
y
y
o
r
o
r
q
i
i
y
o
i
v
u
41
43
i
1
i
2
18
6
h
5
h
4
h
30
20
80
70
60
50
40
90
70 60 50 40 80
0
h
1
h
2
h
3
h
30 20
6 4
5
2
3
CHArT 2
This part of the sky was once ruled by the mighty con stel la tion Argo Navis, the ship Argo. In the Argo the ancient
GreekheroJasonandhisbandof50argonautsrowedandsailedwestwardintotheBlackSeainquestofthemagical
GoldenFleeceinthecenturybeforetheTrojanWar.Theramfromwhichthefeececameisrepresentedelsewherein
the sky by the zodiac sign Aries.
Perhaps because it took up so much of the sky, Argo is broken down into four con stel la tions on modern maps; the
roughly rec tan gu lar Carina the Keel, the mis sha pen pen ta gon of Vela the Sail, another rec tan gle of stars marking Puppis
the Poop, and Pyxis the Mariners Compass, which is hard to fnd. The stars of Puppis and Pyxis lie further away from
the South Pole than the other two con stel la tions, and not all of them are marked on this chart (see Chart 7).
Two stars of Vela and two of Carina are com monly grouped to form the False Cross, larger and fainter than the real
Southern Cross, which lies 40 degrees anti-clockwise, but oriented sim i larly in the sky.
Canopus,thebright eststarintheareaandthesecondbrightestinthewholenightsky,liesinCarina.Manymaps
show it as marking nothing more impor tant than the end of one of the oars, though more ancient sources place it on
therudder.OneexplanationofthenameisthatitisfromafamousseacaptainatthetimeoftheTrojanWar,whenhe
commandedtheshipofKingMenaleus.
Canopus is a guide to the notable semi-regular var i able star L
2
Puppis, which lies 10 degrees anti-clockwise and a
similar dis tance further away from the pole. L
2
Pup shifts from mag ni tude 2.6 to 6.2 (that is, from visible to invis ible
withthenakedeye)every141days.TwonotableMiratypevariablesinhabitCarina,bothfoundclosetothe10hours
RA merid ian. R Carinae (near 9 hr 30, 63 deg.) moves from 3.9 to 10.5 and back every 309 days; S Carinae (near
10 hr 09, 61 deg.) moves between 4.5 and 9.9 every 149 days.
Vela con tains a pair of doubles (four stars alto gether), close enough to be in the same feld of view (near 10 hr 45,
49 deg.); Herschel (h) 4330 has a yellow 5.1 mag ni tude primary with a blue 8.6 mag ni tude com pan ion 40 arc
seconds distant; Herschel (h) 4332 is blue and white, mag ni tudes 7.2, 9.6, sep ar a tion 28 arc seconds. Also within Vela,
and occu py ing the most clock wise posi tion among the bright ish stars in that con stel la tion, Gamma Velorum is a rel-
a tively easy double; blue-white stars of mag ni tude 1.8 and 4.3, sep ar ated by 41 seconds of arc.
TheMilkyWayfowsacrossthisregionofsky,delineatingoneofthespiralarmsofthegalaxyinwhichwelive.
Against the MilkyWay, binoculars will reveal some of the bright and dark intricacies of the Eta Carinae Nebula
(N3372), clock wise from the Southern Cross about 30 degrees (about one hour on an ordi nary clockface) and there-
fore about 10
1
2hoursofRA.Atmag ni tude3and2degreesdiameter(fourtimesthediameteroftheFullMoon),the
nebula is a naked-eye object on dark nights. Several bright star clus ters sur round it.
The star Eta Carinae lies at the heart of the nebula, and is one of the largest, most lumi nous and most unstable stars
known. Now at seventh mag ni tude, it is visible only with optical aid, but last century it out shone all but Sirius. It is
often thought the star most likely to form the next super nova visible from Earth. The fading of Eta Carinae has dimmed
the out lines of the Keyhole Nebula, as the Eta Carinae Nebula was called by John Herschel.
Five degrees pole wards from Eta Carina is the bright open cluster I2602 (also called Theta Carinae), mag ni tude 2
and nearly a degree across. It con tains about 30 blue-white stars. Only 650 light years away, it is one of the closer clus-
ters. Another cluster (N3766, known as the Pearl Cluster) lies 10 degrees clock wise of Alpha Crux (or roughly halfway
between Alpha Crux and I2602). It is large (75 minutes by 50 minutes) but faint (mag ni tude 7). You might also chase
I2391 (Omicron Velorum, mag ni tude 2.5, diam e ter 50), which lies about 10 degrees pole wards and anti-clockwise
of Gamma Velorum.
50
51
South
Celestial
Pole
DEEPSKY OBJECTS
Open star clusters Globular star clusters Planetary Nebulae Diffuse nebulae Galaxies
CENTAURUS
VELA
ANTLIA
PYXIS
HYDRA
CRUX
2439
2527
2477
2547
3201
3132
2546
2997
I.2395
2451
MY
AH
R
L
M
S
p
n
R
k
i
l
m
h
a
g
N
q
w
U
u
z
x s
r
Y
J
R
Q
O
I
K
L
T
B
C
c
I
K
H
G
E
S
B
U
b
c
e
z
f
MZ
r
q
w
H
Q
C
D
A
E
F
y
M
B
C
E
F
D
c
f
g
G
a
b
n
e
S
d
h
w
w
H
G
A
F
n
l
u
D E
e
z
M
m
p
i
q
r
s
t
y
u
A
V
J
Q
P
O
N
a
T
I
x
e
2
b
1,2
e
1
d
f
t
1
t
2
z
1 z
2
k
1
l
k
2
h
1
h
2
d
1-3
v
1
v
2
D
1
D
2
C
1 C
2
C
3
L
1
L
2
MUSCA
Mimosa
Acrux
Miaplacides
Aspidiske
Gacrux
Avior
A
A
B
A
B
B
B
A
B
O
Z
Z
G
G
G
G
D
D
G
D
Z
E
E
E
A
B
E
E
E
Z
Z
H
H
G
D
Z
H
H
H
Q
H
Q
Q
E
H
Q
I
I
Z
I
I
K
K
K
K
L
L
E
Q
Q
K
L
L
L
M
M
M
N
O
P
P
D
P
R
S
S
T
U
J
C
Y
W
MAGNITUDES
6 5 4 3 1 2 0 brighter Double stars Variable stars
WZ
CHAMAELEON
OCTANS
APUS
MENSA
VOLANS
CARINA
PUPPIS
COLUMBA
PICTOR
DORADO
HYI
2070
I.2448
2808
I.2602
3211
2867
I.2391
3144
3532
3293
I.2581
2516
3195
4833
3372
4609
4755
3918
3766
Eta Carinae
Nebula
4372
1851
Tarantula
Nebula
RS
TZ
R
S
Y
SN1987A
G
LMC
Canopus
A
P
D
H
H
P
H
Q
I
K
M
N
R
T
W
D Z
Z
L
N
X
P
S
T
U
C
B
Z
L
O
A
N
B
G
D
Z
Q
K
M
N
G
A
B
H
G
E
H
Q
I
K
L
M
A
D
E
Q
G
D
Z
I
N
Naos
12
h
11
h
10
h
30
20
80
70
60
50
40
90
70 60 50 40 80
6
h
7
h
8
h
9
h
30 20
8 1
7
3
4
CHArT 3
The stars of Crux Australis, the Southern Cross, are well known from their pres ence on the Australian and New Zealand
nationalfags,thoughithasbeensuggestedthattheconstellation,whichisthesmallestinthesky,resemblesmorea
badly made kite than a cross! Crux, the small est of the off cial con stel la tions, was formed out of stars of Centaurus by
early nav i ga tors of the South Seas, and was off cially entered on the charts in the six teenth century.
The fve main stars in Crux decrease in bright ness moving clock wise around the con stel la tion, begin ning with
Acrux at the bottom. Beta Crucis is often called Mimosa (a name for wattle). Gamma Crucis at the top is dis tinctly
reddish, even with the naked eye, being a red giant star. The ffth star, Epsilon Crucis, is on the lower right when the
Cross is upright.
Acrux is a multi ple star; the two main com po nents being blue-white, mag ni tudes 1.5 and 5, lying 90 arc seconds
apart. The brighter star is itself double, but the com po nents are only 4 arc seconds apart and dif f cult to sep ar ate in
small instru ments. Five degrees anti- clockwise from Gamma Crucis, Mu Crucis is an easy double in binoc u lars: two
white stars, 35 arc seconds apart, mag ni tudes 4.3, 5.5.
Trailing the Cross in its journey around the south ern sky, and showing the way to it, are the two Pointers.More
for mally, the stars are known as Rigil Kentaurus and Hadar (or Agena), or Alpha and Beta Centauri, being the two
bright est stars in the con stel la tion of Centaurus the Centaur which sur rounds the Cross on three sides. Centaurs were
myth i cal beasts, half man and half horse and often held to be wise and noble. The con stel la tion may rep re sent the
centaur Chiron, under whom the hero Jason was edu cated.
ThePointerslookaboutequallybrightbutareinrealityverydifferent,Betabeing100timesfurtherwaythanAlpha
and emit ting 10,000 times more light. Alpha is not only the nearest bright star to our Sun, it is also the most Sun-like
of the nearby stars, with a very similar abso lute mag ni tude and surface tem per a ture (though about twice the mass and
four times the intrin sic bright ness). Alpha is a multi ple; its bright com po nents are white stars (mag ni tudes 1.0 and
1.4) lying 21 seconds apart. The third star in the system, Proxima Centauri, is a dim red dwarf, hard to fnd at mag-
ni tude 11, and lying 2 degrees away from the primary. It is cur rently the nearest star to the Sun.
On the old star charts, the Centaur stands astride the Cross, facing anti-clockwise. The Pointers mark his forelegs and
two stars to the upper right of the Cross (when upright), and one imme di ately clock wise from it, locate his hin dlegs.
Stars rep re sent ing his upper body lie further away from the Pole and anti-clockwise. In the Centaurs hand is a spear
with which he is dealing with a wolf (Lupus).
Polewards of the Cross we fnd the small con stel la tion Musca the Fly, with stars in a rough cross shape around Alpha
Muscae.AnticlockwiseoftheCrossliestheimaginativelynamedSouthern Triangle (Triangulum Australe), and Ara
the Altar, which abuts the Scorpion. Also in the area (but dim) are Norma the Set Square, Circinus the Compasses
and Apus the Bird of Paradise.
TheregionaroundtheCrossisfullofsightsforusersofbinoc ularsorsmalltelescopes.TheMilkyWayrunsbehind
the Cross, the Pointers, the Triangle and Ara. A large dark nebula dubbed the Coal Sack, and looking like a hole through
theMilkyWay,touchestheCrossbetweenAlphaandBetaCrucis.Itisprom inentonadarknight.Squeezedbetween
the Coal Sack and Beta Crucis is the Jewel Box (N4755), a multi-coloured open cluster of at least 50 stars grouped
around the red giant Kappa Crucis. On the other side of the Cross, a diffuse nebula sur rounds the star Lambda Crucis.
In the upper reaches of the Centaur are two sights worth seeking out. They lie less than 5 degrees apart. One is the
giant ellip ti cal galaxy Centaurus A (N5128, mag ni tude 6.9), with two semi cir cu lar seg ments sep ar ated by a dark lane
ofdust.Thoughrel ativelyfaint,itishalfthewidthoftheFullMoonandamongthebrightestandlargestoftheexter
nal gal ax ies (near 13 hr 25, 43 deg.).
The other, lying 4 degrees closer to the pole, is among the real jewels of the south ern sky. The glob u lar cluster Omega
Centauri (N5139)isalmostthesizeoftheFullMoon,andaneasynakedeyeobjectatmagnitude3.8(near13hr26,
47.5 deg.). Binoculars will reveal its unstar-like fuz zi ness and may reveal indi vid ual stars in out ly ing regions. It is
bright because it is close (16,000 light years) as glob u lar clus ters go. Large tele scopes are needed to resolve the hun-
dreds of thou sands of stars that fll it.
52
53
MAGNITUDES
South
Celestial
Pole
DEEPSKY OBJECTS
LIBRA
LUPUS
HYDRA
NORMA
CIRCINUS
TRIANGULUM
AUSTRALE
PAVO
TELESCOPIUM
ARA
SCORPIUS
CORONA
AUSTRALIS
E
C
L
I
P
T
I
C
5189
5315
5281
5316 5617
6362
6397
6025
6087
6067
6744
5139
4560
5822
5662
5882
6124
6193
6388
I.4651
6541
6281
6302
6242
6231
Tr24
5986
5643
5897
I.4406
4945
Omega Centauri
5128
5102
RS
GG
T
S
J
m
R
V
Q
N
M
K
v
X
N
H
Q
R
f
d
z
a
y
1
2
2
3
T
58
c
1
c
c
2
a
b
d
g
k
h
e
b
Atria
Rigel Kent
Proxima
Centauri
Hadar
Menkent
Shaula
Lesath
Z
A
B
E
D
E
E
E
Z
Z
Z
Z
A
D
E
Z
Z
H
H
H
A
B
G
D
E Z
H
Q
A
B
G
D
E
Z
H
Q
A
D
B
D
G
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
K
L
K
K
L
A
I
L
M
D
E
H
Q
L
M
N
X
B
G
K
M
P
I
I
I
P
S
T
K
L
U
U
T
U
J
U
Z
I
M
N
J
C
W
G
D
H
Q
K
L
M
X P
C
W
A
B
H
I
I
K
O
R
R
S
S
Y
W
CENTAURUS
VELA
CRUX
R
U
u
T
I
K
S
B
w
H
G
A
F
n
l
u
D
E
e
z
1
z
2
C
1
C
2
C
3
MUSCA
Mimosa
Acrux
Gacrux
A
B
A
B
B
O
G
G
G
D
G
D
Z
E
E
E
Z
H
H
Q
Q
E
H
Q
I
Z
I
K
K
L
L
L
M
M
P
D
P
R
S
T
CHAMAELEON
OCTANS
APUS
MENSA
CARINA
HYI
I.2602
3532
3195
4833
4609
4755
3918
3766
4372
TZ
R
S
P
D
H
I
K
M
R
W
Z
L
S
T
U
C
18
h
17
h
16
h
30
20
80
70
60
50
40
90
70 60 50 40 80
12
h
13
h
14
h
15
h
30 20
10
2
9
4
1
CHArT 4
This chart indi cates how unevenly the wonders of the heaven are spread. In com par i son with the glories of the stretch
of sky lying clock wise from it, this region is barren, with no bright stars and few con stel la tions of inter est. It is all but
bereftofbrightnebulaeandopenclusters;theMilkyWay,alongthelengthofwhichthosesightsareconcentrated,just
clips one edge.
The con stel la tions here are mostly of modern origin and gen er ally devoid of leg en dary asso ci a tions. A few birds are
rep re sented by group ings of faint stars (Pavo the Peacock, Grus the Crane and much of Tucana the Toucan) along
with Indus the Indian and a clutch of sci en tifc instru ments (Telescopium, Octans and a bit of Microscopium).
Pavo is about the only ast er ism here with a story. Ancient legend says that Argos, builder of the mighty Argo which
sails nearby, was changed into a peacock when the ship was taken into the heavens. The brighter stars of Grus form a
notable lop sided pattern with Fomalhaut in the Southern Fish further away from the Pole (see Chart 12).
Octans the Octant (an instru ment for meas ur ing angles) is of note as the con stel la tion in which the South Celestial
Pole cur rently lies. The ffth mag ni tude star Sigma Octantis is the naked-eye star closest to the Pole, and so is the south-
ernequivalentofPolaris the North Pole Star (though Polaris is much brighter).
Among the few things worth search ing for with binoc u lars are the largish glob u lar cluster N6752 (mag ni tude 5.4,
20 diam e ter) in Pavo (near 19 hr 10, 60 deg.), and about 5 degrees pole wards, the mag ni tude 8.5 galaxy N6744.
Dunlop (delta) 227 in Telescopium (near 19 hr 50, 55 deg.) is worth a look; an attrac tive double, yellow and white,
5.8 and 6.5, sep ar a tion an easy 23 arc seconds.
54
55
South
Celestial
Pole
DEEPSKY OBJECTS
M55
6752
I.1459
Y
T
SX
RR
24
SCL
PISCIS
AUSTRINUS
MICROSCOPIUM
SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORNUS
Peacock
Alnair
Arkab
Rukbat
o
o
o
2
r
1
r
2
o
1
o
2
o
1
o
2
2
x
1
x
2
2
o
2
t
1,2
t
3
y
o
y
o
o
o
r
r
o
r
r
o
y
o
i
i
v
o

