Night sky map

March 2016

STAR BRIGHTNESS
Zero or brighter
st
STAR BRIGHTNESS
1 magnitude
nd
Zero or brighter
2
st
rd
1 magnitude
3
2nd
4th
3rd
Leo (the Lion)
4th

Gemini (the Twins)

First Quarter
Moon on 16th

Jupiter
CANIS MINOR

STAR BRIGHTNESS
Zero or brighter
P
st
1 magnitude
nd
2
3rd
4th

SEXTANS
JUPITER

ORIONS BELT
HYDRA

Canis Major
(the Great Dog)

Orion (the Hunter)

M42

Sirius

CORVUS
FALSE CROSS
Canopus
Eta Carina
SOUTHERN CROSS
ERIDANUS

Gamma Crucis
Beta Crucis

POINTERS

CHART KEY
Bright star
Faint star
Ecliptic
Milky Way
Celestial Equator
P Planet
LMC or Large Magellanic Cloud
SMC or Small Magellanic Cloud

MOON PHASE
Last quarter
New Moon
First quarter
Full Moon

02nd
09nd
16th
23rd

THE CHART

HIGHLIGHTS IN MARCH 2016

The star chart shows the stars and constellations visible in

the night sky for Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart and
Adelaide for March at about 9 pm (summer time) and at
about 8 pm (local standard time) for Perth and Brisbane. 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 on the star chart. To use
this star chart, rotate the chart 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 point, and the outer circular
edge represents the horizon.

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 16th.
Jupiter, the largest of the planets in our solar
system, can be seen in the eastern sky. The
autumnal equinox falls on the 20th of March,
when the sun crosses from the southern to the
northern part of the sky. Prominent in the sky
this month, are the constellations of Canis
Major (the Great Dog), Orion (the Hunter),
Gemini (the Twins) and Leo (the Lion). Crux
(the Southern Cross) is low in the south
eastern sky.

Sydney Observatory is part of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. The Sydney Observatory night sky map was created by Dr M. Anderson using the TheSky
software. This months edition was prepared by B.Dew & Dr R Chhetri. 2016 Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney.