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CAMELOPARDALIS
URSA
MINOR
CASSIOPEIA
PERSEUS
A
URSA MAJOR
CEPHEUS
O
AQ
PISCES
TRIANGULUM
ARIES
ORION
MONOCEROS
CANIS MINOR
LEPUS
TAURUS
ERIDANUS
ANDROMEDA
LYNX
AURIGA
GEMINI
SCULP
T
PHOENIX
CETUS
FORNAX
Polaris
NCP
M82
M81
M33
M31
M37
M1
M35
M42
M36
M38
Aldebaran
Pleiades
Rigel
Betelgeuse
Hyades
Mira
Pollux Castor
Algol
SGP
Capella
NGC 253
NGC 869
NGC 884
Uranus
38 ASTRONOMY • DECEMBER 2015
STAR
DOME
Sirius
0.0
1.0
2.0
E
N
S
NE
SE
3.0
4.0
5.0
STAR
MAGNITUDES
STAR COLORS
A star’s color depends
on its surface temperature.
- The hottest stars shine blue
- Slightly cooler stars appear white
- Intermediate stars (like the Sun) glow yellow
- Lower-temperature stars appear orange
- The coolest stars glow red
- Fainter stars can’t excite our eyes’ color
receptors, so they appear white unless you
use optical aid to gather more light
How to use this map: This map portrays the
sky as seen near 35° north latitude. Located
inside the border are the cardinal directions
and their intermediate points. To find
stars, hold the map overhead and
orient it so one of the labels matches
the direction you’re facing. The
stars above the map’s horizon
now match what’s in the sky.
The all-sky map shows
how the sky looks at:
9 P.M. December 1
8 P.M. December 15
7 P.M. December 31
Planets are shown
at midmonth