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The Evening Sky Map

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SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
F OR
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APRIL 2015
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FREE* EACH MONTH FOR YOU TO EXPLORE, LEARN & ENJOY THE NIGHT SKY ES OC
KY EL
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AR SKY MAP SHOWS HOW
Sky Calendar April 2015 http://twitter.com/skymaps AR
P
ac
Tr UR A
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JE THE NIGHT SKY LOOKS

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e

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EARLY APR 8 PM

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1 Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 13h UT (distance 406,012 km;

A
36

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Cast

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angular size 29.4').

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IN SKY MAP DRAWN FOR
4 Total Eclipse of the Moon begins at 11:54 UT and ends at

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A LATITUDE OF 35

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12:06 UT (only 12 minutes). Mid-eclipse at 12:00 UT. Partial

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t
5
M3 SOUTH AND IS

in g

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phases begin at 10:15 UT and end at 13:45 UT. The Moon

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SUITABLE FOR
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LATITUDES UP

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will appear red-orange in color during totality (the color of

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Earths sunsets). Visible from North America, the Pacific

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8 Moon near Antares (morning sky) at 23h UT.

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10 Mercury at superior conjunction with the Sun at

s.

A
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4h UT. The elusive planet passes into the evening sky.

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Siri
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32

THE SKY DIRECTLY O

11 Venus 2.6 SSE of the Pleiades (39 from Sun,

M104

42

M41
evening sky) at 22h UT. Mag. 4.1.
THAT APPEARS ALONG THE B

CORVUS

culars or a telescope.
12 Last Quarter Moon at 3:44 UT.

WEST
IS
Spic
EAST

PP

LEPUS
a
17 Moon at perigee (closest to Earth) at 4h UT

PU

2451
7
247
IC

313
(361,023 km; angular size 33.1').
PT

HE PART OF
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18 New Moon at 18:57 UT. Start of lunation 1142. R

L2
EC
T h e S o ut

20 Venus 7.4N of Aldebaran (40 from Sun, 7

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IC 2391 254
M83

CE

AP IS T
evening sky) at 0h UT. Mags. 4.1 and +0.9.
OTTOM

N
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329

US
3114 CA

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20 Moon near the Pleiades (evening sky) at 23h UT. no

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51 Ca

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35 3
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39 32 372

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21 Moon near Aldebaran (evening sky) at 17h UT. UX
LIB

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Occultation visible from north central Asia.

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21 Moon near Venus (evening sky) at 19h UT. Mag. 4.1. x

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23 Lyrid meteor shower peaks at 0h UT 4 hours. Active

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SAM

58
April 16-25. Radiant is between Hercules and Lyra. Expect 22
en

i al

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10 to 20 bright, fast meteors per hour at its peak. Moon

DT
cel
re

will set late evening making for ideal viewing conditions.

AN
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25 First Quarter Moon at 23:55 UT.

AT
60 TRI
alf

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Symbols

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26 Moon near Beehive Cluster (evening sky) at 5h UT. rna

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6

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24

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26 Moon near Jupiter (evening sky) at 16h UT. Mag. 2.1. 47 Tu

in FAC

in
ON
Double Star
th

ta
62

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e

31
28 Moon near Regulus (evening sky) at 2h UT. X
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AR
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Ke T