i
v
o
o
r
p
o
\
q
y
q
i
p
q
y
r
q
q
i
i
v
p
t
\
u
MAGNITUDES
TRA PAVO
TELESCOPIUM
ARA
SCORPIUS CORONA
AUSTRALIS
6362
6397
6744
6723
6388
I.4651
6541
Q
Atria
r
1
r
2
i
1
i
2
o
o
o
1
o
2
q
1
q
2
r
q
q
o
q
o
1
o
2
y
i
x
x
x
i
o
i
i
i
y
x
r
i
i
r
o
t
x
u
CHA
OCTANS
APUS
MENSA
TUCANA
INDUS
GRUS
47 Tuc (104)
362
55
TZ
R
SMC
Ankaa
o
r
1
r
2
i
1
i
2
o
q
i
i
i
x
r
x
p
t
\
u
t
1
t
2
y
1
y
2
y
3
r
q
i
v
o
t
\
i
x
i
v
r
p
o
1,2
3
y
r
p
q
x
r
p
o
u
i
1
i
2
PHOENIX
HYDRUS
E
C
L
IP
T
IC
227
0
h
23
h
22
h
30
20
80
70
60
50
40
90
70 60 50 40 80
18
h
19
h
20
h
21
h
30 20
12
3
11
1
2
CHArT 5
Whenwesurveythisstretchofnightsky,wearelookingatrightanglestotheplaneofthegalaxy.TheSouth Galactic
Pole (SGP) lies here (in Sculptor near 0 hr 50, 27deg.).SowearewellawayfromtherichesoftheMilkyWay.Bright
stars, clus ters and nebulae are rare.
On the other hand, we are able to look almost unim peded into inter ga lac tic space, and so glimpse some of the nearer
exter nal gal ax ies (extra ga lac tic nebulae) hidden from us in other parts of the sky by the rich ness of our own star system.
These lie mostly in Sculptor and Fornax. The same is true around the North Galactic Pole, which lies in Coma Berenices
(see Chart 17).
The largest and bright est con stel la tion here, cov er ing most of the region, is Cetus the Sea Monster(orWhale),
fourthlargestofalltheconstellations(afterHydra,VirgoandUrsaMajor).Cetuswascommonlyshowninoldstar
pic tures as swim ming in the nearby river Eridanus or resting on its bank. According to ancient legend, Cetus was the
beast sent to devour the maiden Andromeda, so it is linked to con stel la tions which lie further north in the sky (see
Chart 13).
The stars of Cetus form two rough poly gons. The larger to the south-west makes up the body of the beast, the smaller
to the north-east (where it abuts Aries and Pisces) forms the head. Beta Ceti at mag ni tude 2.4 is usually the bright est
star in the con stel la tion (Alpha Ceti bears the name Menkar, meaning nose).
Of far more inter est is Omicron Ceti, lying about 30 degrees north-east of Beta, halfway along the creatures neck.
Otherwise known as Mira (theWonderfulStar),thiswasthefrststarobservedtochangeitsbrightnessovertime.Its
status as a var i able star was estab lished in the mid-seven teenth century. Over a period of 11 months it moves from
mag ni tude 2 to mag ni tude 10 and back again. At its bright est it out shines Beta; at its faint est it becomes invis ible in
binoculars.ManyMiravariablesarefoundinotherpartsofthesky.
South of Cetus lie more modern con stel la tions; Fornax the Furnace and Sculptor the Sculptors Chisel. These are
faint but contain numbers of gal ax ies, some of which can be seen in binoc u lars. Two such lie in Sculptor; N55 (mag-
ni tude 7.4, near 0 hr 15, 39 deg.) and N253 (mag ni tude 7.2, near 0 hr 50, 25 deg.). None of the numer ous gal-
ax ies in Fornax are brighter than mag ni tude 8.9.
ClosetotheeasternedgeofFornaxliestherelativelylarge(onethirddiameteroftheMoon)planetarynebulaN1360
(mag ni tude 9.4) with a bright central star (near 3 hr 30, 26 deg.). Polewards of Fornax lies the double star Theta
Eridani (near 3 hr, 40 deg.), with a pair of white or yellow stars (mag ni tudes 3.4, 4.4) sep ar ated by 8.5 arc
seconds.
56
57
MAGNITUDES
DEEPSKY OBJECTS
AQUARIUS
CETUS
PISCES
PEGASUS
ARIES
PSA
HOROLOGIUM
TAU
E
C
L
IP
T
IC
613
288
SGP
253
247
R
S
T
R
99
7
2
98
Alrescha
Menkar
Mira
Baten Kaitos
Deneb Kaitos
o
u
1
u
2
x
1
x
2
y
o
o
TX
XZ
30
1

