Australasian Science — May-June 2017

MAY/JUNE 2017 | | 51

AUSTrALASiAN SKy

Sydney O bserv atory is part of th e Museum of Applied Arts and Scie nces. Th e Sydney O bserv atory night sky map was created by Dr M. Anderson using the TheSky

software. T his mo nth’s edition was prepared by Bre nan Dew. © 201 7 Mus eum of A pplied Arts and Scie nces, Sydney.

STAR BRIGHTNESS

Zero or brighter

1 st magnitude

2 nd^

3 rd

4 th

Brigh t star

Faint st ar

Ecliptic Milk y Way

Celestial Equator

Pla net

LMC or Large Magellanic Cl oud

SMC or Sm all Magellanic Cl oud

P

CHART KEY

HIGHLIGHTS IN JUNE 2017

This m onth marks t he beginning of winter wit h the winter

solstic e, the shortest day of the year in the Southern

Hemisphere , h appening on the 21st. Jupiter ca n be

found high in the north, wit hin the constell ation of Virgo

(the Maiden). T he planet Saturn, can be found in the

east, withi n the constell ation of Ophiuchus (t he serpent -

bearer). Prominent in the sky this m onth are t he

constellations of Leo (the Lion), Vir go (t he Maiden), Libra

(the Scales), Sc orpius (t he Scorpion ) and Centaurus (t he

Centaur). Crux (t he Southern Cross), c an be found high

in the sky i n the same upright-orientation that we see on

the Australian fla g. Cr ux can easily be located as it is

always adjacent to t he so-called Pointer st ars of

Centaurus.

THE CHART

The star chart s hows t he st ars and constellatio ns visi ble

in the ni ght sky for Syd ney, M elbourne, Canberra,

Hobart a nd Adelai de for June 2017 at about 7:30 pm

(local st andard tim e). For Darwin and simil ar locations

the chart will still apply, but som e stars will be lost off t he

southern e dge whil e extra st ars will be visi ble to the

north. St ars down to a brightness or magnitude limit of

4.5 are shown on the star chart. T o use this st ar chart,

rotate the chart s o that the dir ection you are facing

(north, so uth, east or west) is s hown at th e bottom. The

centre of the chart r epresents t he point directly above

your head, called the zenith point, a nd the outer circ ular

edge represents t he horizo n.

STSTAR BRIGHTNESSAR BRIGHTNESS

Zero or brighter

magnitude

nd

Bright star

Faint star

Ecliptic Milky Way

Celestial Equator

Planet

LMC or Large Magellanic Cloud

SMC or Small Magellanic Cloud

CHART KEY

HYDRA

HYDRA

Antares M4

M 7

Zubeneschamali

Zubenelakrab Zubenelgenubi

LIBRA

Coalsack

NORMA Alpha Centauri

OCTANS

CARINA

POI NTERS CRUX

DIAMOND CROSS FALSE CRO SS

β-crucis Eta Carina

Centre of the Galaxy M6 Jewel Box α-crucis

Vindemiatrix Denebola

Spica

CORVUS

M 104

CENTAURUS NGC 5139 SOUTHERN CCCROSSROSSROSS

Virgo galaxy c luster

Virgo galaxy c luster

Sigma Oct antis

MOON PHASE

First quarter 01st

Full Moon 09th

Last quarter

New Moon^

17th^

24th

First quarter on the 1stMoon

P Jupiter

Saturn P

June 2017