SFA Star Chart 1 - Northern Region

Oc

t2

ca

AURIGA

URSA
MINOR

80

Kocab

DRACO

HERCULES

Thuban

Castor

1 6 22
Jul

Alcor

Mizar

URSA MAJOR

15 l 6
Ju

Cor Caroli

1
LEO MINOR

30
12h
May 22

2
1
0

40

CANES VENATICI

13 h
Jun 6

Merak

Phecda

50

14 h
Jun
21

Dubhe

60
Megrez

Alioth

Alkaid
BOOTES

GEMINI
LYNX

Ma 8
r2
2

17
6
Aug

A 9
pr
6

30

50

60

70

80

40

Capella

7h
Mar 7

Polaris

CAMELOPARDALIS

70

60

Rastaban

80

Se

p2

Feb 20
6h

50

Feb 5
h
5

40

20

20 h

Jan

Sep 5

PM

19 h

r8

Eltanin

30

fo

Mirfak

80

Vega

PERSEUS

ia

LYRA

70

id
5

CASSIOPEIA

CEPHEUS

Alderamin

Caph

Ja

60

Algol

Schedar

Deneb

er

TRIANGULUM

lM

ANDROMEDA

50

CYGNUS

Lo

Mirach

LACERTA

De
c2
1
2h

40

1h

22

O
ct
21 h 6

Dec 6

30

18h
Aug 21

ANDROMEDA - Daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia

ANTLIA - Air Pumpe
APUS - Bird of Paradise
AQUILA - Eagle
AQUARIUS - Water Carrier
ARA - Altar
ARIES - Ram
AURIGA - Charioteer
BOOTES - Herdsman
CAELUM - Graving Tool
CAMELOPARDALIS - Giraffe
CAPRICORNUS - Sea Goat
CARINA - Keel of the Ship Argo
CASSIOPEIA - Ethiopian Queen on a Throne
CENTAURUS - Half horse and half man
CEPHEUS - Ethiopian King
CETUS - Whale
CHAMAELEON - Chameleon
CIRCINUS - Compasses
CANIS MAJOR - Larger Dog
CANIS MINOR - Smaller Dog
CANCER - Crab
COLUMBA - Dove
COMA BERENICES - Berenice's Hair
CORONA AUSTRALIS - Southern Crown
CORONA BOREALIS - Northern Crown
CRATER - Cup
CRUX - Cross
CORVUS - Crow
CANES VENATICI - Hunting Dogs
CYGNUS - Swan
DELPHINUS - Dolphin
DORADO - Goldfish
DRACO - Dragon
EQUULEUS - Little Horse
ERIDANUS - River
FORNAX - Furnace
GEMINI - Twins
GRUS - Crane
HERCULES - Hero
HOROLOGIUM - Clock
HYDRA - Sea Serpent
HYDRUS - Water Snake
INDUS - Indian