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29 Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 4h UT (distance 405,083 km; EG as P H
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te IN I Diffuse Nebula
rn BY
639 ( T h AS
angular size 29.5'). s 7
US ky t n a ON
h is NA ari IZ Planetary Nebula
More sky events and links at http://Skymaps.com/skycalendar/
IN
G TUCA o n C HOR
TH m o n PAV O l at i O - Open Star Cluster
ES t l - T
KY h. 6752 ste ON
All times in Universal Time (UT). (Australian Eastern Standard Time = UT + 10 hours.) MA c o n O RI Z Globular Star Cluster
PT T he H
O M
FI N Fro
ms F RO
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APRIL 2015
About the Celestial Objects Easily Seen with the Naked Eye
Listed on this page are several of the brighter, more interesting celestial objects Sirius CMa The brightest star in the sky. Also known as the "Dog Star". Dist=8.6 ly.
visible in the evening sky this month (refer to the monthly sky map). The objects are Procyon CMi Greek name meaning "before the dog" - rises before Sirius (northern latitudes). Dist=11.4 ly.
Canopus Car Second brightest star in the sky. 14,000 times more luminous than the Sun. Dist=309 ly.
grouped into three categories. Those that can be easily seen with the naked eye (that Centauri Cen With Alpha Centauri, forms the so-called "Pointers-to-the-Cross". Dist=525 ly.
is, without optical aid), those easily seen with binoculars, and those requiring a Centauri Cen Nearest bright star to Sun at 4.4 ly. Brilliant double star in a telescope. 80 year period.
telescope to be appreciated. Note, all of the objects (except single stars) will Coalsack Cru Most famous naked-eye dark nebula. Requires dark sky. Dist=600 ly.
appear more impressive when viewed through a telescope or very large Achernar Eri Brightest star in Eridanus, The River. Arabic name meaning "end of river". Dist=140 ly.
binoculars. They are grouped in this way to highlight objects that can be seen using Castor Gem Multiple star system with 6 components. 3 stars visible in telescope. Dist=52 ly.
Pollux Gem With Castor, the twin sons of Leda in classical mythology. Dist=34 ly.
the optical equipment that may be available to the star gazer. Regulus Leo Brightest star in Leo. A blue-white star with at least 1 companion. Dist=77 ly.
Rigel Ori The brightest star in Orion. Blue supergiant star with mag 7 companion. Dist=770 ly.
Tips for Observing the Night Sky Betelgeuse
Spica
Ori
Vir
One of the largest red supergiant stars known. Diameter=300 times that of Sun. Dist=430 ly.
Latin name means "ear of wheat" and shown held in Virgo's left hand. Dist=250 ly.
When observing the night sky, and in particular deep-sky objects such as star clusters,
nebulae, and galaxies, its always best to observe from a dark location. Avoid direct Easily Seen with Binoculars