2

3

4
q
i
o
r
i
i
u
r
x
t
\
AR
Z
p
1
p
2 p
3
o
r
q
o
o
r
p
o
t
M77
o
o
2
y
x
i
v
v
o
ERIDANUS
ERIDANUS
FORNAX
SCULPTOR
PHOENIX
1316 1365
1399
1097
1232
i
g
f
h
1291
y
e
Acamar
o
t
4
t
5
t
3
t
2
t
1
y
1
y
2
i
1 i
2
q
1
q
2
q
3
i
s
i
x
55
Ankaa
o
r
x
300
i
1
i
2
v
r
r
o
1360
1398
t
GRUS
i
1
i
2
y
o
v
\
u
7793
40
30
20
10
0
+10
40
30
20
10
0
+10
23
h
0
h
1
h
2
h
3
h
4
h
0
h
1
h
2
h
3
h
6 12
13
1
CHArT 6
Orion the Hunter, one of the glories of the heavens and perhaps the best known of all con stel la tions, lies at the north-
ernendofthisstretchofnightsky,justwestoftheMilkyWay.Itsstarsstraddlethecelestialequator,alwaysrisingand
setting due east and west. The sight of this majes tic con stel la tion rising late in the evening is a sign that the Southern
Hemisphere summer is at hand.
In the centre of the group is the well-known saucepan, though the three bright ish stars marking the base of the
pan actu ally rep re sent Orions belt and the handle is his sword. The jewel in the sword is the pale green glow of the
Orion Nebula (M42/N1976). This shows up pink or red in most photo graphs due to the dif fer ent colour sen si tiv ities
of the human eye and photo graphic flm. Film picks up the red glow from hydro gen, while the eye is more sen si tive
to the green colour of glowing oxygen. But it is a stun ning sight, what ever you use to view it. Strangely, Galileo did
not mention it when frst viewing the night sky with his tele scope in 1609.
M42(andnearbyM43/N1982 which is part of the same nebula) lies about 1300 light years away. It is a stellar
nursery like many such nebulae. Imbedded in the 20-light-year-wide cloud of gas and dust is a cluster of (at least)
four newly hatched blue stars (the Trapezium), which appear as one to the naked eye (Theta Orionis). Other bright-
ish stars and star clus ters are grouped around, making the area a great sight in binoc u lars. For example, the cluster
N1980 (mag ni tude 2.5, diam e ter 20) marks the end of the sword.
N1980 con tains a couple of multi ple stars, includ ing the double Iota Orionis, with stars of mag ni tude 3 and 7
sep ar ated by 12 arc seconds. N1981 is an open cluster to the north (nearer the belt)
Surroundingthesaucepanarebrightstarsrep resentingOrionsbody.WhenOrionishighestinthesky,earlyon
summer even ings, we in the Southern Hemisphere see him stand ing on his head. To the north the red giant Betelgeuse
(cur rently tenth bright est among the stars) and the fainter Bellatrix(theFemaleWarrior)markthearmsandshoul
ders; to the south the bril liant blue-white Rigel (seventh bright est) locates one of his feet. Betelgeuse means arm or
shoulder, Rigel means foot.
WhenOrionisrising,Rigelisalwaysthefrstbrightstaroftheconstellationtobeseenfromsouthernlati tudes.
Betelgeuse is a var i able star like many red giants, and is often fainter than Rigel, even though it, not Rigel, is listed as
Alpha Orionis. Betelgeuse shifts between mag ni tudes 0.4 and 1.3 over a period of around seven years.
Orion is a hunter, warrior or giant in the star stories of many cul tures. Traditional pic tures in our culture have him
armed with a club and net, accom pa nied by two dogs (Canis Major and Canis Minor) and fght ing with a bull
(Taurus). Those animals are on adjoin ing pieces of sky.
The rest of the region is dull in com par i son. Lepus the Hare, withaquadrilateralofbrightishstars, is beneath the
Hunters feet, with Columba the Dove further south again. East of Orion are the head wa ters of Eridanus. Muchofthis
stretch of sky is taken up with the mean der ings of the hea venly river. It takes a sharp turn around Fornax which intrudes
fromthewest.StarsofCanisMajorandMonoceros the Unicorn border this stretch of sky to the east, with Taurus and
the head of Cetus the Sea Monster to the north and west.
Delta Orionis (the most west erly of the stars in the Belt) is a wide double (2.2. and 6.8, white and violet, 53 seconds
ofarc).TheregionhasacoupleofMiratypevariables,R Lep (from 5.5 to 11.7 in 432 days, near 5 hr, 15 deg.) and
U Ori (4.8 to 12.6 every 372 days, near 5 hr 55, 20 deg.). The Orionids meteor shower, asso ciated with Comet
Halley, emerges from the north-eastern part of Orion (close to its border with Gemini) around 16 to 27 October,
peaking on 22 October.
58
59
DEEPSKY OBJECTS
1535
Phact
Wazn
Zaurak
Beid
Keid
Cursa
Arneb
Nihal
Mirzam
Furud
Rigel
Betelgeuse
Bellatrix
Saiph
Meissa
Alnilam
Alnitak
Mintaka
o
1
o
2
y
o r
r
10
32
v
SX
o
\
1
\
2
y
o
r
x
x
i
i
o
M79
I.418
S
RX
54
53
o
2
v
1
v
2
v
3
y
o r
i
x
i
v
u M42/ M43
Orion Nebula
1981
1980
1973/75/77
2232
I.2165
V
T
29
8
o
1,2
2
r
4
r
5
r
6
r
1
r
2
r
3
y
o r
q
i
x
i
i
v
p
o
t
\
u
1662
M78
2024
I.434
Horsehead Nebula
W
32
88
y
MAGNITUDES
PUPPIS
COLUMBA
PICTOR
CAELUM
ERIDANUS
CANIS MAJOR
LEPUS
MONOCEROS
ORION
CETUS
ARIES
TAURUS
FORNAX
PHOENIX
HOROLOGIUM
1808
1851
1316
1365
1399
i
g
f
h
1433
1291
y
e
C
o
1232
t
4
t
3
t
2
y
o
o
o
o
y
1
y
2
r
2 r
1
q
s
Acamar
i
v
o
p
o
1360
1398
t
q
1
q
2
i
1
i
2
q
3
1097
i
1
i
2
u
41
43
Menkar
x
Z
p
1
p
2
p
3
o
r
q
r
o
M77
o
y
x
i
o
t
5
t
6
t
7
t
8
t
9
t
1
40
30
20
10
0
+10
40
30
20
10
0
+10
2
h
3
h
4
h
5
h
6
h
7
h
3
h
4
h
5
h
6
h
7 5
14
1
CHArT 7
This region of sky is dom i nated by the pres ence of stars rep re sent ing two dogs. They could rep re sent many dif fer ent
dogs, such as Cerebus the three-headed dog that guarded the way to Hell, but they are usually thought of as the com-
pan ions of Orion the Hunter to the west.
Between Canis Major (the Big Dog) and Canis Minor (the Little Dog)runstheMilkyWay,whilebetweentheLittle
Dog and his master are incon spic u ous stars belong ing to Monoceros the Unicorn. The open cluster N2244, close to
EtainMonoceros(near6hr30,15 deg.), is a naked-eye object, at 4.8 mag ni tude, with 16 stars in a huddle visible
with optical aid. Powerful tele scopes reveal the sur round ing Rosette Nebula (N2237), the faintly glowing cloud of
gas from which the stars formed.
Both the Dogs are worth watch ing. Alpha Canis Majoris is Sirius, the bright est star in the sky other than the Sun.
Its name means the shining one or scorch ing one. Old pic tures have it marking the eye or heart of the Dog. Beta
Canis Majoris or Mirzam nearbyisafrontlegandatriangleofbrightishstarstothesouthshowthehindquarters.The
bright est of these, Adhara, is the second bright est star in the con stel la tion, even though it is listed only as Epsilon.
Sirius is one of the nearest stars, lying less than nine light years from the Sun. It was an impor tant element in the
cal en dars of ancient peoples. The frst appear ance of Sirius (or Soothis) in the rays of the rising Sun (the helical rising)
wastakenbytheEgyptiansof2000BCasasignthattheNilewasabouttofood.
The less spec tac u lar Little Dog has Procyon, eighth on the list of bright est stars. Beta Canis Minoris, a few degrees
away, makes a dis tinc tive pairing. Both Sirius and Procyon have faint white dwarf com pan ions and are among the 20
stars lying within 12 light years of the Sun
Two of the four con stel la tions that for merly made up Argo Navis (the Ship Argo) are in this part of the sky; namely,
the roughly rec tan gu lar Puppis the Poop,whichliessoutheastofCanisMajorand,totheeastofPuppis,theincon
sequential Pyxis the Compass. The other two star groups (Vela the Sail and Carina the Keel) are further south.
Intruding into the region from the east is the head of Hydra the Water Snake,lyingeastofCanisMinor.
ThepresenceoftheMilkyWayensurestheavail abil ityofskysightsworthinvestigatingwiththehelpofbinoculars.
These include the fol low ing open clus ters:
N2451(mag ni tude2.8,diameter50secondsofarc),justwestoftheMilkyWayinthemidst
of Puppis.
N2354 and N2362, two clusters among the rump stars of Canis Major, with N2354 both
fainter and larger (mag ni tude 6.5, diam e ter 20) than its very near neigh bour (mag ni tude 4.1,
diam e ter 8).
N2287 (M41) (mag ni tude 4.1, diam e ter 38) about 4 degrees south of Sirius.
N2423 (M47)ontheMilkyWayatthenorthernendofPuppis(magnitude4.4,diameter25).
N2437 (M46) is nearby (magnitude 6.1, diam e ter 20).
N2548 (M48) (mag ni tude 5.8, diam e ter 54)eastoftheMilkyWayontheHydra/Monoceros
border.
TwodoublestarsareassociatedwithM47;Struve (sigma) 1121 has com po nents both mag ni tude 8 lying 8 seconds
of arc apart; in Struve (sigma) 1120, stars of mag ni tude 5.6 and 9.5 are sep ar ated by 20 arc seconds.
If you are looking for other double stars, k Puppis, at the north ern end of Puppis (5 degrees east of Delta Canis
Majoris),boastsapairofmatchedffthmagnitudeyellowstarslyingabout10arcsecondsapart.NearbyAdhara(Epsilon
CMa)isalsodoublebutamuchtoughercall,withmagnitude1.5and7.4starsseparatedby7.5secondsofarc.
60
61
DEEPSKY OBJECTS
PICTOR
CAE
LEPUS
CANIS MAJOR
CANIS MINOR
ORION
MONOCEROS
LEO
CANCER
2354
M41
2362
2353
2343
M50
2301
2244
2237
Rosette Nebula
2264
R
U
Wazn
Phact
Nihal
Arnab
Alphard
Naos
Procyon
Gomeisa
Acubens
Mirzam
Sirius
Furud
Adhara
Aludra
Wezen
Saiph
Betelgeuse
Alnilam
Mintaka
Meissa
o
y
o
r
q
r
o
t
u
o
1
o
2
o
3
y
o
r
q
o
1
o
2
S
10
Z1097
Z1120
Z1121
M93
M46
M47
2423
2440
2438
2539
n
m
k
p
3
12
16
11
o
o
p
M67
M48
BC
C
14
o
o
o
o
r
p
o
u
x
MAGNITUDES
VELA
ANTLIA
PYXIS
HYDRA
2527
2467
2546
r
q
w
G
S
w
x
k
1
l
k
2
o
2997
1
2
r
AH
g
a
b
n
e
d
h
h
1
h
2
y
y
o
q
r
x
i
C
D
A
E
M
J
Q
P O
N
a T
I
L
1
L
2
o
z
y
i
PUPPIS
COLUMBA
1851
r
2 r
1
q
v
2439
2477
2451
b
c
e
z
f
MZ
F
y
d
1-3
v
1
v
2
r
2232
Alnitak
SX
o
o
r
x
x
i
y
i
o
M79
S
o
2
v
1
v
2
v
3
y
o
q
M42/ M43
Orion Nebula
1981
1980
1973/75/77
I.2165
V
T
8
10
13
o
1,2
2
y
o
r
i
x
i
o
\
u
M78
2024
I.434
Horsehead
Nebula
1808
y
40
30
20
10
0
+10
40
30
20
10
0
+10
5
h
6
h
7
h
8
h
9
h
10
h
6
h
7
h
8
h
9
h
8 6
15
2
CHArT 8
Thereisnotalottonoteinthispartofthesky,lyingasitdoeswelleastoftheMilkyWayandsouthoftheecliptic.
A little of the Zodiac sign Virgo the Young Maiden lies to the north-east, hosting (at the present epoch) the north ern
autumnequinox.Thislieswheretheecliptic,pushingsoutheast,cutsthecelestialequatoratthemeridianmaking
12 hours of RA.
MuchofitistakenupwiththelonglineofstarsmarkingHydra the Female Water Snake, one of the leg en dary
foes of the hero Hercules. Orange-coloured Alpha Hydrae, at mag ni tude 2, stands out due to the lack of other bright
stars near it. Its name Alphard means (appro pri ately) the sol i tary one. Some 15 degrees north-west near Cancer the
Crab, a small col lec tion of faint ish stars indi cates the beasts head. The tail of the water snake con tin ues to the east,
winding past Corvus the Crow and almost to Libra.
Though faint, Hydra can boast of being the largest of the recognised 88 constellations. Covering 1300 square
degrees,itsurpassesVirgo,UrsaMajor,CetusandHercules,thebiggestoftherest.Hydrastretchesaquarteroftheway
aroundthesky,fromeastofCanisMajortojustnorthofCentaurus.
The rest of the region is taken up with faint and gen er ally unmem or able con stel la tions; Sextans the Sextant and
Antlia the Air Pump (all sorts of sci en tifc instru ments fnd a place among the south ern stars!), and Crater the Cup.
Crater does have a story linking it to Hydra and also to Corvus to the east. The Crow was sent by his master Apollo to
fetch a drink. He dallied by a fg tree, waiting for the fruit to ripen. Being late back, he blamed the snake for delay ing
him.
Worthsearch ingforwithbinoc ularsorasmalltelescopeistheplanetarynebulaN3242, located some 12 degrees
south-east of Alphard (that is, near 11 hr 30, 18 deg.). At mag ni tude 7.8, it is among the three bright est such objects
in the sky. From its appear ance, it is some times dubbed the ghost of Jupiter (and may help to explain the mis lead ing
termplanetarynebula!).Twentydegreesalmostduesouth,ontheAntilla/Velaborder,liesN3132, another plan e tary
nebula rated at magnitude 9 but with a bright central star.
62
63
MAGNITUDES
DEEPSKY OBJECTS
PYXIS
CRATER
CORVUS
VIRGO
LEO
SEXTANS
CANCER
E
C
L
IP
T
IC
Naos
Alphard
Regulus
Alkes
Zaniah
Zavijava
Algorab
Gienah
Alchiba
CENTAURUS
VELA
HYDRA
HYDRA
B
r
q
G
S
I
n
l
u
D
i
3132
U
q
r
3201
p
s
t
N
k
1
l
k
2
C
1
C
2
B
h
1
h
2
Z
w
A
Z
G
D
H
I
c f
g
a
e
d
h
w
L
ANTLIA
2997
Z
H
E
E
Q
Q
K
L
z
m
y
u
Y
PUPPIS
b
1
b
2
b
3
A
A
A
U
D
K
L
M
N
J
3242
U
3115
3521
VY
31
p
1
A B
G
D
I
K
X
O
P
R
W
A
X
1
X
2
p
C
B
C
M68
3585
3621
A
B
G
D
E Z
H
X
O
R
B
G
D
E
Z
H
Q
I
K
L
Y
M61
4365
4371
B
H
I
N
X
O
P
S
T
U
J
C
W
12
M67
D
E
Z
H
Q
R
S
W
Acubens
A
40
30
20
10
0
+10
40
30
20
10
0
+10
8
h
9
h
10
h
11
h
12
h
13
h
9
h
10
h
11
h
12
h
9 7
16
2
CHArT 9
Withtheeclipticpassingthoughthiszoneofsky,wehaveondisplayoneofthemoredistinguishedofthesignsofthe
Zodiac, Virgo the Young Maiden. Rated as the second largest of the con stel la tions, Virgo meas ures more than 30 degrees
(three fst widths) in both direc tions. The Sun in its yearly journey through the zodiac reaches the western parts of
Virgoaround21September,whichisthespringequinoxfortheSouthernHemisphere(theautumnalequinoxfor
north ern lat i tudes).
The stars of Virgo are not out stand ingly bright, other than the blue-white Spica, which is almost on the eclip tic.
In dif fer ent cul tures, Virgo could stand for any number of young and inno cent maidens. In the best-known rep re sen-
ta tion, Virgo is a goddess of spring or of the harvest, perhaps Persephone, the daugh ter of Ceres. Spica rep re sents an
ear of wheat in her hand. In other pic tures, Virgo is the blind folded Justina or Astraea, the goddess of justice, weigh ing
truth and inno cence on the scales that form the zodiac sign Libra, which lies to the east.
The north-western sector of Virgo, together with parts of con stel la tions further north, is notable for the pres ence of
a major col lec tion of exter nal gal ax ies, known as the Virgo Cluster and con tain ing many hun dreds of island universes
at dis tances esti mated at 40 or 50 million light years. Some of these are visible as faint smudges in small tele scopes or
even binoc u lars. The bright est is N4472 (M49) in Virgo, at mag ni tude 8.4 (near 12 hr 30, 8 deg.). Some 20 gal ax ies
atmagnitude10orbrightercanbefoundinthe10degreesquarepatchofskynorthofM49,withthelargestinactual
size being the giant ellip ti cal galaxy M87 (N4486).
As for other con stel la tions in the area: the dis tinc tive rhom boid of second and third mag ni tude stars rep re sent ing
Corvus the Crow lies southwest of Virgo. On theVirgo/Corvus border (near 12 hr 40, 12 deg.) lies N4594
(M104), the famous Sombrero Hat galaxy (mag ni tude 8.3, diam e ter 9).
South of Corvus sprawls the tail of Hydra, the female water snake, the rest of which lies to the west. The story linking
Hydra, Corvus and Crater is told in the text for Chart 8. One inter est ing scale fallen from the tail is N5236 (M83), one
of the bright est exter nal gal ax ies at mag ni tude 7.5 (diameter 11). It lies face on to the viewer (near 13 hr 37, 30
deg.).
64
65
DEEPSKY OBJECTS
CRATER
CORVUS
VIRGO
LEO BOOTES
SERPENS
CAPUT
VELA
ANT
Porrima
Vindemiatrix
Spica
Zubeneschamali
Zubenelgenubi
MAGNITUDES
LIBRA
LUPUS
HYDRA
5882
5128
5102
z
y
1
2
3
T
58
E
2
T
U
Z
I
d
U
M
N
J
C
d g
G
e
L
5986
GG
k
h
J
U
D
H
C
W
A
5643
I.4406
a
T
B
H
I
K
O
5897
I
S
c
1
c
2
a
b
Menkent
Q
Y
5139
Omega
Centauri
W
CENTAURUS
B
i
n
l u
D
Zaniah
Zavijava
Algorab
Gienah
Alchiba
P
X
Z
M
N
O
M5
S
109 110
16
B
D
E
I
K
L
M
T
U
J
M83
5068
R
r
G
Y
M104
Sombrero Galaxy
4699
4697
4753
A
G
Z
Q
C
Y
M49
4636
5248
M60 M59
4526
4535
E
R
S
X
1
X
2
p
B
M68
3621
A
B
G
D
D
E
Z
H
X
O
R
R
G
Z
H
Q
I
L
M61
4365
4371
B
H
N
X O
P
U
W
40
30
20
10
0
+10
40
30
20
10
0
+10
11
h
12
h
13
h
14
h
15
h
16
h
12
h
13
h
14
h
15
h
10 8
17
3
CHArT 10
15 to 18 Hours rA
Inoneofthemostspectacu larregionsofthenightsky,weherereachtheMilkyWayatitswidestanddensest,and
dis cover the stun ning con stel la tion Scorpius the Scorpion. For once little imag i na tion is needed to see the crea ture
among the stars. The hook of stars that rep re sents the Scorpions tail cer tainly invites that inter pre ta tion, but other
imagesarepossible.TheNewZealandMaorissawinitthefshhookwhichoneoftheirlegendaryheroesbaitedwith
his own blood and then dragged up the South Island from beneath the sea.
In legend, the Scorpion and Orion the Hunter were deadly enemies, with the beast sting ing Orion to death. So one
is always rising as the other sets. The heart of the Scorpion is marked by the red giant star Antares (Alpha Scorpii), so
namedfromitssim ilarityincolourtotheplanetAres(Mars).AcloseapproachofMarsandAntares(whichhappens
every few years since Antares lies very close to the eclip tic) will soon confrm the com par i son.
A degree or so west of Antares lies the glob u lar cluster N6121 (M4), one of the larger and brighter exam ples at
mag ni tude 5.8 and diam e ter 26. A line of three bright stars west of Antares marks the creatures claws. The tail, com-
pletewithaclosepairofstarstoindi catethesting,coilstowardsthesoutheast,lyingacrosstheMilkyWay.Thebrighter
of the sting stars is Shaula (Gamma Scorpii), second bright est in the con stel la tion.
This stretch of sky has many good targets for binoc u lars. North-east of the sting are a pair of notice able open clus-
ters: N6405 (M6, the Butterfy Cluster, mag ni tude 4.2, diam e ter 33), and a few degrees away, the larger and brighter
N6475 (M7, mag ni tude 3.3, diam e ter 80). Brighter but smaller than either of these is N6231 (mag ni tude 2.6, diam-
e ter 26), which lies on the curve of the Scorpions tail. Very close and just to the north is the open cluster Trumpler 24
(mag ni tude about 5, diam e ter 60).
Among the double stars visible in binoc u lars is Beta Scorpii, marking the left claw (mag ni tudes 2.6 and 4.9, sep-
ar a tion 13 seconds of arc). Antares is itself double, but with the primary much brighter than the sec on dary and only
3 seconds away, it is a chal lenge even in a 80 mm tele scope.
North-west along the eclip tic, between Scorpius and Virgo the Young Maiden (see Chart 9), two bright ish stars
almost a fst width apart, together with a few fainter ones further east, make up the zodiac sign Libra the Scales, almost
cer tainly those of Justice. In some ancient maps, the stars of Libra are blended with those of Scorpius to produce greatly
enlarged claws. In fact, the usual names for these two stars mean the north ern claw and the south ern claw. Alpha
Librae is a very wide double, with the com po nents 3.9 apart, but the mag ni tudes (2.8 and 5.2) mean most people
will need binoc u lars.
Scorpius played a key role in the devel op ment of astron omy. Here in 134 BC the Greek astron o mer Hipparchos saw
a new star (a nova), the frst on record. This led him to compile a detailed star map (so he could detect any other new
stars). Comparing his charts with those from Babylon 2000 years before led to dis cov er ies like the pre ces sion of the
equinoxes.
AlthoughScorpiusisazodiacsign,mostofitlieswayofftheecliptictothesouth.TheSun,Moonandplanets,when
in this region, are likely to be located not in Scorpius but in the south ern parts of the con stel la tion of Ophiuchus the
Serpent-Holder, which lies imme di ately to the north. A long polygon of stars marks where a man is appar ently wres-
tling with a serpent, while the beast itself rates sep ar ate star group ings to indi cate its head (Serpens Caput to the west)
