SOUTHERN HEMI SPHERE VERSI ON
]
[
GETTI NG STARTED I N
ASTRONOMY
AN EASY GUIDE TO
EXPLORING THE
UNIVERSE
I NCLUDES A MOON MAP AND STAR CHARTS
FROM THE
EDITORS OF
®
SkyandTelescope.com
Southern Hemi sphere Versi on
Your First Steps
®
in Astronomy
SkyandTelescope.com
Astronomy doesn t deserve
DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU can see a galaxy way around the sky. They also give you a
21D 2 million light-years away with your view that s right side up and straight in
its reputation as a tough,
unaided eye? Or that you can see craters front of you, making it easy to see where
on the Moon with ordinary binoculars? you re pointing. Binoculars are fairly inex-
expensive hobby to get
These and countless other wonders await pensive, widely available, and easy to carry
your gaze every clear night. The first step and store. They re also versatile; you can
into. You just need
is simply to look up and ask,  What s switch from terrestrial to celestial viewing
that? And when you do, you ll take the in an instant. And their performance is
to begin with the right
first step toward a lifetime of cosmic surprisingly respectable. Ordinary 7- to 10-
exploration and enjoyment. What s the power binoculars improve on the unaided
advice.
best way to get started on this exciting eye about as much as a good amateur tele-
adventure? scope improves on binoculars  and at a
far lower cost. For astronomy, the larger
When It s Time for a Telescope,
Read It and Reap the front lenses are, the better. High optical
The joy of astronomy comes from finding quality is important too. But any binocu- Plunge in Deep
Eventually you ll be ready for your first tele-
your way around the starry sky and lars already knocking around the back of
scope. This is no time to skimp on quality.
understanding what you see. A great place your closet are enough to launch your
The telescope you want has two essentials.
to start is your local library or bookstore. amateur-astronomy career.
One is high-quality,  diffraction-limited
Browse the astronomy shelf for beginner s
optics. The other is a solid, steady, smooth-
guides that will teach you about the Use Maps and Guidebooks
ly working mount. You may also want large
Moon, planets, and constellations. Check Once you ve learned your way around the
aperture (size), but don t lose sight of port-
the magazine rack for Sky & Telescope, the night sky, binoculars can keep you busy
ability and convenience. Remember, the
hobby s essential monthly magazine. It for years. With good maps and reference
best telescope for you is the one you ll actu-
offers practical tips for observers as well as books, you can identify dozens of the
ally use.
articles on many fascinating astronomical Moon s craters, plains, and mountains.
topics. Binoculars will show you the ever-chang- Many telescopes have built-in comput-
ers and motors that will point them to any
Another great resource is the World ing positions of Jupiter s moons and the
of thousands of celestial objects at the
Wide Web. Start at Sky & Telescope s site, crescent phases of Venus. They ll also
push of a few buttons. These are a lot of
SkyandTelescope.com, or you can use any reveal most of the 109  M objects, the star
fun to use and can help you locate sights
search utility to look up topics such as clusters, galaxies, and nebulae cataloged by
you might otherwise overlook. But it s still
 amateur astronomy or  stargazing. 18th-century astronomer Charles Messier.
Binoculars will let you split scores of col- helpful to know your way around the sky
 especially if your batteries run out!
Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes orful double stars and allow you to follow
It s true that telescopes can cost many
Go out on any clear, dark night and famil- the fadings and brightenings of numerous
thousands of dollars, but it s also true that
iarize yourself with the star patterns over- variable stars. All this and more is possible
some good ones can be had for only a few
head, using the constellation maps on the  but only if you know where to look and
hundred dollars. Can t afford the scope
following pages. what to look for. Moreover, the skills you ll
you want? Save up until you can. Another
If you live in a brightly lit city or town, develop using maps and guidebooks with
year of using binoculars while building a
find a place where there s less light pollu- binoculars are exactly the skills you ll need
savings account will be time you ll never
tion (or at least a spot free from the glare to put a telescope to good use.
regret.
of nearby lights) so you can see more
stars. The ability to look up and say, Seek Out Other Amateurs
Relax and Have Fun
 There s Alpha Centauri! or  That s There s nothing like sharing an interest with
Don t get upset if you can t find a particu-
Saturn! will provide pleasure  and a others. There are hundreds of astronomy
lar object or because the view in your tele-
sense of your place in the cosmos  for clubs worldwide; Sky & Telescope s Web site
scope is less than perfect. Learn to take
the rest of your life. includes a directory of them. Call a club
pleasure in whatever your eyes, binoculars,
near you to find out when it holds meetings
or telescope can show you. The more you
Start with Binoculars or all-night observing sessions called  star
look, the more you ll see. Set your own
Binoculars are an ideal  first telescope parties. These events offer a wonderful
pace, and revel in the beauty and mystery
for several reasons. They show you a wide opportunity to try out different telescopes,
of our amazing universe!
field of view, making it easy to find your learn new skills, and make friends.