CELESTIAL OBJECTS
light from street lights and other sources. If possible observe from a dark location M44 Cnc Praesepe or Beehive Cluster. Visible to the naked eye. Dist=59020 ly.
away from the light pollution that surrounds many of todays large cities. M41 CMa First recorded observation by Aristotle in 325 BC as "cloudy spot". Dist=2,300 ly.
You will see more stars after your eyes adapt to the darknessusually about 10 to 2516 Car Spectacular open star cluster of 100 stars spaning 1/2 deg. Dist=1,300 ly.
20 minutes after you go outside. Also, if you need to use a torch to view the sky 2808 Car Located 4 deg W of Nu Carinae. Visible to the naked eye on clear nights.
R Carinae Car Long period variable. Magnitude varies between 3.9 & 10.5 over 309 days.
map, cover the light bulb with red cellophane. This will preserve your dark vision.
3114 Car Stunning open cluster. 30+ stars visible through 7x binoculars. Dist=2,900 ly.
Finally, even though the Moon is one of the most stunning objects to view 3293 Car Rich, tightly packed. Surrounded by large, faint nebulosity. Dist=8,500 ly.
through a telescope, its light is so bright that it brightens the sky and makes many of IC 2602 Car The "Five of Diamonds". Bright cluster twice diameter of full Moon. Dist=491 ly.
the fainter objects very difficult to see. So try to observe the evening sky on 3372 Car Eta Carinae Nebula. Enormous glowing cloud in rich star field. Dist=8,000 ly.
moonless nights around either New Moon or Last Quarter. 3532 Car Herschel - "most brilliant cluster". 60+ stars in 7x binoculars. Dist=1,300 ly.
Centauri Cen Largest and brightest globular star cluster in sky. 1 million stars. Dist=17,000 ly.
4755 Cru Jewel Box. Outstanding star cluster. Many contrasting colours. Dist=7,600 ly.
Astronomical Glossary LMC Dor Large Magellanic Cloud. A neighbouring galaxy of the Milky Way. Dist=180,000 ly.
M48 Hya 12+ stars in 7x binoculars. Triangular asterism near centre. Dist=1,990 ly.
Conjunction An alignment of two celestial bodies such that they present the least R Hydrae Hya Long period variable. Mag varies between 3.0 & 11.0 over 390 days. Brilliant red.
angular separation as viewed from Earth. Leporis Lep Visible with binoculars. Gold & white stars. Mags 3.6 & 6.2. Dist=30 ly. Sep=96.3".
Constellation A defined area of the sky containing a star pattern. 2232 Mon A large scattered star cluster of 20 stars. Dist=1,300 ly.
M50 Mon Visible with binoculars. Telescope reveals individual stars. Dist=3,000 ly.
Diffuse Nebula A cloud of gas illuminated by nearby stars. M42 Ori The Great Orion Nebula. Spectacular bright nebula. Best with telescope. Dist=1,300 light years.
Double Star Two stars that appear close to each other in the sky; either linked by L2 Pup Semi-regular variable. Magnitude varies between 2.6 & 6.2 over 140.42 days.
gravity so that they orbit each other (binary star) or lying at different distances from M47 Pup Bright star cluster. 15+ stars in 7x binoculars. Dist=1,500 ly.
M46 Pup Dist=5,400 ly. Contains planetary NGC 2438 (Mag 11, d=65") - not associated.
Earth (optical double). Apparent separation of stars is given in seconds of arc ("). 2451 Pup 30+ stars in binoculars. The brightest star, Puppis, is red. Dist=850 ly.
Ecliptic The path of the Suns center on the celestial sphere as seen from Earth. 2477 Pup Very rich but distant star cluster (4,200 ly). Resembles globular through binoculars.
47 Tucanae Tuc Spectacular object. Telescope will reveal stars. Near edge of SMC. Dist=15,000 ly.
Elongation The angular separation of two celestial bodies. For Mercury and Venus
SMC Tuc Small Magellanic Cloud. Companion galaxy to Milky Way. Requires dark sky. Dist=210,000 ly.
the greatest elongation occurs when they are at their most angular distance from the 2547 Vel Fine open cluster visible through binoculars. Dist=1,300 ly.
Sun as viewed from Earth. IC 2391 Vel Omicron Velorum Cluster. Superb object for binoculars. Dist=450 ly.
Galaxy A mass of up to several billion stars held together by gravity.
Telescopic Objects
Globular Star Cluster A ball-shaped group of several thousand old stars.
M67 Cnc Contains 500+ stars mag 10 & fainter. One of the oldest clusters. Dist=2,350 ly.
Light Year (ly) The distance a beam of light travels at 300,000 km/sec in one year. 3918 Cen The Blue Planetary. Visible in a small telescope as a round blue disk.
Magnitude The brightness of a celestial object as it appears in the sky. 5128 Cen Bisected by a wide obscuring lane. Strong radio source. Dist=11 million ly.
2070 Dor Tarantula Nebula. A bright nebula located in LMC. A star-forming region.
Open Star Cluster A group of tens or hundreds of relatively young stars. 3242 Hya Ghost of Jupiter. Bright blue disk. Mag 11 central star. Dist=2,600 ly.
Opposition When a celestial body is opposite the Sun in the sky. M83 Hya Classic face-on spiral. Discovered in 1752 by Lacaille. In attractive star field.
Leonis Leo Superb pair of golden-yellow giant stars. Mags 2.2 & 3.5. Orbit=600 years. Sep=4.4".
Planetary Nebula The remnants of a shell of gas blown off by a star. Monocerotis Mon Triple star. Mags 4.6, 5.0 & 5.4. Requires telescope to view arc-shape. Sep=7.3".
Universal Time (UT) A time system used by astronomers. Also known as Greenwich k Puppis Pup Telescope easily shows two blue-white stars of almost equal brightness. Sep=9.9".
Mean Time. Australian Eastern Standard Time (Sydney, Australia) is UT plus 10 hours. 3132 Vel One of the brightest planetaries. Magnitude 10 central star. Dist=2,600 ly.
M104 Vir Sombrero Galaxy. Almost edge-on spiral galaxy. Protruding central core.
Variable Star A star that changes brightness over a period of time. Virginis Vir Superb pair of mag 3.5 yellow-white stars. Orbit=169 years. At their closest in 2005.
The Evening Sky Map (ISSN 1839-7735) Copyright 20002015 Kym Thalassoudis. All Rights Reserved.