and its tail (Serpens Cauda to the east.) The bright est star in the con stel la tion (Rasalhague or the head of the serpent
charmer) can be found where Ophiuchus con tin ues to the north on Chart 18.
Ophiuchus, like many star signs, has more than one inter pre ta tion. One is that it rep re sents Aesculapius, the ships
doctor on the Argo and the founder of modern med i cine. This was the man who tried to revive Orion after he was
killed by the sting of the Scorpion. The serpent is another symbol of medical wisdom.
Binocular sights in Ophiuchus include the open cluster I4665 (mag ni tude 4.2, diam e ter 70), which lies just north
of the second bright est star in the con stel la tion (that is, near 17 hr 50, 8 degrees).
66
67
DEEPSKY OBJECTS
TEL
SAGITTARIUS
OPHIUCHUS
SERPENS CAUDA
SCT
SERPENS CAPUT
HERCULES
VIRGO
BOOTES
Alnasl
Kaus Media
Kaus Australis
Kaus Borealis
Graffias
Antares
Rasalhague
Cebalrai
Sabik
Yed Prior
Unukalhai
Yed Posterior
MAGNITUDES
LUPUS
HYDRA
NORMA
SCORPIUS
CORONA
AUSTRALIS
ECLIPTIC
6388
6541
6281
6302
6242
6231
Tr24
5897
2
58
c
1
c
2
Shaula
Lesath
Z
N
H
M
E
A
H
E
Q
I
H
Q
M
6124
RS D
E
Q
L
M
I
S
K
K
L
Z
L
U
T
5986 h
J
H
Q
X
C
GG
k
U
G D
W
I
5643
I.4406
T
J
C
B
H
K
O
LIBRA
U
R
S
a
b
5882
d
g
e E
L
P
Menkent
Q
Y
CENTAURUS
Zubeneschamali
Zubenelgenubi
M4
M80
M107
M10
M12
M14
U
48
A
W
B
W
G
D
H
Q
K
L
N
X
O
P
R
S
J
C
Y
W
E
L
M
C
Y
W
A
D
D
E
L
S
U
Y
M22 M28
M69
M25
M18
M17
M16
M24
Star Cloud
Omega
Nebula
Eagle Nebula
M70
I.4776
M62
M19
M9
M23
M6
6383
M7
M8
M20
M21
6530
Lagoon
Nebula
Trifid
Nebula
BM
U
Y
Y
RS
X
W
G
Q
RR
G
Z
H
L
M
N
X
O
T
45
36
44
G
D
E
H
Q
M
X
O
T
J
Z
Z H
N
6572
I.4665
6633
U
68
59
72
70
67
A
B
G
I
K
S
X
Z
M
N
O
M5
109
110
16
B
D
E
M
40
30
20
10
0
+10
40
30
20
10
0
+10
14
h
15
h
16
h
17
h
18
h
19
h
15
h
16
h
17
h
18
h
11 9
18
3
CHArT 11
Between Scorpius and the next zodiac sign, Sagittarius the Archer, at a point on the merid ian marking 18 hours of
rightascension,theeclipticreachesitsmaximumdistance(23.5degrees)southofthecelestialequator.TheSun,arriv
ing at this point around 21 December, then stands at the summer sol stice for the south ern hemi sphere, marking the
longest day of the year. It follows that these same stars will be passing over head at mid night six months earlier, around
the end of June.
Interestingly, at this same point the eclip tic crosses the galac tic equator,alinerunningdownthecentreoftheMilky
Way.Galacticlongi tudehereislessthan10degrees,indicatingthatthecoreofourwheelshapedgalacticsystemlies
behindthestarsinthisregionofthesky.AvisualclueistheappearanceoftheMilkyWayitself.BetweenScorpiusand
Sagittarius it is wider and denser than at any other point along its length.
SagittariustheArcherstandsinfrontoftheMilkyWay.Anumberofnotverybrightstarsformashapemoresug
ges tive of a teapot than a Centaur fring an arrow at the heart of the Scorpion, as the old star pic tures show. Still, the
shapeisquitestriking.Thebright eststarisEpsilon Sagittarii, which is called Kaus Australis or the south ern bow.
Gamma Sagittarii has the name Alnasl, which means the head of the arrow, though the pedan tic might say that the
arrow looks like it will miss.
FromSagittarius,thelineoftheMilkyWaytakesusnortheast,throughSerpens Cauda (the Tail of the Serpent) to
Aquila the Eagle. Its frst mag ni tude star Altairisfankedbyafainterstar.FormoreonAquilaseeChart19.
SouthofAquilaliesthetinyconstel lationofScutum the Shield, notable mostly from the open cluster N6705 (M11,
the Wild Duck nebula, mag ni tude 6, diam e ter 10 minutes of arc). Binoculars show a misty patch, tele scopes a glit-
teringsprayofmorethan100stars,fannedoutlikeafightofwildbirds.
FormuchofitslengthinthisregionoftheskytheMilkyWayappearssplitbyagreatcleft.Thisrevealsthepres ence
ofvastcloudsofdusthanginginspaceinfrontoftheMilkyWay,cuttingoffthelightfromthestarsbehind.Binoculars
willrevealsomethingmore;manybrightnebulaeandstarclustersseenagainstthelightanddarkoftheMilkyWay.
These objects, like stars in general, are con cen trated into the plane of the galaxy. Even with binoc u lars these can be a
fne sight. The view through a small tele scope is even better.
This stretch of sky has an extraor di nary con cen tra tion of Messier objects (see page 19), though indi vid u ally
brighterobjectsarefoundelsewhere.Inamere10degreesofarcalongthegalac ticequator,beginningatthesoutheast
corner of Serpens Cauda and moving south-west, we fnd:
M16, the open cluster N6611, mag ni tude 6.0, diam e ter 21.
M17, the Swan Nebula N6618, mag ni tude 6.0, diam e ter 25.
M24, a star cloud, mag ni tude about 2 and 2 degrees by 1 degree in size.
M20, the Trifd Nebula N6514, mag ni tude 6.3, diam e ter 30.
M8, the Lagoon Nebula N6523/30, mag ni tude 4.6, diam e ter 90.
Both the Lagoon and Trifd Nebulae have small clus ters of bright, young, blue stars within them. It is the ultra vi o let
light pouring from these stars that makes the nebulae glow.
Noristhatalltheregionoffers.Tonamejustafewothers:5or6degreeseastofM21istheglobularclusterM22
(N6656, mag ni tude 5.1, diam e ter 24).M22iscom monlyrankedthirdinimpressive nessamongglobularclusters,
behindOmegaCentauri(seeChart3)and47Tucanae(seeChart1).AcoupleofdegreeseastofM24isM25 (the open
cluster I4725, mag ni tude 4.6, diam e ter 30).And10degreessouthwestofM8(closetothestingoftheScorpion)
are the open clus ters M7 and M6.
68
69
MAGNITUDES
DEEPSKY OBJECTS
ARA
OPHIUCHUS
OPHIUCHUS
SCUTUM
AQUILA
DELPHINUS
AQUARIUS
EQUULEUS
Nunki
Altair
Alya
Alshain
Tarazed
Kitalpha
Dabih
Algedi
Ascella
PISCIS
AUSTRINUS
MICROSCOPIUM
CAPRICORNUS
Q
Arkab
Rukbat
A
B
I
I
A
B
G
D
E
Z
K
A
Z
I
N
Q
H
X
G
Q
I
24
Q
Z
H
J
C
Y
W
TELESCOPIUM
SCORPIUS
M55
M30
SAGITTARIUS
6723
6388
CORONA
AUSTRALIS
6541
A
D
E
E
A
B
G
K
L
D
Z
H
Q
M Q
I
H
Q
K
INDUS
GRUS
6281
6302
6231
Tr24
Z
Z
T
Alnasl
Kaus
Australis
Kaus Borealis
Rasalhague
Cebalrai
ECLIPTIC
Shaula
Lesath
Kaus Media
X
E
N
O
7009
M73
M72
RT
A
B
B
E
I
M
N
P
R
S
T
U
3
71
E
Q
A
B
G
D
E
I
K
M11
M26
M14
6822
6818
V
R
U
12
A
B
D
E
H
Q
I
K
L
RY
RR
59
62
52 C
Z
H
O
P
S
T
U
Y
W
A
B
G
D
M
N
X
O
S
T
U
J
SERPENS
CAUDA
L
U
M22
M28
M69
M25
M18
M17
M16
M24
Star Cloud
Omega
Nebula
Eagle Nebula
M70
M54
M75
I.4776
M23
M6
6383
M7
M8
M20
M21
6530
Lagoon
Nebula
Trifid
Nebula
BM
U
Y
Y
RS
X
W
G
G
L
M
N
X
O
T
45
36
44
G
D
E
H
Q
M
X
J
Z
Z
H
6572
I.4665
6633
6709
I.4756
68
59
72
70
67
A
B
G
Albali
Sadalsuud
X
R
40
30
20
10
0
+10
40
30
20
10
0
+10
17
h
18
h
19
h
20
h
21
h
22
h
18
h
19
h
20
h
21
h
12 10
19
4
CHArT 12
This is a dull stretch of sky with few bright stars. The inter est is in the asso ci a tions of the con stel la tions. This region
might be dubbed the wet corner of the sky, since many of the con stel la tions here and nearby have some thing to do
with water. They include the two zodiac signs Capricornus the Sea-Goat and Aquarius the Water-Carrier (as well as
the next sign to come, Pisces the Fish), and Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish.EastofAquariusliesCetus the Sea
Monster.
Ancient people used the stars as a cal en dar. It may be that thou sands of years ago (when these con stel la tions were
frst named), the Sun in its yearly travels reached this part of the sky during or just before the wet season of the year.
Certainly, Capricornus hosted the south ern summer sol stice (reached by the Sun around 21 December) 2000 years
ago. The com pil ers of horo scopes still use Capricornus to rep re sent people born in the month com menc ing
21 December, and geog ra phers use the term Tropic of Capricorn to link those points on Earth at which the Sun is
over head at noon on that day.
NeithertheSeaGoat,thefgureofagoatwithafshstail,northeWaterCarrierpouringoutwaterfromanurnon
his shoul der, have any bright stars. A pair of faint ish stars about 3 degrees (a couple of fngers) apart at the western end
of Capricornus are dis tinc tive. Both are wide doubles. Alpha Capricornii, to the north, is one for the keen naked eye,
with stars of mag ni tudes 3.6 and 4.2 sep ar ated by 6.3 minutes of arc. They are marked sep ar ately on this chart. Beta is
harder to see and binoc u lars are needed. Its 3.1 and 6.1 mag ni tude com po nents lie 3.4 minutes of arc apart.
Aquariusisanancientsign,datingbacktoBabyloniantimes,4000yearsormoreago.Thestreampouringfromthe
WaterCarriersurnorbarrelrep resentedthetimeoftheannualfood.N7293 (the Helix Nebula), which lies close to
thesouthernboun daryofAquarius(near22hr30,21 deg.), is the closest and appar ently largest of the plan e tary
nebulae.ThoughhalfthesizeoftheFullMoon,thenebulaisquitefaint.Binocularsrevealitasamistypatch.Aquarius
is home to two meteor showers; the Eta AquaridsofearlyMay(peaking6May),asso ciatedwithComet Halley, and
the double-barrelled Delta Aquarids of late July and early August (peaking on July 29 and August 7).
The bright est star in the area is the frst mag ni tude Fomalhaut inPiscisAustrinus.InoldstarpicturesAquariuswas
shown pouring a stream of water into the mouth of the Southern Fish, with Fomalhaut rep re sent ing that mouth.
WiththethreebrighteststarsinGrus the Crane to the south, Fomalhaut makes up a dis tinc tive and easily rec og nised
tra pe zium or cross, which rides high in the south ern sky early in winter even ings.
Fomalhaut was one of the four Royal Stars of Ancient Persia, stars which marked points along the zodiac linked to
the seasons. Four thou sand years ago, the Sun would have neared Fomalhaut around north ern mid winter (the sol stice
thenlyingamongthedullstarsofAquariusjusttothenorth).TheotherroyalstarswereAldebaraninTaurus(marking
north ern spring), Regulus in Leo (north ern summer) and Antares in Scorpius (north ern autumn).
70
71
M30
E
N
O
7009
M73
M72
B
E
I
M
P
R
T
U
3
71
E
A
B
G D
E
I
K
DEEPSKY OBJECTS
E
C
L
IP
T
IC
PHOENIX
SAGITTARIUS
TEL
INDUS
AQUARIUS
CETUS
PISCES
PEGASUS
EQUULEUS
DELPHINUS
AQL
Kitalpha
Enif
Fomalhaut
Skat
Ancha
Albali
Sadalsuud
Sadalmelik
Sadachbia
Nashira
Deneb Algedi
Biham
Homam
MAGNITUDES
SCULPTOR
PISCIS AUSTRINUS
CAPRICORNUS
A
B
G
D
E
MICROSCOPIUM
Q
H
Z
K
I
Z
I
N
X
Q
H
J
C
Alnair
A
P
B
G
H
Q
I
I.1459
L
N
D
R
B
M
T
U
24
Z
Y
W
GRUS
55
300
7793
Ankaa
A
E
K
Q
I
J
U
Q
I
B
S
T
R
99
7
2
98
88
86
W
W
G
D
Z
H
Q
I
M
TX
XZ
30
I
I
L
W
L
X
7293
Helix Nebula
A
T
G
D
E
Z
I
K
L
M
P
S
U
G D
D
E
Z
Q
X
M2
A
G
Z
H
Q
K
L
N
O
P
R
S
R
Y
J
C
55
B
G
Q
K
40
30
20
10
0
+10
40
30
20
10
0
+10
20
h
21
h
22
h
23
h
0
h
1
h
21
h
22
h
23
h
0
h
5 11
20
4
CHArT 13
0 to 55 degrees Dec
The most sig nif cant con stel la tions in this part of the sky are a pair of zodiac signs, Pisces the Fish and Aries the Ram.
Pisces, which has no bright stars, is com monly drawn as a pair of fsh with their tails tied together with long strings,
swim ming in oppo site direc tions. Looking north, it lies just above (south) and to the east of the Great Square of
Pegasus (see Chart 20). The bright est star, in the south-east corner, marks the knot joining the two strings.
Aries, next door to the east, pos sesses two bright ish stars, close together and easily rec og nis able. The brighter of the
two is Hamal.Behindthecon stellationliesthestoryofthemagicalfyingramwhichrescuedtwochildrenfromtheir
wicked step mother, and whose Golden Fleece, hanging in a sacred grove in far away Colchis, lured Jason and the
ArgonautsinaperilousquestintheyearsbeforetheTrojanWar.Above(southof)Aries,apen tagonofstarsmarksthe
head of Cetus the Sea Monster.
Inourpresentepoch,theSuncrossesthecelestialequatorgoingnorthandreachesapointamongthewesternstars
ofPiscesaround21March.TheentryoftheSunintoPiscesthereforemarksthenorthernvernal equinox (the autumn
equinoxfortheSouthernHemisphere).Twothou sandyearsagothiseventoccurredfurthereast,withtheSunentering
Aries. The change since that time results from the pre ces sion of the equi noxes.
Traditiondieshard.ThevernalequinoxisstilloftencalledtheFirst Point of Aries, and is marked by the old astro-
log i cal symbol for Aries. The com pil ers of horo scopes con tinue to insist that Aries is the sign for people born in the
monthcommenc ing21March.
The meteor shower known as the Arietids emerges from a point in the south ern part of Aries (about 10 degrees
above and to the left of the Pleiades) in the frst two weeks of June, peaking on 7 June.
North of (below) Aries and Pisces and the small con stel la tion Triangulum, lines of bright ish stars mark the where-
abouts of Andromeda the Woman Chained. The west ern most and bright est star, Alpheratz, marks the maidens head
and forms part of the Great Square of Pegasus (see Chart 20). Beta and Gamma Andromedae carry the line north-east
towards the horizon, lying about 10 degrees apart.
The con stel la tion recalls the legend of the prin cess chained to a rock in atone ment for a boast made by her mother
about her (Andromedas) beauty and rescued from a sea monster by Perseus.Mostofthecharactersinthistalearein
the sky around about: Cetus the Sea Monster to the south (see Chart 5), and, further north, the maidens parents
Cepheus and Cassiopeia. Her rescuer is next door on the eastern side (Chart 14).
The con stel la tion is notable for the pres ence within it of the nearest and bright est of the exter nal gal ax ies, N224,
com monly called the Andromeda Galaxy or M31.ThisneartwinofourMilkyWaysystemliesabouttwomillionlight
years distant and is found about 6 degrees below and to the left of Beta Andromedae. Six times wider than the Full
Moon,andwithanintegratedmag nitudeof3.5,thenebulaappearsasafaintsmudgetothenakedeyeonadarknight,
and is a good target for binoc u lars and small tele scopes.
Threeothermembersofourlocalgroupofgalaxieslienearbyinthesky,allfainterthanM31tooureyes.
N221 (M32, mag ni tude 8.2) and N205 (M110,magnitude8.0)areclosetoM31.MoreprominentisN598 (M33,
mag nitude5.7andtwicethesizeoftheFullMoon),about10degreestothesoutheast(aboveandtotheright)in
Triangulum.
The region has other sights worth looking for with binoc u lars. About 5 degrees south of Gamma Andromedae (close
to the border with Triangulum) lies the open cluster N752 (diameter 50, mag ni tude 5.8). Gamma Andromedae is
itself double (mag ni tudes 2.3, 4.8, yel low ish and bluish, 10 seconds apart).
72
73
DEEPSKY OBJECTS
MAGNITUDES
ANDROMEDA
CASSIOPEIA
TRIANGULUM
PERSEUS
LACERTA
CAMELOPARDALIS
TAURUS
Algenib
Alpheratz
Algol
Mirphak
Mirach
Almaak
Hamal
Sheratan
Mesartim
Menkib
Atik
Shedir
A
D
Z
H
Q
I
K
M
O
P
R
S
T
A
B
G
D
E
Z
H
Q
I
K
L
M
N
X
O
R
S
T
J
J Y
W
RZ
41
5
B
G
D
E
925
M76
M43
891
869
884
1023 1342
1499
California
Nebula
1528
1545
457
R
W
48
6
17
16
b
1
b
2
A
Y
B
Y
G
Z
H
H
L
P
R
S
T
U
J
C
Y
A
N
X
S
M74
M33
TV
70
A
G
D
E
Q
M
N
O
P
R
S
T
U
J
C
147
185
752
M31
M32
M110
Andromeda Galaxy
Double Cluster
7662
7789
R
R
RR
51
7
4
A
L
Z
B
G
H
Q
I
K
L
M
X
O
P
T
U
J
C
Y
W
ARIES
CETUS
ERIDANUS
D E
PISCES
PEGASUS
E
C
L
IP
T
IC
TX
XZ
I
L
W
Menkar
D M77
A
G
X
L M
N
X
Alrescha
Z
M
O
A
N
X
K
X
O
0
+10
+20
+30
+40
+50
0
+10
+20
+30
+40
+50
0
h
1
h
2
h
3
h
0
h
23
h
1
h
2
h
3
h
4
h
14 20
5
CHArT 14
0 to 55 degrees Dec
The north ern parts of this stretch of sky are flled with the stars of Perseus, the hero who rescued Andromeda, and of
Auriga the Charioteer. Old star pic tures of the latter also show a goat, which is marked by the frst mag ni tude star
Capella (sixth in order of bright ness among the stars). The name means little goat. Though bright, this star is elusive
from south ern lat i tudes; from most centres of pop u la tion it rises barely 10 degrees above the north ern horizon.
Perseus has no bright stars. It does boast the ffth mag ni tude California Nebula (N1499) (the shape gives the
name), which lies near 4 hr, 36 deg. Three degrees by one, it is rated mag ni tude 5. Ten degrees to the west and a little
lower in the sky is the famous eclips ing var i able star Algol (Beta Persei) that changes mag ni tude from 2 to 3.5 and
back every three days. Algol, dubbed the devil star, is often shown on maps as marking the eye of the snake-haired
monsterMedusa,whoseseveredheadPerseusiscarrying.Alpha Persei, some 8 degrees further north, is sur rounded
by a large, bright, open cluster (Melotte 20).
Higher in the sky lies one of the great zodiac signs, Taurus the Bull. It is com monly depicted as rushing at nearby
Orion the Hunter, which lies to the south-east (above and to the right). Orion is defend ing himself with a club (see
Chart 6). The Bull is among the most ancient of the star signs, dating back to at least Babylonian times 4000 years ago.
ThenithostedthevernalequinoxthatnowliestothewestinPisces.SomesourcesidentifyTauruswiththeCretanBull
tamed by Hercules, others with the dis guise used by Zeus to seduce Europa, others still with the fre-breathing brazen-
hoofed bulls Jason had to tame on his route to the Golden Fleece.
Though only the front half of the Bull is shown (as if it was coming out of water), Taurus has some great sights.
MarkingtheshoulderoftheBull,andthefrststarstoappearastheconstellationrises,arethePleiades or the Seven
Sisters (M45).FourtimesthediameteroftheFullMoon,thisopenclusterofyoung,hot,bluestarsisasuperbspec
ta cle even with the naked eye. On clear dark nights keen eyes will fnd eight or even ten to be naked-eye objects.
Binoculars or a small tele scope will reveal 30 or more stars. The bright est is Alcyone at mag ni tude 2.9. The ear li est
ref er ences to the cluster are from China more than 4000 years ago.
Following the Pleiades across the sky (its name means as much) is the red giant star Aldebaran, which appro pri ately
marks the eye of the Bull. This was one of the Royal Stars of ancient Persia, along with Regulus, Antares and Fomalhaut.
These stars were the markers of the seasons as they lay then.
From our point of view Aldebaran is super im posed on a more distant V-shaped star cluster known as the Hyades.
(At one time, the whole cluster was called Aldebaran.) One hundred and ffty light years distant, this is the nearest of
the major open clus ters. Two of the stars in the Hyades are wide doubles, easily resolved with the naked eye or with
binoc u lars: Theta Tauri (mag ni tudes 3.4 and 3.8, sep ar a tion 5.6) and Sigma Tauri (mag ni tudes 4.7, 5.1, sep ar a tion
7.3).
Both the Hyades and the Pleiades have mytho log i cal asso ci a tions. In one tra di tion, they rep re sent two groups of
sisters, all daugh ters of Atlas but with dif fer ent mothers. Both were placed by Zeus among the stars; the Hyades as a
reward for nursing one of the gods chil dren, the Pleiades as a pro tec tion against the amorous advances of Orion.
The rising and setting of the Hyades and Pleiades were tra di tion ally asso ciated with rain.
Filling out the con stel la tion to the east are stars delin eat ing the horns of the beast, with Beta Tauri (Alnath, the
butting one) making the tip of the north ern horn. Close to the other tip you can fnd the Crab Nebula (N1952 or
M1). This nebula is the remnant of a super nova seen by Chinese astron o mers in 1056. One ffth the width of the Full
Moon,itisratedmag ni tude8.
One of the years lesser meteor showers, the Taurids, emerges from two points in the night sky above the Pleiades
over the month fol low ing 25 October, with a peak around 7 November. It is asso ciated with Comet Enke and may
produce about 12 meteors an hour.
74
75
Alnitak
V
T
8
Betelgeuse
o
Mintaka
o
Alnilam
r