© 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
Southern Hemi sphere Versi on
Finding Your Way
®
Among the Stars
SkyandTelescope.com
and the LMC is to the right and a little high-
Looking Deeper
er  just the way they look in the southern
Take the maps out often, and try to learn a
Here s how to use our bimonthly
and southwestern sky. Nearly overhead, as
new constellation each night. You are estab-
star charts to identify your
you crane your neck up, are the bright stars
lishing the landmarks you ll need for find-
evening stars and constellations. Alpha (Ä…) and Beta (²) Centauri, with the
ing your way when you start using binocu-
little constellation Crux  the Southern
lars or a telescope.
CAN YOU SPOT THE SOUTHERN CROSS? Orion? Cross  to their right.
Once you know at least some constella-
The Large Magellanic Cloud? Your explo-
tions fairly well, you can start exploring the
ration of the universe begins with learning Tips for Success
sky a lot more deeply with optical aid. For
the stars in your evening sky. But different Find a dark viewing site and bring a dim
this you ll need larger star charts that show
constellations are visible at different times of flashlight to read the map by. It s best to use
more close-up detail.
year and hours of the night, depending on red light, which helps preserve your night
The maps here show stars as faint as
your latitude and which way the night side vision.
magnitude 4.5. This is about as faint as you
of our planet is facing. When you start out, look only for the
can see with the naked eye through subur-
The accompanying charts will help you brightest stars on the map, those depicted
ban light pollution. Also plotted are some
get oriented. They re designed for skywatch- with the biggest dots. Mentally blank out the
interesting objects for binoculars or small
ers in midsouthern latitudes such as Aus- fainter ones if you are in a city or suburb (or
telescopes: star clusters, nebulae, and galax-
tralia, southern Africa, and parts of South in bright moonlight); they will be invisible or
ies. When hunting for these faint sights
America. Each represents the entire sky at nearly so through the  light pollution. But
you ll have an easier time if you use larger
the dates and times printed on it. Find a wherever you are, remember that there is a
charts that show stars to at least as faint as
chart appropriate for your date, and go out much bigger difference between bright and
magnitude 6. (Higher magnitude numbers
within an hour or so of the time listed. faint stars in the sky than is suggested on the
mean fainter stars.)
chart.
People who get serious about using a tel-
How the Charts Work Remember that the chart is a very
escope will want even more detailed sky
The round edge of each chart represents your reduced representation of the real sky. To
charts  ones that show stars as faint as
horizon, with compass directions labeled. see how reduced, hold your hand at arm s
magnitude 8 or so. Sky Atlas 2000.0 by Wil
Turn the map around so the edge marked length with your fingers fully spread as
Tirion and Roger W. Sinnott is the set most
with the direction you re facing (north, east, wide as you can. One of these  hand spans
widely used. The latest edition shows 81,000
or whatever) is right-side up. The stars above from thumbtip to little fingertip is about
stars to magnitude 8.5 and 2,700 galaxies,
this horizon on the map will now match the the separation between the LMC and SMC.
star clusters, and nebulae.
stars you re facing. Ignore the rest of the map Compare this with the gap between them
Clear skies!
for now. on the charts. You can work your way
The map s center is overhead (the zen- around by remembering this rule: One
Greek Letters on Star Maps
tih). So a star that s plotted halfway from hand span in the sky is slightly less than an
The brightest stars in each constellation are
the edge to the center can be found about inch on the chart. Pretty tiny!
named with lowercase Greek letters. A con-
halfway up the sky. That is, it will be The maps are drawn for an observer at 35°
stellation s most brilliant star is often called
halfway from horizontal to straight up. south latitude (for example, Sydney, Cape
Alpha, the first letter in the Greek alphabet.