Nov 20
0h

5
Nov h
23

11 6
May

1 0 21
r
Ap

2
3
4
5

SFA Observatory 2002 - http://observe.phy.sfasu.edu/

Local Meridian for 8 PM

SFA Star Chart 2 - Equatorial Region

May 22
60

May 6

Apr 21

Mar 22

Mar 7

Feb 20

Phecda

LEO MINOR

VIRGO

Declination

Regulus

23
Aug

Jul 2

Jul 12

Jul 23

Procyon

Aldebaran

CANIS MINOR

ARIES

May 21

MONOCERUS

PYXIS

Baten

Diphda

Canopus

CARINA

-50

DORADO

PICTOR

HOROLOGIUM

-40

PHOENIX

-30

FORNAX

Phakt

CAELUM

VELA

-50

-20

PUPPIS

-10

COLUMBA

ERIDANUS

-40

10
Ma
r 31

LEPUS

10

Ma
r 21

Zaurak

20
Apr
10

Mira

ANTLIA

Arneb

SCULPTOR

CETUS

Rigel

CANIS MAJOR

Sirius

Algenib

Cursa

PISCES

Salph

HYDRA

30

30

20

Apr
20

Mekab

Alpheratz

Hamal

40
May
1

50
May
11

2
Bellatrix

60

ORION

Jun 1

Betelgeuse

CRATER

-30

Pleiades

70

-20

SEXTANS

-10

80
Jun 11

23
Sep

TRIANGULUM

TAURUS

90
Jun 22

160
2
Sep

100

40

Mirach

GEMINI

Alnath

Aug 2

140
12
Aug

120

130

Algol

ANDROMEDA

50

PERSEUS

AURIGA

110

170
13
Sep

10

CANCER

Denebola

Pollux

60

Schedar

Castor

LEO

LYNX

40

Mirfak

Capella

Nov 20

Dec 6

20

Dec 21

URSA MAJOR

Zosma

Jan 5

CAMELOPARDALIS

30

Jan 20

CASSIOPEIA

Merak

50

Feb 5

Apr 6

Achernar

-60

-60
12h

11h

10h

9h

8h

7h

6h

Right Ascension

5h

4h

3h

2h

1h

0h

SFA Observatory 2002 http://observe.phy.sfasu.edu/

Local Meridian for 8 PM

SFA Star Chart 3 - Equatorial Region

Nov 20
60

Nov 5

Oct 21

Oct 6

Sep 20

Sep 5

CEPHEUS

40

LYRA

30

Markab

PISCES

ar 2
1

340

Altair

AQUARIUS

Mar
1

Feb 9

Jan 30

-30

-40

PHOENIX

24

23

22

21

20

19

18

Right Ascension

-40

LUPUS

CENTAURUS

NORMA

17

16

CIRCINUS

15

14

-50

CRUX

HYDRA

-30

-20

ARA

CORVUS

LIBRA

-10

2
Nov

Nov 22

23
Oct

Spica

2
Nov 1

240

PAVO
h

3
Oct

13
Oct

210

220

230

-60
h

INDUS

TUCANA

CORONA AUSTRALIS

TELESCOPIUM

SCORPIUS

Antares

Dec 2

Dec 12

Dec 22

SAGITTARIUS

250

260

270

Dec 31

280

MICROSCOPIUM

GRUS

CAPRICORNUS

290

300

Jan 10

180
23
Sep

190

VIRGO

PISCES AUSTRINUS

Fomalhaut

Jan 20

200

310

-20

10

OPHIUCHUS

SCUTUM

320

Feb
19

20

SERPENS

AQUILA

COMA BERENICES

Arcturus

30

40

Cor Caroli

CORONA BOREALIS

330

-50

SCULPTOR

-10

SAGITTA

350

Mar
11

BOOTES

EQUULEUS

0M

DELPHINUS

VULPECULA

10

50

CANES VENATICI

HERCULES

Albireo

URSA MAJOR

PEGASUS

20

Alkaid

Vega

Mizar

CYGNUS

60

Alioth
Alcor

ANDROMEDA

May 22

Jun 6

Jun 21

Deneb
LACERTA

Jul 6

Jul 22

DRACO

50

Aug 6

Declination

Aug 21

13

-60
12h

SFA Observatory 2002 - http://observe.phy.sfasu.edu/

8 22
r
Ma

-60

MUSCA

-50

9 r6
p
A

1 h
Ap 0
r2
1

11 h
May
6

14 21
Jun

-30
12h
May 22

13
Jun 6

2
1
1

HYDRA

LUPUS

-40

CENTAURUS

NORMA

SCORPIUS

Mimosa

Rigil Kentaurus

CRUX

ANTLIA

Acrux

CIRCINUS

AUSTRALIS

ARA

Hadar

VELA

APUS

-70

TRIANGULUM AUSTRALIS

PYXIS

CORONA

TELESCOPIUM

-30

-80

CHAMAELEON

1 h
Aug7
6

Ju 1 5 h
l6

CARINA

PUPPIS

VOLANS

-80

-70

-50

-40

-60

-70

5h

Feb 5
h

Feb 20

-30

-50

5
n
h

Ja

3
20
Jan

4h

Canopus

PAVO

OCTANS

MENSA

SAGITTARIUS

Aug 21
18h

Sep 5h
19

0
p2 h
20

-80

Se

PICTOR

COLUMBA

PM

r8

fo

DORADO

ia

RETICULUM

CAELUM

INDUS

-70

id

-60

HYDRUS

MICROSCOPIUM

Achernar

21

TUCANA

ct

-50

GRUS

PISCES AUSTRINUS

er

HOROLOGIUM

-40

Oc
t2
1
22 h

lM

FORNAX

ca

2
PHOENIX

ERIDANUS

SCULPTOR

1
Jul 6 h
22

21

Nov
5
23 h

Lo

c
De

7
Mar 7

LACERTA - Lizard
LEO - Lion
LEPUS - Hare
LIBRA - Scales
LEO MINOR - Smaller Lion
LUPUS - Wolf
LYNX - Wildcat
LYRA - Harp
MENSA - Table Mountain
MICROSCOPIUM - Microscope
MONOCERUS - Unicorn
MUSCA - Fly
NORMA - Carpenter`s Square
OCTANS - Octant, Navigational Instrument
OPHIUCHUS - Serpent Holder
ORION - The Hunter
PAVO - Peacock
PEGASUS - Winged Horse
PERSEUS - Hero
PHOENIX - Mythical Bird
PICTOR - Easel
PISCES AUSTRINUS - Southern Fish
PISCES - Fish
PUPPIS - Stern of the Ship Argo
PYXIS - Mariner's Compass
RETICULUM - Net
SCULPTOR - Sculptor's Apparatus