Meissa
2
i

r
4
r
5
r
6
r
1
r
2
r
3
1662
M78
2024
v
88
90
71
Bellatrix
p
u
W
32
y
ORION
Menkar
o
M77
o
y
x
i
v
10
o
DEEPSKY OBJECTS
MAGNITUDES
ECLIPTIC
H y a d e s
M45
Pleiades
MON
GEMINI
AURIGA
ANDROMEDA
LYNX
CAMELOPARDALIS
CAS
Alcyone
Aldebaran
Alnath
Capella
Menkalinan
Almaak
Propus
Mebsuta
o
o
1,2

1,2
o
1
o
2
o
3
y
r
q
i x
i
p
t \
u
1647
1746
BU
HU
19,20
23
27
17
37
o
1
o
2
u
58
i
7
v

M1
Crab Nebula
M35
2169
119
2
r
q
v
M36
M37
M38
2281
TV
U
1
BL
v
o
t
\
AR
UU
WW
RT
PU
R
21
o

o
r
q
x
i
o
r
p
TRIANGULUM
PERSEUS
TAURUS
Algol
Mirphak
Menkib
Atik
ARIES
CETUS
ERI ERI
o
t
o
r
y
q
o
t
o
i
x
v
o

o
r
p
o
RZ
41
5
M76
M43
p
u
1342
1499
California
Nebula
1528
1545
925
R
i
48
y
o
6
17
1023
16
b
1
b
2
752
51
891
W
y
0
+10
+20
+30
+40
+50
0
+10
+20
+30
+40
+50
3
h
4
h
5
h
6
h
3
h
2
h
4
h
5
h
6
h
7
h
15
13
6
CHArT 15
0 to 55 degrees Dec
TheMilkyWaycutsthroughthesouthwestcornerofthisareaofnightsky,crossingamongotherthingsthefeetof
Gemini the Heavenly Twins. The Twins feet are close to the head of Orion the Hunter, most of which lies on the
othersideoftheMilkyWay.Atthenortheasternendofthisroughlyrectangularconstellation,theheadsofthepairare
marked by the bright stars Castor and Pollux. Like so many star groups, the Twins are upside down when viewed from
the Southern Hemisphere. Though listed as Alpha Geminorum, Castor is cur rently fainter than Pollux, indi cat ing that
it has waned or Pollux waxed in bright ness in recent cen tu ries.
Castor looks like a single star to the unaided eye, but it is actu ally six stars in close asso ci a tion, all born long ago
from the same cloud of gas. A small tele scope will divide Castor in two. A pair of white stars, mag ni tudes 1.9 and 2.9,
lie only 4 seconds of arc apart, and circle each other every 400 years. Castor was in fact the frst pair of stars known to
beorbitingeachother,notedbyWilliamHerschelin1803.Eachcompo nentstarisaveryclosedouble,andotherstars
also form part of the action.
The star names are also the names of the heroes. In Greek legend, Castor and Pollux were sons of Leda, Queen of
Sparta, and broth ers to Helen of Troy. Pollux (or Polydeuces), being the son of Zeus (who seduced Leda in the guise
of a swan), was immor tal and was famed as a boxer. Castor, a famous horse man, was the son of a mortal. Both were
voy ag ers with Jason on the Argo in search of the Golden Fleece.
At the western end of Gemini, at 6 hours of right ascen sion, the eclip tic reaches its maximum dis tance north of the
celestialequator.Thispointonthecelestialspherethereforemarksthe(northern)summer sol stice, reached by the
Sunaround21June.Thisistheshort estdayoftheyear(wintersolstice)southoftheequator.
The Geminids, one of the con sis tent per form ers among the meteor showers, emerges from the night sky close to
Castor from 7 to 15 December, with a peak around 13 December. Under the right con di tions, you may see 50 meteors
anhour.Geminitooboastsabright ishcluster,lyinginfrontoftheMilkyWayatthesouthwesternendofthecon stel
la tion (near 6 hr 10, 24 deg). N2168 (M35)isthesizeoftheFullMoonandisratedatmagnitude5.
East of Gemini lies another zodiac con stel la tion, Cancer the Crab. Cancer is bereft of bright or even bright ish stars.
Legends suggest that such was its fate, having been crushed as pun ish ment for biting the heel of Hercules as he was
bat tling with the Hydra. Such stars as there are make up a three-pointed fgure centred on Gamma Canceri that lies
on the ecliptic.
Cancers main offer ing to sky watch ers is Praesepe or the Beehive Cluster (N2632, M44), which lies a few degrees
northwestofGammaCanceri.Atmag nitude3anddiameterthreetimesthatoftheFullMoon,itisnomatchforthe
Pleiades, but is well worth a look through binoc u lars, which will easily reveal 15 or so stars (Galileo was the frst to
do this). Lying only 450 light years away, the Beehive is close as open clus ters go. The old name for the Beehive is the
Manger, which served as food for a pair of donkeys. These are marked by the two nearest stars, Gamma and Delta,
which bear formal names meaning the the north ern and south ern donkeys.
A small cluster (N2682),stillworthaMessiernumber(M67), lies south of (above) the Beehive, a few degrees west
of Alpha Canceri.
Two thou sand years ago, the summer sol stice now found in Gemini lay in Cancer. This fact per sists in the name
Tropic of Cancer for the imag i nary line around the Earth linking all loca tions at which the Sun is over head at noon
on21June.ConsistencywouldseemtorequireachangeinnametoTropicofGemini,butthatisnowunlikely.
In 600 years it would need to be changed again.
Monoceros,CanisMinorandHydraborderCancerandGeminitothesouth.Tothenorthwefndsomefaintstars
of Auriga and Lynx, and a sniff of Ursa Major the Great Bear.
76
77
MAGNITUDES
DEEPSKY OBJECTS
ECLIPTIC
Alnath
Alhena
Propus
Castor
Pollux
Capella
Menkalinan
Mebsuta
Mekbuda
Wasat
Alterf
Talitha
o
i
x
i
p
o
t
\
u
2392
BQ
R
30
6
y
o
r
RR
15
o
1
\
1
o
2
\
2
2
y
o
r
u
M44
Praesepe
R
X
p
1 p
2
i
u
2683
2903
o
1
o
2
o
3
i
x
2841
RS
R
31
38
10 UMa
10
15
26
o
i
x
t
ORION
MONOCEROS
LEO
CANCER
2301
o
CANIS MINOR
Gomeisa
o
1
o
2
o
3
y
r
q
BC
14
Procyon
o
o
r
q
p
o
u
Acubens
M67
o
x
HYDRA
TAURUS
AURIGA
CAM CAM
LYNX
PERSEUS
LEO MINOR
URSA MAJOR
GEMINI
10
Alnilam
r
Meissa
2
i
Betelgeuse
o
u
M78
2024
Alnitak
o
I.434
Horsehead
Nebula
2244
2237
Rosette Nebula
2264 S
T
8
13
7
M1
Crab Nebula
M35
119
2281
TV
1
2
U
q