Dot sizes indicate star brightnesses  Town, Santiago). If you re far south of there,
The letters are used with the Latin genitive
the larger the dot, the brighter the star. stars in the southern part of the sky will ap-
form of the constellation name, so the
Example: Let s try the May/June chart. Turn pear higher than the map shows, and stars in
Alpha star of Centaurus is called  Alpha
it so the horizon labeled  Facing SW the north will be lower. If you re far north of
Centauri.
(southwest) is right-side up. About a third 35° latitude, the reverse will be true.
Here is the lowercase Greek alphabet as
of the way from there to the center is the The Moon and planets are not plotted
used by astronomers:
bright star Canopus. Go outside around because they re always changing position.
one of the dates and times listed, face Find the line arcing across each chart Ä… Alpha Ä… Iota Á Rho
southwest, and look a third of the way from labeled  ECLIPTIC. This is the line near ² Beta º Kappa à Sigma
horizontal to straight up. There s Canopus! which the Sun, Moon, and planets always Å‚ Gamma  Lambda Ä Tau
To the left of Canopus is the fuzzy Large travel. It s called the ecliptic because it s ´ Delta Mu Å Upsilon
Magellanic Cloud (LMC), one of our Milky where eclipses can occur. µ Epsilon ½ Nu Ć Phi
Way s satellite galaxies. Still farther left, al- If you see a bright  star near the ecliptic Å› Zeta ¾ Xi Ç Chi
most due south, is the Small Magellanic that s not on the map, you ve located a · Eta ż Omicron È Psi
Cloud (SMC). Turn the chart so the  Facing planet. To figure out which one it is, con- ¸ Theta Ä„ Pi w Omega
South horizon edge is right-side up. When sult the latest issue of Sky & Telescope or
you hold the chart correctly, the SMC is di- visit SkyandTelescope.com and use our
rectly in front of you and not very high up, Interactive Sky Chart.
© 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
Evening Stars in
®
Jan/Feb
for latitude 35 S.
Sout h e rn H e m i sphere
Every issue of Sky & Telescope
SkyandTelescope.com
magazine contains a full-color
star chart for the current month.
When to Use This Chart
How to Use This Chart
Early Jan. 11 p.m.
Go out within an hour or so of the time listed at left.
Late Jan. 10 p.m.
Turn the chart around so the edge marked with the
Early Feb. 9 p.m.
direction you re facing is right-reading. The stars
Late Feb. 8 p.m.
above this horizon on the map now match the stars
in front of you. The map s center is overhead (the
These are standard times. The chart is also
zenith). So a star plotted halfway from the
useful in late October at dawn, late
edge to the center can be found in
November at 3 a.m., and late
the sky about halfway
December at 1 a.m.
from horizontal to
straight up.
Zenith
Ä…
COLUMBA
Canopus
OCTANS
Star magnitudes
 1 0 1 2 3 4
g
© 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
g
Ä…
Mira
ng
CETUS
²
N
g
o
n
i
r
c
t
h
a
F
Ä…
Capella
LYNX
²
PERSEUS
AURIGA
²
Kids
Facing NE
M38
Castor
M36
M37
Ä…
Facing NW
Pollux
GEMINI
²
²
M35
CANCER
Pleiades
Ä…
M44
Aldebaran
Å‚
Ä…
ARIES
E
C
M67
CANIS MINOR
LEO
L
I
Ä…
P
Å‚
TAURUS
T
I
Betelgeuse
C
Ä…
Procyon
Ä…
ORION
µ
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M
Å›
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N
PISCES
²
O
M42
C
ER
²
M50
O
Rigel
S
M48
º
Sirius
CANIS M
M47
LEPUS
Ä…
SEXTANS
²
M
Ä…
46
Ä…
AJOR
M41
²
F
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t
M93
a
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c
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µ
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PUPPIS
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Car
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LP
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U
PHOENIX
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CHAMAELEON
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Å‚
U
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SC
Å‚
CRU
A
47 Tu
Ä…
Southern
X
Cross
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C
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e
TUCANA
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PISCIS AUSTRINUS
C
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Facing SE
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TA
²
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R
Ä…
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GRUS
S
TRIANG
ULUM
Ä…
AU
STRALE
INDUS
Facing SW
PAVO
Ä…
CIRCINUS
LUPUS
Ä…
Variable star
Open cluster
Globular cluster
Galaxy
Planetary nebula
Diffuse nebula
F
h
a
t
c
u
i
n
o
S
Evening Stars in
®
Mar/Apr
for latitude 35 S.
Sout h e rn H e m i sphere
Every issue of Sky & Telescope
SkyandTelescope.com
magazine contains a full-color
star chart for the current month.
When to Use This Chart How to Use This Chart
Early Mar. 10 p.m. Go out within an hour or so of the time listed at left.
Late Mar. 9 p.m. Turn the chart around so the edge marked with the
Early Apr. 8 p.m. direction you re facing is right-reading. The stars
Late Apr. 7 p.m. above this horizon on the map now match the stars
in front of you. The map s center is overhead (the
These are standard times. The chart is also zenith). So a star plotted halfway from the
useful in early December at dawn, early edge to the center can be found in
January at 2 a.m., and early the sky about halfway
February at midnight. from horizontal to
straight up.
Zenith
Star magnitudes
 1 0 1 2 3 4
g S
© 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
CORVUS
A N T L I A
ng
M93
g
N
g
n
o
i
r
c
t
a
h
F
MAJOR
LYNX
URSA
Facing N
AURIGA
MINOR
M38
Ä…
or
E
ast
C
LE0
M36
37
M
Facing NW
ollux
P
²
²
BERENICES
M35
GEMINI
M44
Sick
COMA
CANCER
le
LEO
·
an
Regulus
Ä…
Å‚
²
M67
Aldebar
MINOR
Hyades
CANIS
n
Ä…
o
Ä…
y
c
o
Ä…
se
Pr
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S
O
elg
t
Be
Å‚
SEXTANS
CER
O
TAURUS
N
ORION
O
Ä…
Alphar
´
M
Å›
M50
M48
µ
d
H
Y
D
R
A
42
M47
M
CRATER
VIRGO
M46
R
²
Ä…
Ä…
º
Sirius
AJO
²
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M
R
CANIS
F
²
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t
41
a
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Ä…
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LEPUS
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CENTAURUS
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Ä…
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·
CARINA
Å‚
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CAELUM
C
Å‚
2516
CRUX
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PICTOR
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²
Southern
4755
µ
²
²
VOLANS
Cross
or
·
30 D
MUSCA
Ä…
DORADO
Large
²
FORNAX
Magellanic
CHAMAELEON
Cloud
Ä…
RETICULUM
L
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U
CIRCINUS
S
HOROLOGIUM
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TRIANGULUM
chernar
AUSTRALE
A
HYDRUS
all
NORMA
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N
ic
S
Ä…
ellan
Ä…
ag
M
Facing SE
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lo
C
47 Tuc
ARA
Facing SW
PHOENIX
NGC
PAVO
6397
TUCANA
Variable star
Open cluster
Globular cluster
Galaxy
Planetary nebula
Diffuse nebula
F
a
h
t
c
u
i
n
o
Evening Stars in
®
May/Jun
for latitude 35 S.
Sout h e rn H e m i sphere
Every issue of Sky & Telescope
SkyandTelescope.com
magazine contains a full-color
star chart for the current month.
When to Use This Chart How to Use This Chart
Early May 10 p.m. Go out within an hour or so of the time listed at left.
Late May 9 p.m. Turn the chart around so the edge marked with the
Early June 8 p.m. direction you re facing is right-reading. The stars
Late June 7 p.m. above this horizon on the map now match the stars
in front of you. The map s center is overhead (the
These are standard times. The chart is also zenith). So a star plotted halfway from the
useful in early February at dawn, early edge to the center can be found in
March at 2 a.m., and early April at the sky about halfway
midnight. from horizontal to
straight up.
