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The Evening Sky Map

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Sky Calendar – April 2020
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THE NIGHT SKY LOOKS
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http://twitter.com/skymaps AR ac
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EARLY APR 8 PM
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First Quarter Moon at 10:21 UT.

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LATE APR 7 PM
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Moon near Beehive cluster M44 (evening sky) at 8h UT.

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(46° from Sun, evening sky) at 2h UT. Mags. –4.4 and 2.9.

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4 Moon near Regulus (evening sky) at 22h UT.

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Moon at perigee (closest to Earth) at 17:59 UT

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Moon near Spica (midnight sky) at 12h UT.
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11 Moon near Antares (morning sky) at 15h UT.
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THE SKY DIRECTLY OVERH

Rigel
14 Last Quarter Moon at 22:56 UT.

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32
M104
15 Moon near Jupiter (morning sky) at 0h UT. Mag. –2.2.

42
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M41
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oculars or a telescope.
15 Moon, Jupiter and Saturn within a circle of diam.

WEST
IS
Spica
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5.5° (morning sky) at 7h UT. Mags. –2.2 and 0.6.

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7
247
15 Moon near Saturn (morning sky) at 11h UT. Mag. 0.6.
IC

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16 Moon near Mars (morning sky) at 6h UT. Mag. 0.6.
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20 Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 19h UT

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IC 2391 254
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(distance 406,462 km; angular size 29.4').

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its peak. Observing conditions are optimal in 2020.

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23 New Moon at 2:26 UT. Start of lunation 1204.
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26 Moon near Aldebaran (evening sky) at 3h UT. A
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26 Moon near Venus (evening sky) at 18h UT. Mag. –4.5. Galaxy

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28 Venus at its brightest at 15h UT. Mag. –4.52.
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30 Moon near Beehive cluster M44 (evening sky) at 15h UT. OE
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30 First Quarter Moon at 20:38 UT. US ky t
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More sky events and links at http://Skymaps.com/skycalendar/ TH m
E S onth
PAV O l l at i
TO - Open Star Cluster
KY . 6752 ste N-
All times in Universal Time (UT). (Australian Eastern Standard Time = UT + 10 hours.) MA e c o n RI ZO Globular Star Cluster
PT T h H O
O M
FI N Fro
ms F RO
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 Easily Seen with the Naked Eye

SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
APRIL 2020
About the Celestial Objects
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 β 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 α 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 Castor Gem Multiple star system with 6 components. 3 stars visible in telescope. Dist=52 ly.
binoculars. They are grouped in this way to highlight objects that can be seen using Pollux Gem With Castor, the twin sons of Leda in classical mythology. Dist=34 ly.
Regulus Leo Brightest star in Leo. A blue-white star with at least 1 companion. Dist=77 ly.
the optical equipment that may be available to the star gazer. Rigel Ori The brightest star in Orion. Blue supergiant star with mag 7 companion. Dist=770 ly.
Betelgeuse Ori One of the largest red supergiant stars known. Diameter=300 times that of Sun. Dist=430 ly.
Tips for Observing the Night Sky Spica Vir 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, Easily Seen with Binoculars
nebulae, and galaxies, it’s always best to observe from a dark location. Avoid direct