v
1
v

2169
BL
v t
\
M36
M37
M38
3
UU
WW
21
RT
x
o
i
o
o
r
PU
o
r
q
p
1545
9
AR
8
Asellus Australis
Asellus Borealis
0
+10
+20
+30
+40
+50
0
+10
+20
+30
+40
+50
6
h
7
h
8
h
9
h
6
h
5
h
7
h
8
h
9
h
10
h
16 14
7
CHArT 16
0 to 55 degrees Dec
This stretch of sky belongs to Leo the Lion. Allowing for the fact that the con stel la tion is upside-down to Southern
Hemisphere viewers, not a lot of imag i na tion is needed to discern a lion among the stars. A hooked line of stars at the
western end of the group pro fles the beasts head and neck, ending with the frst mag ni tude star Regulus to mark a
front paw (or perhaps the lions heart). A tri an gle of stars two fists width to the east marks the rump and tail.
The bright est of those stars is Denebola, that name coming from the Greek for tail.
Leo is gen er ally held to rep re sent the Nemean Lion, slain by the mighty Hercules of Greek and Roman legend as
one of his Twelve Labours, but there are, as usual, other pos sibil ities. The asso ci a tion of a lion with these stars is much
older. Regulus was one of the Royal Stars of Persia, along with Aldebaran, Antares and Fomalhaut, since 4000 years ago
it was home to the summer sol stice now located in Gemini. Links between the Sun and Leo are there fore very ancient
and may explain the common and long-stand ing link between the lion and royalty (such as the lion being the king of
beasts). The name Regulus is derived from a word for king.
Regulus lies just north of the eclip tic. As a result, it is com monly approached, or even occulted, by a planet. A close
approachbyMarsorJupitercanbeaspectacularsight.
Gamma Leonis or Algieba, the second bright est star in the hook, is a double, with a pair of yellow stars rated at
mag nitudes2.3and3.5.Withaseparationofonly4secondsofarc,asmalltelescopeisneededtosplitthem.R Leonis,
5degreeswestofRegulus,isaMiratypevariable,swingingbetweenmagnitudes4.4and11.3every312days.
Leo is the site of one of the more erratic meteor showers; the Leonids emerge from near Gamma Leonis around 15
to 20 November, peaking around 17 November, and have been noted for at least 1000 years. It is asso ciated with Comet
Temple 1 that last came by in 1866. The number of meteors increases to a peak every 33 years (1999 was a peak
year).
Beneath the belly of the Lion (that is, above it as it stands in the sky) lie a number of exter nal gal ax ies, out li ers of
the Virgo Cluster (see text to Chart 9). None is brighter than the eighth mag ni tude. The easiest to fnd are N3623 and
N3627 (M65 and M66), which good binoc u lars will pick up as fuzzy spots on a dark night (near 11 hr 20, 12 deg.).
A 100 mm tele scope is needed to reveal their shapes.
North of Leo lies the much smaller Leo Minor and then the stars of the major Northern Hemisphere con stel la tion
Ursa Major the Great Bear. These stars rise only 10 or 20 degrees at most above the north ern horizon and the
con stel la tion is not easy to discern.
78
79
DEEPSKY OBJECTS
MAGNITUDES
M97
Owl Nebula
M108
M109
3184
CG
W
VIRGO
COMA
BERENICES
CANIS VENATICI
LEO MINOR
LYNX
URSA MAJOR
UMA
Alterf
Rasalas
Adhafera
Algieba
Zosma
Chertan
Denebola
Chara
Cor Carola
Asellus Australis
Asellus Borealis
Talitha
Merak
Phad
Tania Borealis
Tania Australis
Alula Borealis
Alula Australis
B
L
M
46
21
B
M105
M96
M95
3348
R
54
60
G
E
Z
H
M
N
Y
M106
4449
4490
M94
ST
Y
TU
A
B
G
C
Y
W
4631
4214
M86
4435/38
4216
M99
M98
M100
M85
4494
4565
4559
M88
M87
M84
M65
M66
3628
Mel 111
93
B
G
N
X
D
Q
O
P
SEXTANS
E
C
L
IP
T
IC
HYDRA
3521
A B
T
I
X
O
P
W
LEO
Regulus
VY
31
R
A
M61
4365
4371
Zaniah
H
I
S
T
U
C
Zavijava
B
N
X
W
D
E
Z
H
Q
R
S
W
CANCER
K
M67
Acubens
A
G
D
Q
P
U
L
C
O
X
R
L
2683
S
I
K
2841
31
10 UMa
15
R
38
10
A
I
K
N
X
RS
T
26
Q
J
21
E
H
M44
Praesepe
2903
3344
0
+10
+20
+30
+40
+50
0
+10
+20
+30
+40
+50
9
h
10
h
11
h
12
h
9
h
8
h
10
h
11
h
12
h
13
h
17 15
8
CHArT 17
0 to 45 degrees Dec
This area of sky pos sesses few bright stars other than ArcturusinBootes.ItisremotefromtheMilkyWay,withthe
North Galactic Pole (NGP) to be found within the con stel la tion Coma Berenices (near 12 hr 50, 27 deg.).
The eclip tic passes to the south, with Virgo the nearest zodiac con stel la tion.
Coma Berenices (Berenices Hair) and Canes Venatici (The Hunting Dogs) are largish but dull con stel la tions.
They are notable mostly for the numbers of gal ax ies within their borders. These con tinue the cluster centred in the
north ern regions of Virgo, a cluster com monly called the Virgo Cluster (see Chart 9). This con tains many hun dreds of
spiral and ellip ti cal gal ax ies, located at dis tances esti mated at 40 to 60 million light years.
Some of these may be glimpsed as fuzzy points of light in binoc u lars and small tele scopes. The best start ing point
is with the mag ni tude 8.4 galaxy N4472 (M49) in Virgo (near 12 hr 30, 8degrees).Manygalaxiesofmagni tude9
andfainterarescat teredovertheskyabout5degreesnorthofM49,acrosstheVirgo/ComaBerenicesborder.Afew
morelieatthenorth ernendofComanearthegalac ticpole.MoregalaxiesstillarewidelyscatteredinCanesVenatici.
Five degrees west of the Pole and near Gamma Coma Berenices we fnd the open cluster Melotte 111 (the Coma
Cluster), which is both bright (inte grated mag ni tude 1.8) and large (almost 5 degrees across).
Bootes the Herdsman, lying to the east of the two star groups men tioned earlier, is dom i nated by the orange giant
star Arcturus, fourth bright est in the sky (after Sirius, Canopus and Alpha Centauri). It weighs almost the same as our
Sun, but is larger, brighter and cooler, all char ac ter is tics of a Sun-like star in old age.
From Arcturus, marking the head of Bootes, an elon gated pen ta gon of stars runs north-east towards Ursa Major the
Great Bear. The two con stel la tions can be linked in several ways. Bootes as Herdsman drives the Great Bear around the
NorthPole.InimagesinwhichthestarsofUrsaMajorbecomeaploughorawagon,BootesisthePloughmanor
Waggoner.FromArcturus(ormorefromarktos,theGreekforbear)wegetourwordarctic,fortheregionwhere
the two bears (major and minor) are high in the night sky.
The Quadrantids meteor shower, gen er ally the years bright est, has its radiant in the north ern part of Bootes,
peaking around 3 January. The name comes from the now aban doned con stel la tion Quadrans Muralis (theWall
Quadrant), which used to occupy this part of the sky.
For hunters after glob u lar clus ters, binoc u lars will reveal M3 (N5272) in the south ern realm of Canes Venatici (near
13 hr 40, 28 deg.), at mag ni tude 6.
80
81
VIRGO
LIBRA
LEO
BOOTES
SERPENS
CAPUT
M5
109
110
4753
p
Vindemiatrix
t
5248
r
o
M49
4636
4526
4535
R
M61
4365
M60
M59
M58 4371
Porrima
Zaniah y
q
o
r
\
Zavijava
o
v
u
DEEPSKY OBJECTS
MAGNITUDES
NGP
URSA MAJOR
CANES VENATICI
COMA
BERENICES
CORONA
BOREALIS
HERCULES
DRACO
Denebola
Cor Caroli
Chara
Arcturus
Muphrid
Izar
Seginus
Alkalurops
Nekkar
Alphekka
Nusakan
Alula Borealis
Alula Australis
Phad
Megrez
Alioth
Mizar
Alcor
Alkaid
o
q
t
\
M53
M64
FS
R
M101
80
o
r
q
o
t
1
t
2
t
3
o
r
1,2
o
W
i
o
v
1
v
2
y
r
x
i
u
5866
X
A
i
x
i
p
o
t
\

M97
Owl Nebula
M109
M106
4449
M94
M63
M3
M51
Whirlpool Galaxy
5195
Y
TU
o
y
ST
u
4631
4214
4435/38
4216
M99
M98
M100
M85
M88
M90
M91
M89
93
4494
4565
4725
4559
Mel 111
y
v
M86
M87
M84
0
+10
+20
+30
+40
+50
0
+10
+20
+30
+40
+50
12
h
13
h
14
h
15
h
12
h
11
h
13
h
14
h
15
h
16
h
18 16
9
CHArT 18
0 to 55 degrees Dec
Therearenobrightstarsinthiscorneroftheskyandnostrikingconstellations.Muchoftheskyistakenupwiththe
scat tered stars of Hercules,performerofthefamousTwelveLaboursandvoyagerontheArgowithJasoninthequest
for the Golden Fleece. On old star charts, Hercules is often shown with club and lion skin, kneel ing with his foot on
the head of Draco the Dragon,afarnorthernconstellation.Withalittleimagination,theobservercanrecoverthe
image of a man with great arms and legs from the scat tered stars.
Interestingly, for Southern Hemisphere viewers, Hercules is the right way up, unlike Ophiuchus just to the south
(see Chart 10), which is head down for us. Its bright est star, Rasalgethi (the Kneelers Head) lies at the south ern
(upper) end of the con stel la tion, within a few degrees of Rasalhague (the Serpent-Charmers Head) in Ophiuchus.
This is an indi ca tion of the lat i tude from which those who formed the con stel la tions viewed the sky.
Hercules is cer tainly big, in the top half dozen con stel la tions for size. These stars have been formed into the image
of a hero since Babylonian times, 4000 or more years ago. In giving the stars to Hercules, the Greeks were merely con-
tin u ing an old tra di tion.
The best binoc u lar or small tele scope sight here is among the western stars of Hercules, a few degrees above Eta.
N6205 (M13) is the bright est glob u lar cluster in the north ern sky, though at mag ni tude 5.7 and diam e ter 17 minutes
of arc, it is no match for Omega Centauri or 47 Tucanaeinthesouth.M13containssome300,000starsinaspace
100 light years across and lies about 22,000 light years away.
The rest of the sky here con tains the small con stel la tion Corona Borealis the Northern Crown, with an inter est ing
arc of small stars; the north ern stars of Serpens Caput (the head of the serpent being wres tled by Ophiuchus further
south); and a bit of Bootes. In Ophiuchus itself, you can fnd I4665 about 10 degrees south of Alpha Ophiuchi
(Rasalhague). This is a loose cluster worth seeking with binoc u lars, being mag ni tude 4.2 and twice the diam e ter of the
FullMoon.
One item of inter est in this region is the loca tion of the so-called Apex of the Suns Motion, the point in the heavens
towardswhichtheSunappearstobemovingasitcirclestheGalaxy.Measurementsoftheapparentmovementsofthe
stars suggest that this lies in the eastern part of Hercules, close to its boun dary with Lyra the Harp.
82
83
DEEPSKY OBJECTS
MAGNITUDES
6210
I.4593
LQ
U
R
s
LIBRA
HERCULES
CORONA BOREALIS
LYRA
CYGNUS
DRACO
URSA
MAJOR
CANES
VENATICI
Alkaid
Etamin
Rastaban
Grumium
Alrakis
Vega
Sheliak
i
x
r
p
\