Zenith
É Cen
CRUX
Å‚
Southern
²
Cross
Ä…
Star magnitudes
47 Tuc
 1 0 1 2 3 4
g S
© 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
g E
ng
PYXIS
N
g
o
n
i
r
c
t
h
a
F
M51
VENATICI
MAJOR
URSA
CANES
Facing NE
BOÖTES
BOREALIS
CORONA
MINOR
Facing NW
LE0
M3
HERCULES
BERENICES
Ä…
COMA
Arcturus
le
Ä…
Sick
CANCER
LEO
²
(CAPUT)
SERPENS
M44
Ä…
Regulus
VIRGO
Ä…
Ä…
C
I
T
P
I
M67
L
C
E
M5
OPHIUCHUS
M12
Ä…
n
o
INOR
Spica
y
c
CANIS
M
SEXTANS
o
CORVUS
(CAUD
SERPENS
Pr
CRATER
M
Ä…
LIBRA
10
Ä…
d
F
t
A)
a
H
Y
D
R
A
s
Alphar
c
e
M48
´
i
n
W
·
Ä…
¸
M4
M19
SCORPIUS
i
a
M23
Antares
SCUTUM
c
s
M17
a
t
ANTLIA
M11
F
M46
M20
MONOCEROS
·
Å‚
M62
µ
Ä…
M47
´
CENTAURUS
M25
M8
M21
M6
LUPUS
M93
NORMA


M22
M
²
SAGITTARIUS
Ä…
º
Car
7
Sirius
·
4755
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Ã
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A
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CIRCINUS
Ä…
·
Å›
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Ä…
Å›
Å‚
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PUPPIS
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Ä…
TRIANGULUM
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6397
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AUSTRALE
MUSCA
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Ä…
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RO
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CANIS
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APUS
2516
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PAVO
Ä…
anopus
OCTANS
C
PICTOR
Ä…
30 Dor
Ä…
COLUMBA
²
Large
Facing SE
Magellanic
Cloud
DORADO
INDUS
HYDRUS
Facing SW
Small
RETICULUM
Magellanic
Cloud
TUCANA
HOROLOGIUM
nar
Variable star
Open cluster
Globular cluster
Galaxy
Planetary nebula
Diffuse nebula
cher
A
F
a
h
t
c
u
i
n
o
Evening Stars in
®
Jul/Aug
for latitude 35 S.
Sout h e rn H e m i sphere
Every issue of Sky & Telescope
SkyandTelescope.com
magazine contains a full-color
star chart for the current month.
When to Use This Chart How to Use This Chart
Early July 10 p.m. Go out within an hour or so of the time listed at left.
Late July 9 p.m. Turn the chart around so the edge marked with the
Early Aug. 8 p.m. direction you re facing is right-reading. The stars
Late Aug. 7 p.m. above this horizon on the map now match the stars
g
in front of you. The map s center is overhead (the
These are standard times. The chart is also zenith). So a star plotted halfway from the
useful in late April at 3 a.m., late May at 1 edge to the center can be found in
a.m., and late June at 11 p.m. the sky about halfway
from horizontal to
straight up.
´
Antares
Ä…
M4
Ä
ZenithSCORPIUS

¸
TRIANGULUM
AUSTRALE
Ä…
APUS
OCTANS
Large
Star magnitudes
Magellanic
 1 0 1 2 3 4
Cloud
30 Dor
DORADO
ng
© 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
SAGITTARIUS
M6
ng
M7
We
N
g
o
n
i
r
t
c
h
a
F
M92
Ä…
Vega
Facing NE
13
M
LYRA
²
CYGNUS
Ç
Å‚
BOÖTES
BOREALIS
M
57
CORONA
Facing NW
Albireo
M3
HERCULES
Ä…
VULPECULA
M27
Ä…
SA
Å‚
G
ITTA
Ä…
COMA BERENICES
Ä…
D
(CAPUT)
Arcturus
ELPH
AQUILA
SERPENS
IN
Altair
US
Ä…
OPHIUCHUS
M15
EQUULEUS
(CAUDA)
M5
SERPENS
M12
µ
·
M10
PEGASUS
VIRGO
SCUTUM
M11
M2
AQUARIUS
·
M17
LIBRA
M25
M
23
E
C
M22
L
I
P
T
I
C
Ä…
M8
F
a
Spica
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CAPRICORNUS
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s
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LUPUS
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CRATER
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NGC
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ARA
INDUS
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Ä…
CIRCINUS
Å‚
Fomalhaut
HYDRA
Ä…
PAVO
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Ä…
GRUS
´
²
Å‚
SCULPTOR
Southern
Cross
Ä…
²
CRUX
SCA
U
M
TUCANA
Car
·
ANTLIA
IC 2602
47 Tuc
CHAMAELEON
Ä…
Small
PHOENIX
²
Magellanic
Ä…
Facing SE
VELA
Cloud
HYDRUS

VOLANS
Achernar
´
µ
Ä…
Facing SW
2516
Å‚
CARINA
²
RETICULUM
PICTOR
Variable star
Open cluster
Globular cluster
Galaxy
Planetary nebula
Diffuse nebula
F
h
a
t
c
u
i
o
S
Evening Stars in
®
Sep/Oct
for latitude 35 S.
