Sydney Observatory night sky map

A map for each month of the year, to help you learn about the night sky
July 2014
www.sydneyobservatory.com
This star chart shows the stars and constellations visible in the night sky for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart,
Adelaide and Perth for July 2014 at about 7.30pm (local standard time). For Darwin and similar locations the chart will still apply,
but some stars will be lost off the southern edge while extra stars will be visible to the north. Stars down to a brightness or
magnitude limit of 4.5 are shown. To use this star chart, rotate it so that the direction you are facing (north, south, east or west)
is shown at the bottom. The centre of the chart represents the point directly above your head, called the zenith, and the outer
circular edge represents the horizon.

South Celestial Pole
LMC
SMC
Centre of the Galaxy
ANTLIA
APUS
AQUILA
ARA
BOOTES
CANES VENATICI
CANIS MAJOR
CAPRICORNUS
CARINA
CENTAURUS
CHAMAELEON
CIRCINUS
COLUMBA
COMA BERENICES
CORONA AUSTRALIS
CORONA BOREALIS
CORVUS
CRATER
CRUX
DORADO
GRUS
HERCULES
HOROLOGIUM
HYDRA
HYDRUS
INDUS
LEO
LEO MINOR
LIBRA
LUPUS
LYRA
MENSA
MICROSCOPIUM
MUSCA
NORMA
OCTANS
OPHIUCHUS
PAVO
PHOENIX
PICTOR
PISCIS AUSTRINUS
PUPPIS
PYXIS
RETICULUM
SAGITTA
SAGITTARIUS
SCORPIUS
SCUTUM
SERPENS
SEXTANS
TELESCOPIUM
TRIANGULUM AUSTRALE
TUCANA
URSA MAJOR
VELA
VIRGO
VOLANS
SERPENS
Achernar
Adhara
Alpha Centauri
Altair
Antares
Arcturus
Canopus
Hadar
Mimosa
Regulus
Spica
Vega
Zubenelgenubi
N o r t h
N
E
E
a
s
t
S
E
South
S
W
W
e
s
t
N
W


The planet Saturn can be seen in Libra near the star Zubenelgenubi. On 6th July, the gibbous Moon and Mars are close together
and are located near the star Spica. The best time to view the Moon with a small telescope or binoculars is a few days either side
of the first quarter Moon on the 5th. This month the constellations of Scorpius (the Scorpion) and Crux (the Southern Cross) are
high in the sky. The Southern Cross is easily located using the two nearby Pointer stars. The brighter of the Pointers, Alpha
Centauri, is the nearest star system to the Sun. Near the end of the Scorpions tail is the unofficial constellation of the Tea Pot.



Sydney Observatory, with a magnificent view overlooking Sydney Harbour, is open 10am to 5pm
daily except closed Good Friday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and open 10am to noon on
New Years Eve. Open Monday to Saturday for night sessions (times vary depending on the
season) for sky viewing through one of our telescopes (cosy planetarium session if cloudy), and
3D movies about the Universe. Bookings are essential for night programs.

For more information, check the website at www.sydneyobservatory.com or call (02) 9921 3485.
Sydney Observatory is at Watson Road, Observatory Hill, in the historic Rocks area of Sydney.



Sydney Observatory is part of the Powerhouse Museum. The Sydney Observatory night sky map is prepared by Dr M Anderson using the
software TheSky. 2014 Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney.
Star brightness
Zero or brighter
1
st
magnitude
2
nd

3
rd
4
th

SOUTHERN CROSS
Moon phase
First quarter: 05th
Full moon: 12th
Last quarter: 19th
New moon: 27th
Zubenelgenubi
Moon on 5th
Saturn
Chart key
Bright star
Faint star
Ecliptic
Milky Way
Planet
LMC or Large Magellanic Cloud
SMC or Small Magellanic Cloud
P
OCTANS
TEA POT
CRUX





APUS
TRIANGULUM
AUSTRALE
NORMA
POINTERS

Proxima Centauri
CENTAURUS
Arcturus
BOOTES
CORONA
BOREALIS
SCORPIUS
Antares
Alpha Centauri
Omega Centauri
Regulus
P
Venus on
20th
P
Mars