u
S
v
1
v
2
y
o
r
q
i
x
p
o
t
\
M13
M92
g
r
r
o
16, 17
o
o
95
102
109
u
c
o
1
v
1
o
2
v
2
o
r
p
M57
Ring
Nebula
r
1, 2
i
x
XY
OP
R
R
o
i
x
OPHIUCHUS
SERPENS
CAUDA
SERPENS CAPUT
HERCULES
VIRGO
BOOTES
Unukalhai
r
u
o
o
i
q
6572
6633
68
72
70
67
Rasalhague
Rasalgethi
Kornephoros
o
I.4665
y
i
o
i
x
Cebalrai
U
o
M5
109
110
Izar
Seginus
Alkalurops
Nekkar
Alphekka
Nusakan
M101
q
t
1
t
4
t
5 t
6
t
7
t
8
t
2
t
3
o
r
1,2
o
i
o
x
i
o
v
1
v
2
u
5866
A
y
i
x
i
W
r
p
o
X
t \
0
+10
+20
+30
+40
+50
0
+10
+20
+30
+40
+50
15
h
16
h
17
h
18
h
15
h
14
h
16
h
17
h
18
h
19
h
19 17
10
CHArT 19
0 to 55 degrees Dec
Thisisaspectac ularstretchofsky,crossedbytheMilkyWayfromsouthwesttonortheast,andhometothethree
bright stars of the Winter Triangle (Deneb, Vega, Altair), so called because they are most prom i nent on early even ings
inwinterintheSouthernHemi sphere(itistheSummerTrianglenorthoftheequator).Onthewesternsidewefnd
frag ments of the heroes Hercules and Ophiuchus. A few small, dim con stel la tions (Sagitta the Arrow, Vulpecula the
Fox and Delphinus the Dolphin) take up further space. The big three on the other hand are Lyra the Harp, Cygnus
the Swan and Aquila the Eagle.
Forallitslengthinthisregion,theMilkyWayappearsdivided,duetothepresenceofabandofdustcommonly
foundinthespiralarmsofgalaxies.TheconstellationCygnusistheformofacrossthatevokesaswanfyingsouth
alongtheMilkyWay,thoughtheconstellationhassome timesbeendrawnasahen.Asaswan,itspossibleassociations
include Leda, seduced by Zeus in the guise of a swan, so giving birth to the hero Pollux, one of the hea venly twins.
The long bar of the Northern Cross is made up of Beta, Eta, Gamma and Alpha Cygni, with Delta, Gamma and
Epsilon as the cross bar. Deneb (thetail)isthefrstmagnitudestarthatbringsuptherearoftheswan.Withdecli na
tion 45degrees,Denebremainslowinthenorthernskyformostcentresofpop ulationsouthoftheequator.Ofthe
20 or so bright est stars as seen from Earth, Deneb is the most distant (nearly 2000 light years), and the star with the
great est intrin sic bright ness. An abso lute mag ni tude of 8 makes it some 25,000 times brighter than our Sun.
Several bright nebulae show up against the back ground stars, notably the appro pri ately shaped North America
Nebula (N7000), 5 degrees east of Deneb. This is rated mag ni tude 4 and covers more than 12 times the area of the
FullMoon.AswithDeneb,fndingthisnebulaneedsaclearnorthernhorizon.Themuchlargerbutfainterandmore
elusive Veil Nebula (N6960)issome15degreessouthofDeneb.Thisnebula,onlymagnitude7but7Moondiameters
wide, is a super nova remnant.
To the west and a little higher in the sky lies Lyra the Harp, with one strik ing star Vega (ffth in bright ness in the
sky). Imagination is cer tainly needed here to fnd a harp among these stars! A degree or so away from Vega on the lower
right, Epsilon Lyrae (a double double), is a good test for keen eyes. Its two ffth mag ni tude com po nents lie over
3 minutes of arc apart. Binoculars will confrm this, and a small tele scope will reveal that each star is itself a double.
Beta Lyrae, about 7 degrees south-east of Vega, is another star with sur prises. It is a double (yellow-white and blue,
frst and eighth mag ni tudes) easily split in small tele scopes. But the bright primary is an eclips ing var i able, shift ing
from mag ni tude 3.3 to 4.3 every 13 days. Gamma Lyrae, a con stant mag ni tude 3.2 nearby, can be used for
com par i son.
One of the more elusive sights of Lyra is the well-known Ring Nebula (N6720, M57), a plan e tary nebula lying
between Beta and Gamma. At mag ni tude 8.8 and little more than 1 minute of arc across, it is no easy target. A large
tele scope is needed to reveal its ring-like shape.
Smaller but brighter than the Ring Nebula is N6853 (the Dumbbell Nebula, M27),infrontoftheMilkyWayin
Vulpecula (near 20 hr, 23deg.).Withmagnitude7.3,itisasbrightasanyplan etarynebulainthesky,beingonly
1000 light years away. About 10 degrees south-west of the Dumbbell Nebula on the border with Sagitta is the dis tinc-
tive open cluster dubbed the Coat-Hanger, more for mally known as Collinder 399.
CompletingtheWinterTriangleisAltair, the bright est star in Aquila the Eagle. It lies much higher in the sky than
Deneb and Vega and, unlike them, it has another bright ish star (Gamma Aquilae) only a few degrees away. The pair
form a dis tinc tive group ing.
84
85
OPHIUCHUS
SERPENS
CAUDA
71
E
Q
EQUULEUS
Kitalpha
A
B
G
D
DELPHINUS
E
I
K
Alya
Q
A
Tarazed
G
H
D
N
Altair
X
O
Alshain B
M
S
T
U
J
6709
6572 6633
I.4756
59
72
X
R
Rasalhague
A
Cebalrai
I.4665
68
70
67
B
G
DEEPSKY OBJECTS
MAGNITUDES
M71
M27
Dumbbell Nebula
Coll 399
U
U
U
S
SU
13
1
HERCULES
LYRA
CYGNUS
AQUILA
AQUARIUS
SAGITTA
VULPECULA
PEGASUS
PEG
DRACO
LACERTA
CEPHEUS
CEP
Rastaban
Etamin
Alrakis
Vega
Sheliak
Sulafat
Grumium
Albireo
Deneb
Sadr
A
W
B
W
G
D
E
Z
H
Q
P
R
J
C
FF
A
B
G
E
Z
L
M56
6811
6826
AF
33
D
H
H
Q
Y
M15
A
B
G
D
Z
H
Q
6882/85
23
31
2
1
Veil Nebula
6960
6992-95
6940
T
T
X
52
41
39
A
7027
M39
7000
I.5067-70
M29
6871
6910
North America Nebula
Pelican Nebula
7243
DT
AR
P
63
61
4
5
2
W
A
B
W
G
E
Z
L
M
N
X
R
S
T
U
C
D
95
102
109
110
111
113
D
L
M
N
X
O
u
c
Q
P
R
Ring
Nebula
M57
E