SCORPIUS - Scorpion
SCUTUM - Shield
SERPENS - Serpent
SEXTANS - Sextant, Navigational Instrument
SAGITTA - Arrow
SAGITTARIUS - Archer
TAURUS - Bull
TELESCOPIUM - Telescope
TRIANGULUM AUSTRALIS - Southern Triangle
TRIANGULUM - Triangle
TUCANA - Toucan
URSA MAJOR - Great Bear
URSA MINOR - Little Bear
VELA - Sails of the Ship Argo
VIRGO - Virgin
VOLANS - Flying Fish
VULPECULA - Fox

Nov 20
0h
-30

Dec 6
h
1

-60

SFA Star Chart 4 - Southern Region

2
3
4
5

SFA Observatory 2002 - http://observe.phy.sfasu.edu/

Using the SFA Star Charts

The charts provided cover the entire celestial sphere. You will notice that there are regions
were the charts overlap. For example, Perseus can be found on both Chart 1 and Chart 2.

Chart 1
Celestial North
Pole Region

Chart 2

Chart 3

Celestial Equator and

Ecliptic Region

Celestial Equator and

Ecliptic Region

Chart 4
Celestial South
Pole Region

The procedures outlined on the next page are for observers in the northern hemisphere.
Chart 4 is not needed for these observers.
Right Ascension and Declination
The coordinates of stars and other objects on the celestial sphere are called right ascension
and declination. These coordinates are similar to those used on Earth: longitude and latitude. Right
ascension is measured in hours, declination is measured in degrees. You may notice that 24 hours
of right ascension corresponds to 360 degrees, or simply that 1 hour of right ascension is 15
degrees.

Procedure for using Chart 1:

(1) Face North.
(2) Find the meridian in the sky and on the Chart 1 using the date and time.
(3) Find the field of view on the Chart 1 and compare the stars seen on the chart with
those in the sky.
The meridian in the sky is an imaginary curve that passes through the north horizon, the north
star, the point directly overhead (zenith), and the south horizon as shown below. Note that Polaris is
not the brightest star in the sky. You can use Dubhe and Merak of Ursa Major as pointer stars to
help you find Polaris.
The meridian on Chart 1 can be located using the date and time. The dates along outer edge
of the Chart 1 represent the location of the meridian. If Chart 1 is oriented so that the date appears a
the top, then a line passing through the date and Polaris is the meridian at 8:00pm local time. For
every hour after 8:00pm the meridian moves to the clockwise by one hour of right ascension.
The field of view on the Chart 1 includes roughly all objects above the north horizon line. The
north horizon line is a line perpendicular to the meridian on Chart 1 and intersects the meridian at a
point 32 below Polaris. (Replace 32 with your latitude if you are not observing from the SFA
Observatory.)
Zenith

Meridian
Polaris, the North Star

S
N
E
Procedure for using Charts 2 and 3:
(1) Face South. Place Charts 2 and 3 side by side.
(2) Find the meridian in the sky and on Chart 2 or 3 using the date and time.
(3) Find the field of view on the Charts 2 and 3 and compare the stars seen on the
chart with those in the sky.
The meridian on Charts 2 and 3 can be located using the date and time. The dates along the
top axis of these charts represent the location of the meridian (a vertical line) at 8:00pm local time.
For every hour after 8:00pm the meridian moves to the left by one hour of right ascension.
The field of view on these charts includes roughly all objects between a vertical line 6 hours of
right ascension to the west (right) of the meridian and a vertical line 6 hours of right ascension to the
east (left) of the meridian. These two vertical lines roughly represent the west and east horizon
respectively.
The sine curve seen when these two charts are placed side by side is known as the ecliptic
and represents the apparent path of the Sun. The dates along the ecliptic give the location of the
Sun on the celestial sphere for the date of interest.
Dan Bruton, SFA Observatory, http://www.physics.sfasu.edu/astro/SFAStarCharts.html