Sout h e rn H e m i sphere
Every issue of Sky & Telescope
SkyandTelescope.com
magazine contains a full-color
star chart for the current month.
When to Use This Chart How to Use This Chart
Early Sept. 10 p.m. Go out within an hour or so of the time listed at left.
Late Sept. 9 p.m. Turn the chart around so the edge marked with the
Early Oct. 8 p.m. direction you re facing is right-reading. The stars
Late Oct. Dusk above this horizon on the map now match the stars
in front of you. The map s center is overhead (the
These are standard times. The chart is also zenith). So a star plotted halfway from the
useful in early June at 4 a.m., early July at edge to the center can be found in
2 a.m., and early August at mid- the sky about halfway
night. from horizontal to
straight up.
M30
Zenith
Ä…
PAVO
Star magnitudes
 1 0 1 2 3 4
g S
© 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
CETU S
Mira
ng
g
N
g
n
o
i
r
c
t
h
a
F
Deneb
S
CYGNU
Ä…
LACERTA
Å‚
Facing NE
Vega
Ä…
M29
LYRA
µ
ANDROMEDA
Ç
M57
Ä…
²
Facing NW
Albireo
M27
VULPECULA
PEGASUS
HERCULES
DELPHINUS
SAGITTA
Ä…
M15
µ
Å‚
Ä…
Ä…
Altair
Ä…
EQUULEUS
PISCES
AQUILA
M2
·
E
C
L
I
P
T
I
C
(CAUDA)
SERPENS
AQUARIUS
M11
OPHIUCHUS
SCUTUM
M10
M16
M12
CAPRICORNUS
M25
F
t
Fomalhaut
a
M17
AUSTRINUS
M22
(CAPUT)
s
·
SERPENS
c
Ã
e
PISCIS
i
²
W
SCULPTOR
Ä…
M8
E
n
i
a
c
s
µ
M6
t
a
GRUS
M7
F
Ä…
Ä…
SAGITTARIUS

Ä…
INDUS
²
CORONA
µ
´
Ä…
LIBRA
M4
AUSTRALIS
SCORPIUS
PHOENIX
¸
Antares
FORNAX
Ä…
6752
TELESCOPIUM
ERID
TUCANA
ARA
A
ERIDANUS
N
Achernar
U
NORMA
S
47 Tuc
Small
Magellanic
Ä…
LUPUS
Ä…
Cloud
HYDRA
H
HYDRUS
·
O
RO
Ä…
OCTANS
TRIANGULUM
LO
AUSTRALE
Å‚
G
APUS
¸
IU
CIRCINUS
Ä…
M
R
ETIC
U
LU
M
µ
²
Large
Magellanic
Ä…
DORADO
Cloud
Facing SE
Cen
30 Dor
É
4755
CENTAURUS
AELEON
CRUX
CHAM
²
²
MUSCA
Southern
Cross
Ä…
PICTOR
Å‚
Å‚
Facing SW
VO
LANS
²
IC 2602
´
Ä…
Canopus
2516
Car
·
CARINA
Ä…
Variable star
Open cluster
Globular cluster
Galaxy
Planetary nebula
Diffuse nebula
µ
F
a
h
t
c
u
i
n
o
Evening Stars in
®
Nov/Dec
for latitude 35 S.
Sout h e rn H e m i sphere
Every issue of Sky & Telescope
SkyandTelescope.com
magazine contains a full-color
star chart for the current month.
When to Use This Chart How to Use This Chart
Early Nov. Midnight Go out within an hour or so of the time listed at left.
Late Nov. 11 p.m. Turn the chart around so the edge marked with the
Early Dec. 10 p.m. direction you re facing is right-reading. The stars
Late Dec. 9 p.m. above this horizon on the map now match the stars
in front of you. The map s center is overhead (the
These are standard times. The chart is also zenith). So a star plotted halfway from the
useful in early August at dawn, early edge to the center can be found in
September at 4 a.m., and early the sky about halfway
October at 2 a.m. from horizontal to
straight up.