B
Z
I
K
M
XY
R
R
RT
A
B
G
Q
M92
OP
I
K
M
X
0
+10
+20
+30
+40
+50
0
+10
+20
+30
+40
+50
18
h
19
h
20
h
21
h
18
h
17
h
19
h
20
h
21
h
22
h
20
18
11
CHArT 20
0 to 55 degrees Dec
Though not one of the more spec tac u lar stretches of night sky, there are many things of inter est here. The most obvious
featureisaroughsquareofmoder atelybrightstarsknownastheGreat Square of Pegasus.Thesquare,lyingtothe
east of Cygnus the Swan, is large, some 15 degrees or one and a half fsts wide in each direc tion. Strictly speak ing,
only three of the four stars belong to Pegasus the Flying Horse. The north-east star (on the lower right) is now a days
given to the con stel la tion of Andromeda the Chained Maiden, in which it marks the head of the prin cess (see
Chart 13). However, its name Alpheratz (the navel of the horse) indi cates its former asso ci a tion.
Mostpeopleasso ciatePegasuswithPerseus, the rescuer of Andromeda. However, legend gives the honour of riding
Pegasus to Bellerophon, the hero noted for his fatal bold ness in seeking to ride to heaven. The role of Perseus was in
bringingthewingedsteedintobeing,sincePegasuswascreatedfromthebloodofthemonstrousMedusa,slainby
Perseus, falling into the sea.
Unlikemostnorthernconstel lations,Pegasusisuprightwhenviewedfromourpartoftheworld.Whatismore,the
starsdo,withlittleimag ination,suggestthefrontportionofahorsegal loping(orfying)tothewest.Fromthetop
lefthandcornerofthesquareacurvedlineofstarstracesthehorsesheadandneck.ThisbeginswithAlphaPegasi
(Markab for saddle) and ends at the orange super giant star Enif (nose). The latter is the brightest in the constel lation,
even though it is labelled only Epsilon Pegasi. Lines of stars from the lower left-hand star (Beta Pegasi or Scheat,
meaning upper arm) mark out the horses front legs.
A few degrees north-west of Enif lies the glob u lar cluster M15, 30,000 light years away. At mag ni tude 6.0 and diam-
e ter 12 minutes of arc, this is larger and brighter than many. It shows up as a fuzzy patch in binoc u lars, and small
tele scopes show its bright core, though they cannot resolve indi vid ual stars.
The rest of the sky here is not mem or able; frag ments and edges of Andromeda and other nearby con stel la tions, and
the insig nif cant con stel la tions Equuleus the Colt or Foal and Lacerta the Lizard. The nearest zodiac sign is Pisces the
Fish,lyingsoutheast(thatis,aboveandtotheright)oftheGreatSquare.
86
87
DEEPSKY OBJECTS
MAGNITUDES
ECLIPTIC
CYGNUS
VULPECULA
CEPHEUS
CASSIOPEIA
LACERTA
ANDROMEDA
PSC
PER
Alpheratz
Markab
Algenib
Scheat
Matar
Sadalbari
A
P
B
P
H
I
K
L
M
X
O
7331
1
6
11
71
E
I
K
PISCES
PEGASUS
DELPHINUS
AQL
E
A
B
G D
EQUULEUS
Kitalpha
XZ
W
Enif
E
Homam
Z
M2
Sadalmelik
A
Sadachbia
G
Biham
Q
N
Z
H
P
S
R
55
70
B
TX
I
L
G
Q
K
Deneb
Sadr
A
T
U
G
J
C
Y
TV
D
E
M
P
N
M31
M32
M110
Andromeda
Galaxy
S
7789
R
Q
R
R
S
R
A
4
7
L
Z
X
O
N
X
O
147
185
P
J
7662
I
K
L Y
AQUARIUS
6826
Y
M15
U
A
G
D
B
Z
H Q
2
1
9
Veil Nebula
6960
6992-95
6940
31
T
23
52
41
39
7027
7000
6910
North America
Nebula
I.5067-70
Pelican Nebula
7243
AR
RW
M29
6871
P
63
61
5
2
A
B
E
D Z
W
O
P
G
T
E
DT
Z
X
L
M
N
X
M39
W R
S
T
U
D
I
R
RT
Q
0
+10
+20
+30
+40
+50
0
+10
+20
+30
+40
+50
21
h
22
h
23
h
24
h
21
h
20
h
22
h
23
h
0
h
1
h
13 19
12
88
89
Helping the eye
References are made in this book to the use of binoc u lars or
a small tele scope to improve the view of the night sky. Such
instru ments do several things.
Theycollect more light than does the naked eye (they have
a greater light grasp) and so enable the user to see fainter
and more distant objects.
Theymagnify objects, making them seem larger.
They can see fner detail (that is, they have greater reso
lution).
An ordi nary pair of binoc u lars would be rated 10 by 50,
which means mag nif cation 10 and with lenses 50 mm in
diameter. Such binoculars will magnify objects 10 times,
whichisaboutthehighestusefulmag nifcation.Highermag
nifcationsamplifytheinevitableshakingofhandheldbinoc
u lars to an unac cept able degree.
Moreimportantly,the50mmlenseswillcollect50times
as much light as the unaided eye, making visible stars down
to mag nitude 10 or 11.This was about the light grasp of
Galileosfrsttele scope,thoughitmag nifed30times.Withit,
Galileosawthemoun tainsoftheMoon,broketheMilkyWay
upintostars,confrmedthephasesofVenusanddiscovered
themoonsofJupiter.Thebrighterofthenebulae,bothlight
anddark,willshowupwellwithbinocu larsandyoucansep
ar ate many double stars.
As for res o lu tion, binoc u lars will discern details two or
three arc seconds across, pro vided seeing con di tions are
reasonably steady. This compares with the 15 or 20 arc
seconds achievable with the eye alone.Three arc seconds is
about 1/600th the apparent diam e ter of the Full Moon,
whichmeansanobjectabout6kmacrossatthedistanceof
the Moon.
Themainproblemwithbinocularsisholdingthemsteady.
Rest your arms on some thing, like the top of a fence or the
arms of a deck chair. Or lie on your back on a rug.
Aswithnakedeyeviewing,thedarkertheskythebetter.
Avoid moon lit nights if pos sible. Avoid street lights and house
lights. Get away from the glare of the city to the bush or a
beachorevenalargesport ingfeld.Andgiveyoureyestime
tobecomedarkadapted.Halfanhourmakesagreatdiffer
ence, and the longer you stay out the more you will see.
If you want some light to read the maps in this book when
you are under the stars, put red cel lo phane over your torch,
oruseatorchwithanalmostfatbattery,sothatitgivesadim
reddish light. Red light does not upset night vision.
On to a telescope
Thenextstepupistoasmall(orsmallish)telescope,eithera
refrac tor (with a large lens at the front to collect the light) or
a refector (with a mirror at the lower end). Buying a tele
scopeisacomplexmatteranditisbesttotakeexpertadvice
at an astro nom i cal supply store.
For a certain aperture, a refractor will in general give a
brighter, clearer image, but a refector will be noticeably
cheaper. Above about 80 mm aperture, refractors become
very expensive, but refectors to 200 or 300 mm, or even
more, are quite afford able.
A200mmtelescopewillcollectoveronethou sandtimes
as much light as the naked eye and will reveal stars down to
thefourteenthmagnitude.Thatlightgraspwillrevealeventhe
elusive planet Pluto.
Appendix A: Using binoculars and telescopes
90
makes it generally unmistakable, information is not provided
regardingitspositiononthezodiac.However,thetableshows
whetherVenusisamorningstar(visiblebeforesunriseinthe
east) or an evening star (visible after sunset in the west).
Italsogivesthedateofitsmaximumelongationeast(greatest
heightabovethesunset)anditsmaximumelongationwest
(greatestheightabovethesunrise).Betweenthesetwodates,
the table shows when the planet is in conjunction with the
Sun (at which time the planet cannot be seen). Inferior con
junction marks the transition from evening star to morning
star, superior conjunction marks the reverse transition.
The fnal column of the table provides information on
conjunctions between the four planets listed, that is, the dates
when the planets come close together in the sky (to be more
precise, the dates on which they reach the same right ascen
sion).Whilealloftheconjunctionslistedwilloccur,notall
will be readily visible (to the naked eye at least). Some will
occur when the planets involved are positioned in the
morningskybeforesunrise,ratherthaninthemoreconven
ienttoview evening sky; others will take place when the
planets lie too close to be Sun to be visible.
Thefollowingtableprovidesinformationonthepositionsof
fourofthefvenakedeyeplanetsandtheirrelationshipswith
the zodiac constellations, the Sun and each other over the
years 2008 to 2017.The positions given are for the period
around the start of each month.
Mostoftheinformationinthetablereferstotheexterior
planets (Mars, Jupiter and Saturn), the orbits of which lie
outsidethatoftheEarth.Thetableindicatesinwhichzodiac
constellation the planet can be found around the start of each
month, the months in which it is retrograding (moving to the
west), and the dates on which the planet comes into opposi
tion (directly opposite the Sun in the sky and therefore cross
ing the meridian at midnight) and reaches conjunction
(passing behind the Sun and therefore undetectable) with the
Sun.
No information is supplied regarding the planet Mercury.
Mercury moves so quickly against the background of the stars
that information provided once a month is of little value.
Mercury is also relatively faint and hard to detect.
SomewhatsimilarconsiderationsapplytoVenus.Because
its movement is relatively rapid, and because its brilliance
90
Appendix B: Planet positions
91
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96
Index
Absolutemagnitude7
Achernar(AlphaEridani)48
Acrux52
Adhara (Epsilon Canis Majoris)
60
Alcyone(inPleiades)74
Aldebaran(AlphaTauri)74
Algieba(GammaLeonis)78
Algol(BetaPersei)8, 74
Alnasl(GammaSagittarii)68
Alnath(BetaTauri)74
Alphard(AlphaHydrae)62
Alpheratz (Alpha Andomedae)
72,86
Altair(AlphaAquilae)68,84
AndromedaGalaxy(M31)72
Andromeda the Chained Maiden
72, 86
Antares(AlphaScorpii)6,66
Antlia the Air Pump 62
ApexoftheSunsMotion82
Apparent magnitude 6
ApustheBirdofParadise52
AquariustheWaterCarrier70
Aquila the Eagle 68, 84
Ara the Altar 52
Arcturus(AlphaBootis)80
Argo Navis the Ship Argo 50
Aries the Ram 72
Asterisms 1
Astronomical twilight 12
Auriga the Charioteer 74
Beehive,The(Praesepe,M44)18,
76
Bellatrix(GammaOrionis)58
BetaCeti56
BetaLyrae84
Betelgeuse(AlphaOrionis)9,58
Binoculars89
BootestheHerdsman80
CaelumtheEngravingTool48
CaliforniaNebula(N1499)74
Cancer the Crab 76
CanesVenaticitheHuntingDogs
80
Canis Major the Great Dog 60
Canis Minor the Small Dog 60
Canopus(AlphaCarinae)50
Capella(AlphaAurigae)74
CapricornustheSeaGoat70
Carina the Ships Keel 50
Castor(AlphaGeminorum)76
Celestial equator 9
Celestial poles 9
Celestial sphere 9
Centaurus A 52
Centaurus the Centaur 52
Cepheid variables 8
Cetus the Sea Monster 56
CircinustheCompasses52
CloudsofMagellan48
Coal Sack, the 18, 52
Columba the Dove 58
ComaBerenices(BerenicesHair)
80
ComaCluster(Melotte111)80
Comets 17
Conjunction of planet 16
Constellations 1
Constellations, table of brightest
23
CoronaBorealistheNorthern
Crown 82
Corvus the Crow 64
CrabNebula(M1)74
Crater the Cup 62
Crossing the meridian 9
Cruxthe(Southern)Cross52
Cygnus the Swan 84
Dark nebulae 18
Declination 12
DelphinustheDolphin84
Delta Aquarids meteor shower 70
Deneb(AlphaCygni)84
Denebola(BetaLeonis)78
Distances in sky 8
DoradotheSwordfsh48
30Doradus48
Double stars 8
Draco the Dragon 82
Dunlop18(IotaPictoris)48
Dunlop22754
Eclipses of Moon 14
Eclipses of Sun 14
Ecliptic 12
Emission nebulae 18
Enif (Epsilon Pegasi) 86
Epsilon Lyrae 84
Equuleus the Colt 86
EridanustheRiver48,58
Eta Aquarids meteor shower 70
Eta Carinae 50
Evening star 16
False Cross 50
FirstPointofAries72
Flamsteednumbers6
Flarestars9
Fomalhaut(AlphaPiscisAustrini)
70
FornaxtheFurnace56
Galactic equator 68
Galaxies
N5556
N205(M110)72
N221(M32)72
N224(M31,Andromeda
Galaxy)72
N25356
N598(M33)72
N3623(M65)78
N3627(M66)78
N4472(M49)64,80
N4486(M87)64
N4594(M104)64
N5128(CentaurusA)52
N5236(M83)64
N674454
Galaxies18,1819,80
GammaAquilae84
GammaCanceri76
GammaVelorum50
GeminitheTwins76
Geminids meteor shower 76
Giantstars7
Globular clusters 18
47Tucanae48
M3(N5272)80
M4(N6121)66
M13(N6205)82
M1586
M22(N6656)68
N675254
NGC36248
OmegaCentauri(N5139)52
Great Square of Pegasus, the 72,
86
Grus the Crane 54, 70
Hadar(BetaCentauri)52
Hamal(AlphaArietes)72
Helicalrising60
HelixNebula70
Hercules82
Herschel367048
Herschel433050
Herschel433250
Hipparchos66
HorologiumtheClock48
Hyades74
HydratheFemaleWaterSnake60,
62, 64
HydrustheMaleWaterSnake48
I2391(OmicronVelorum)50
I260250
I466582
Indus the Indian 54
Inferior conjunction 16
IotaPictoris(Dunlop18)48
Irregular variable stars 9
JewelBox,the18, 52
Jupiter 16
KappaCrucis52
Kaus Australis (Epsilon
Sagittaurii)68
LacertatheLizard86
LargeMagellanicCloud48
Leo the Lion 78
Leo Minor the Small Lion 78
Leonids meteor shower 78
LepustheHare58
Libra the Scales 66
Light grasp 89
Light year 6
LupustheWolf52
LyratheHarp84
M1(CrabNebula)74
M3(N5272)80
M4(NGC 6121) 66
M6(ButterfyCluster)66
M7(NGC6475)66
M8 (Lagoon Nebula) 68
M11(WildDuckNebula)68
M13(NGC6205)82
M1586
M16(NGC6611)68
M17(SwanNebula)68
M18(N6613)68
M20(TrifdNebula)68
M21(NGC6531)68
M22(NGC6656)68
M2468
M25(I4725)68
M27(DumbbellNebula)84
M31(AndromedaGalaxy)72
M32(NGC221)72
M33(NGC598)72
M35(NGC2168)76
M41(NGC2287)60
M42(OrionNebula)58
M43(NGC1982)58
M44(Praesepe)76
M45(Pleiades)74
M46(NGC2437)60
M47(NGC2423)60
M48(NGC2548)60
M49(NGC4472)64
M57(RingNebula)84
M65(NGC3623)78
M66(NGC3627)78
M67(NGC2682)76
M83(NGC5236)64
M87(NGC4486)64
M104(SombreroHatgalaxy)
64
M110(NGC205)72
Magellanic Clouds 48
Magnitude of stars 6
Manger,the(Praesepe)76
Maria 14
Markab(AlphaPegasi)86
Mars 16
Melotte2074
Melotte111(ComaCluster)80
Menkar (Alpha Ceti) 56
MensatheTableMountain48
Mercury 16
Messier catalogue 19
Meteorshowers17
Arietids72
DeltaAquarids70
EtaAquarids70
Geminids76
Leonids78
Orionids58
Quadrantids80
tableofbrightest17
Taurids74
Microscopium the Microscope 54
MilkyWay,the18
Mimosa(BetaCrucis)52
Minorplanets17
Mira(OmicronCeti)56
Mirzam(BetaCanisMajoris)60
Monoceros the Unicorn 60
Moon, main features of 14
Morning star 16
Multiple stars 8
Acrux52
Adhara (Epsilon Canis Majoris)
60
Algeiba(GammaLeonis)78
AlphaCentauri52
BetaLyrae84
Castor76
DeltaOrionis58
Dunlop22754
GammaAndromedae72
97
98
GammaVelorum50
Herschel367048
Herschel433050
Herschel433250
IotaOrionis58
IotaPictoris(Dunlop18)48
kPuppis60
MuCrucis52
Struve112060
Struve112160
ThetaEridani56
MuscatheFly52
N4472(M49)80
N5272(M3)80
nakedeyedoubles
AlphaLibrae66
EpsilonLyrae84
SigmaTauri74
ThetaTauri74
Nebulae1819
CaliforniaNebula(N1499)74
CoalSack(dark)52
CrabNebula(M1)74
EtaCarinaeNebula(N3372)
50
KeyholeNebula(N3372)50
LagoonNebula(M8)68
LambdaCrucis52
M43(N1982)58
North America Nebula
(N7000)84
OrionNebula(N1976)58
RosetteNebula(N2237)60
SwanNebula(M17)68
TarantulaNebula(N2070)48
TrifdNebula(M20)68
VeilNebula(N6960)84
WildDuckNebula(M11)68
New General Catalogue 19
NGC5556
NGC104(47Tucanae)48
NGC25356
NGC36248
NGC136056
NGC1499(CaliforniaNebula)
74
NGC1952(M1)74
NGC1976(OrionNebula)58
NGC198058
NGC198158
NGC1982(M43)58
NGC2070(TarantulaNebula)48
NGC2168(M35)76
NGC2237(RosetteNebula)60
NGC228760
NGC235460
NGC236260
NGC242360
NGC243760
NGC245160
NGC254860
NGC2682(M67)76
NGC324262
NGC3372(EtaCarinaeNebula)
50
NGC376650
NGC447264
NGC448664
NGC459464
NGC4755(JewelBoxCluster)
52
NGC5128(CentaurusA)52
NGC5139(OmegaCentauri)52
NGC6205(M13)82
NGC623166
NGC6705(M11)68
NGC6720(RingNebula)84
NGC674454
NGC675254
NGC6853(DumbbellNebula)
84
NGC6960(VeilNebula)84
NGC7000(NorthAmerica
Nebula) 84
NGC7293(HelixNebula)70
NormatheSetSquare52
NorthGalacticPole80
NorthernCross84
Novae 9, 66
Occultation 16
Octans the Octant 54
Omega Centauri 18, 52
OmicronVelorum50
Openclusters1718
ButterfyCluster(M6)66
Collinder39984
ComaCluster(Melotte111)
80
Hyades74
I466566,82
JewelBox(N4755)52
M7(N6475)66
M8(N6613)68
M16(N6611)68
M21(N6531)68
M24(starcloud)68
M25(I4725)68
M35(N2168)76
M41(N2287)60
M46(N2437)60
M47(N2423)60
M48(N2548)60
M67(N2682)76
Melotte20(AlphaPersei)74
N75272
N198058
N198158
N236260
N245160
N376650
N623166
OmicronVelorum(I2391)50
Pleiades(M45)74
Praesepe(M44)76
ThetaCarinae(I2602)50
Trapezium(ThetaOrionis)58
Trumpler2466
OphiuchustheSerpentHolder
66, 82
Opposition, planet at 15
OrionNebula(M42,NGC1976)
58
OriontheHunter58
Pavo the Peacock 54
PegasustheFlyingHorse86
Perseus74,86
Phases of Moon 13
PhoenisthePhoenix48
PictorthePaintersEasel48
PiscestheFish72
PiscisAustrinustheSouthernFish
70
Planetary movements, table of
9195
Planetarynebulae18
DumbbellNebula84
HelixNebula(N7293)70
N136056
N313262
N324262
RingNebula84
Planets, identifying 16
Planets, movements of inner 16
Planets, movements of outer
1416
Pleiades 18, 74
Pointers, the 52
Polaris 54
Pollux(BetaGeminorum)76
Praesepe(BeehiveCluster,M44)
76
PrecessionoftheEquinoxes13,
66, 72
Procyon (Alpha Canis Minoris)
60
ProximaCentauri8, 52
Puppis the Ships Poop 60
PyxistheShipsCompass60
Quarantids meteor shower 80
Rasalgethi(AlphaHerculi)82
Rasalhague(AlphaOphiuchi)82
Refectionnebulae18
Regulus(AlphaLeonis)78
Resolution 89
ReticulumtheReticle48
Retrograding of planet 1415
Rigel(BetaOrionis)58
Right ascension 12
RigilKent(AlphaCentauri)52
Rosette Nebula 60
Royal Stars of Persia 70, 74, 78
Sagitta the Arrow 84
Sagittarius the Archer 68
Satellites 17
Saturn 16
Saucepan,the58
Scheat(BetaPegasi)86
Scorpius the Scorpion 66
Sculptor the Sculptors Chisel 56
Scutum the Shield 68
SerpensCaputtheSerpentsHead
66
SerpensCaudatheSerpentsTail
66, 68
SextanstheSextant62
Shaula (Gamma Scorpii) 66
Sidereal time 21
Sigma Octantis 54
Sirius(AlphaCanisMajoris)60
SmallMagellanicCloud48
Soothis(Sirius)60
South celestial pole 9
SouthGalacticPole56
Spica(AlphaVirginis)64
Stars 1
Stars, table of brightest 7
Struve112060
Struve112160
SummerSolstice76
Supergiantstars7
Superior conjunction 16
Supernovas 18
Tauridsmeteorshower74
TaurustheBull74
Teapot,the(inSagittarius)68
Telescopes89
TelescopiumtheTelescope54
Terminator14
ThetaCarinae50
ThetaEridani56
ThetaOrionis58
Trapezium,the58
Triangulum72
TriangulumAustrale52
TrifdNebula18, 68
TropicofCancer76
TropicofCapricorn70
Trumpler2466
TucanatheToucan48,54
47Tucanae18, 48
UrsaMajortheGreatBear78, 80
Variable stars 8
Miratype
Mira56
RCar50
RHor48
RLeo78
RLep58
SCar50
UOri58
Eclipsing
Algol74
BetaLyrae84
Semiregular
L
2
Puppis50
Vega(AlphaLyrae)84
VelatheShipsSail50
Venus16
Vernalequinox12, 72
VirgoCluster64, 80
VirgotheYoungMaiden64
VulpeculatheFox84
White dwarf stars 8
WildDuckNebula(M11)68
WinterTriangle,the84
Zodiac 13

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The Southern Sky Guide

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