CELESTIAL OBJECTS
M44 Cnc Praesepe or Beehive Cluster. Visible to the naked eye. Dist=590±20 ly.
light from street lights and other sources. If possible observe from a dark location M41 CMa First recorded observation by Aristotle in 325 BC as "cloudy spot". Dist=2,300 ly.
away from the light pollution that surrounds many of today’s large cities. 2516 Car Spectacular open star cluster of 100 stars spaning 1/2 deg. Dist=1,300 ly.
You will see more stars after your eyes adapt to the darkness—usually about 10 to 2808 Car Located 4 deg W of Nu Carinae. Visible to the naked eye on clear nights.
20 minutes after you go outside. Also, if you need to use a torch to view the sky R Carinae Car Long period variable. Magnitude varies between 3.9 & 10.5 over 309 days.
3114 Car Stunning open cluster. 30+ stars visible through 7x binoculars. Dist=2,900 ly.
map, cover the light bulb with red cellophane. This will preserve your dark vision.
3293 Car Rich, tightly packed. Surrounded by large, faint nebulosity. Dist=8,500 ly.
Finally, even though the Moon is one of the most stunning objects to view IC 2602 Car The "Five of Diamonds". Bright cluster twice diameter of full Moon. Dist=491 ly.
through a telescope, its light is so bright that it brightens the sky and makes many of 3372 Car Eta Carinae Nebula. Enormous glowing cloud in rich star field. Dist=8,000 ly.
the fainter objects very difficult to see. So try to observe the evening sky on 3532 Car Herschel - "most brilliant cluster". 60+ stars in 7x binoculars. Dist=1,300 ly.
moonless nights around either New Moon or Last Quarter. ω 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.
LMC Dor Large Magellanic Cloud. A neighbouring galaxy of the Milky Way. Dist=180,000 ly.
Astronomical Glossary M48 Hya 12+ stars in 7x binoculars. Triangular asterism near centre. Dist=1,990 ly.
R Hydrae Hya Long period variable. Mag varies between 3.0 & 11.0 over 390 days. Brilliant red.
Conjunction – An alignment of two celestial bodies such that they present the least γ Leporis Lep Visible with binoculars. Gold & white stars. Mags 3.6 & 6.2. Dist=30 ly. Sep=96.3".
angular separation as viewed from Earth. 2232 Mon A large scattered star cluster of 20 stars. Dist=1,300 ly.
Constellation – A defined area of the sky containing a star pattern. M50 Mon Visible with binoculars. Telescope reveals individual stars. Dist=3,000 ly.
M42 Ori The Great Orion Nebula. Spectacular bright nebula. Best with telescope. Dist=1,300 light years.
Diffuse Nebula – A cloud of gas illuminated by nearby stars. L2 Pup Semi-regular variable. Magnitude varies between 2.6 & 6.2 over 140.42 days.
Double Star – Two stars that appear close to each other in the sky; either linked by M47 Pup Bright star cluster. 15+ stars in 7x binoculars. Dist=1,500 ly.
gravity so that they orbit each other (binary star) or lying at different distances from M46 Pup Dist=5,400 ly. Contains planetary NGC 2438 (Mag 11, d=65") - not associated.
2451 Pup 30+ stars in binoculars. The brightest star, χ Puppis, is red. Dist=850 ly.
Earth (optical double). Apparent separation of stars is given in seconds of arc ("). 2477 Pup Very rich but distant star cluster (4,200 ly). Resembles globular through binoculars.
Ecliptic – The path of the Sun’s center on the celestial sphere as seen from Earth. 47 Tucanae Tuc Spectacular object. Telescope will reveal stars. Near edge of SMC. Dist=15,000 ly.
SMC Tuc Small Magellanic Cloud. Companion galaxy to Milky Way. Requires dark sky. Dist=210,000 ly.
Elongation – The angular separation of two celestial bodies. For Mercury and Venus
2547 Vel Fine open cluster visible through binoculars. Dist=1,300 ly.
the greatest elongation occurs when they are at their most angular distance from the IC 2391 Vel Omicron Velorum Cluster. Superb object for binoculars. Dist=450 ly.
Sun as viewed from Earth.
Galaxy – A mass of up to several billion stars held together by gravity. Telescopic Objects
M67 Cnc Contains 500+ stars mag 10 & fainter. One of the oldest clusters. Dist=2,350 ly.
Globular Star Cluster – A ball-shaped group of several thousand old stars.
3918 Cen The Blue Planetary. Visible in a small telescope as a round blue disk.
Light Year (ly) – The distance a beam of light travels at 300,000 km/sec in one year. 5128 Cen Bisected by a wide obscuring lane. Strong radio source. Dist=11 million ly.
Magnitude – The brightness of a celestial object as it appears in the sky. 2070 Dor Tarantula Nebula. A bright nebula located in LMC. A star-forming region.
3242 Hya Ghost of Jupiter. Bright blue disk. Mag 11 central star. Dist=2,600 ly.
Open Star Cluster – A group of tens or hundreds of relatively young stars. M83 Hya Classic face-on spiral. Discovered in 1752 by Lacaille. In attractive star field.
Opposition – When a celestial body is opposite the Sun in the sky. γ Leonis Leo Superb pair of golden-yellow giant stars. Mags 2.2 & 3.5. Orbit=600 years. Sep=4.4".
β Monocerotis Mon Triple star. Mags 4.6, 5.0 & 5.4. Requires telescope to view arc-shape. Sep=7.3".
Planetary Nebula – The remnants of a shell of gas blown off by a star. k Puppis Pup Telescope easily shows two blue-white stars of almost equal brightness. Sep=9.9".
Universal Time (UT) – A time system used by astronomers. Also known as Greenwich 3132 Vel One of the brightest planetaries. Magnitude 10 central star. Dist=2,600 ly.
Mean Time. Australian Eastern Standard Time (Sydney, Australia) is UT plus 10 hours. M87 Vir Supergiant galaxy with supermassive black hole at its core. Dist=53.5 million 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. γ Virginis Vir Superb pair of mag 3.5 yellow-white stars. Orbit=169 years. At their closest in 2005.
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