Sydney Observatory night sky map

A map for each month of the year, to help you learn about the night sky

June 2012
www.sydneyobservatory.com

The star chart shows the stars and constellations visible in the night sky for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth for June 2012 at about 7:30 pm (local standard time). For Darwin and similar locations the chart will still apply, but some stars will be lost off the southern edge while extra stars will be visible to the north. Stars down to a brightness or magnitude limit of 4.5 are shown. To use this star chart, rotate it so that the direction you are facing (north, south, east or west) is shown at the bottom. The centre of the chart represents the point directly above your head, called the zenith, and the outer circular edge represents the horizon.

Star brightness
Zero or brighter 1st magnitude 2nd 3rd 4th
HERCULES

CANES VENATICI

LEO MINOR CORONA BOREALIS BOOTES

NW

COMA BERENICES Arcturus LEO Regulus SERPENS CANCER

Saturn VIRGO

P
Zubeneschamali
OPHIUCHUS

Spica

Zubenelakrab

Zubenelgenubi LIBRA Zubenelgenubi LIBRA HYDRA

SERPENS SCUTUM

Antares

Antares M4 LUPUS

MONOCEROS

SOUTHERN CENTAURUS CROSS

ANTLIA PYXIS

Centre of the Galaxy

Centre of the Galaxy M6 M7
SCORPIUS

-crucis

Eta Carina
VELA Sirius CANIS MAJOR PUPPIS Adhara

SAGITTARIUS CORONA AUSTRALIS

CRUX Jewel Box -crucis POINTERS Mimosa NORMA NORMA Hadar CRUX CIRCINUS Alpha Centauri Alpha Centauri Coalsack MUSCA CARINA ARA CARINA TRIANGULUM AUSTRALE DIAMOND CROSS
APUS CHAMAELEON

FALSE CROSS
VOLANS Canopus COLUMBA LEPUS

TELESCOPIUM PAVO

South Celestial Pole

OCTANS OCTANS
MENSA

Chart key
Bright star INDUS Faint star MICROSCOPIUM Ecliptic Milky Way P Planet LMC or Large Magellanic Cloud SMC or Small Magellanic Cloud GRUS
SE
SMCHYDRUS

LMC

DORADO

PICTOR

CAELUM RETICULUM

SW

TUCANA HOROLOGIUM Achernar

South

The Southern Cross is high in the sky towards the south and is easily located using the two nearby Pointer stars. The brighter of the Pointers, Alpha Centauri, is the nearest star to the Sun. Nearby are the False and Diamond Crosses that can both be mistaken for the Southern Cross. High in the sky are the constellations Leo (the Lion), Scorpius (the Scorpion) and Hydra (the Water Snake). Saturn and Mars are located towards the north in Virgo. The best time to view the Moon with a small telescope or binoculars is a few days either side of the first quarter Moon on the 27th. June 21st is the shortest day of the year (winter solstice, with 9 hours and 48 minutes of daylight) when the Sun is at its most northerly position in the sky. The rare transit of Venus when Venus passes across the Sun will take place on 6 June 2012, and then not again until 2117. The book, Transit of Venus: 1631 to the present by Dr Nick Lomb, has a wealth of fascinating historic and scientific information to prepare you for the event. Buy online http://from.ph/3ov or from Sydney Observatory or good bookshops. RRP $49.95 (additional fee for postage and handling if bought online). It provides information on how to safely view the transit of Venus because it is dangerous to look directly at the Sun. Sydney Observatory is at Watson Road, Observatory Hill, in the historic Rocks area of Sydney. Phone 61 2 9921 3485 www.sydneyobservatory.com.au.
Sydney Observatory is part of the Powerhouse Museum. The Sydney Observatory night sky map is prepared by Dr M Anderson using the software TheSky. 2012 Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney.

West

HYDRA

North
Mars Moon on 27th
CORVUS CRATER

URSA MAJOR

Moon phase
Full moon: 04th LastLYNX quarter: 11th New moon: 20th First quarter: 27th

NE

Pollux

SEXTANS

HYDRA
CANIS MINOR Procyon

East