Zenith
47 Tuc
APUS
Star magnitudes
 1 0 1 2 3 4
CIRCINUS
Ä…
g S
© 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
Sirius
CANIS MAJOR
Ä…
²
ng
M41
´
µ
·
g
g
n
N
i
c
o
a
r
h
F
t
Ä…
Ä…
PERSEUS
Capella
Å‚
Algol
Kids
M31
AURIGA
²
Facing NE
M38
²
M36
ANDROMEDA
33
M
TRIANGULUM
M37
Facing NW
Ä…
²
Pleiades
²
M35
G
Ä…
EM
ARIES
IN
Hyades
I
Aldebaran
Ä…
E
C
L
I
TAURUS
P
PEGASUS
T
I
C
Å‚
PISCES
Ä…
Å‚
Ä…
ORION
Betelgeuse
CANIS MINOR
Mira
´
µ
Circlet
Å›
MONOCEROS
CETUS
²
M42
Ä…
Procyon
ERIDANUS
Rigel
º
M
50
Ä…
LEPUS
²
F
t
²
a
s
M47
c
e
i
FORNAX
M48
W
AQUARIUS
M
f
E
n
i
46
CAELUM
a
c
s
M93
COLUMBA
a
t
Ä…
F
HOROLOGIUM
SCULPTOR
Fomalhaut
PUPPIS
PISCIS
Canopus
Achernar
AUSTRINUS
PHOENIX
RETICULUM
M30
Ä…
Ä…
Achernar
D
O
²
R
A
Å›
D
PICTOR
O
CARINA
²
Large
Ä…
CAPRICORNUS
Magellanic
PYXIS
GRUS
Å‚
Cloud
NGC
HYDRUS
2516
30 Dor
TUCANA
Small
´
µ
INDUS
Magellanic
VOLANS

Cloud
VELA
Ä…
²
CHAMAELEON
Ä…
OCTANS
PAVO
IC 2602
Facing SE
·
A
Car
N
MUSCA
RO
CO
STRALIS
Ä…
AU
S
outhern
Facing SW
Ä…
C
ross
TRIANGULUM
CRUX
TELESCOPIUM
AUSTRALE
4755
Å‚
ARA
²
²
CENTAURUS
Variable star
Open cluster
Globular cluster
Galaxy
Planetary nebula
Diffuse nebula
F
a
c
h
t
i
n
u
o
®
Exploring the Moon
SkyandTelescope.com
The Moon is by far the most rewarding ce- waxing (growing) crescent, we see the parts Refractors and Cassegrain reflectors give
lestial object for a small telescope. Even a on the right edge of the map. At first-quarter mirror images when used with a star diago-
very small instrument will reveal its bleak, phase we see the entire right half, and so on. nal; so does any other instrument contain-
blasted landscape of mountain ranges, To use this lunar map, turn the chart ing an odd number of mirrors. If you find
plains, hills, valleys, and craters. Even until it matches your view. Note: Some tele- this to be a problem, take out the star diag-
binoculars show many features, and there scopes give a mirror image, which will not onal and view  straight through. A correct
are enough interesting sites on the Moon to match this map no matter how you turn it. image is much easier to compare with any
keep a telescopic explorer busy forever. map.
You ll notice right away that except Once the map is oriented, it will be
when the Moon is full, it is divid- simple to identify the major craters,
ed by the terminator, the line mountains, and other features.
separating lunar day and In time, the geography of
MARE
FRI GORI S
night. Here is where this alien world will be-
Aristoteles
detail shows best. come as familiar to
Plato
When the you as that of
Atlas
Moon is a SI NUS Hercules
our own.
I RI DUM
Pico
MARE Piton
I MBRI UM
MARE
Archimedes
SERENI TATI S
MARE
Aristarchus
CRI SI UM
Eratosthenes
OCEANUS MARE
MARE
Plinius
UNDARUM
VAPORUM
MARE
SI NUS
AESTUUM MARE
TRANQUI LLI TATI S
SPUMANS
Copernicus
Kepler
MARE
SI NUS
MEDI I
FECUNDITATIS
PROCELLARUM
Grimaldi
Langrenus
Theophilus
Ptolemaeus
Cyrillus
MARE
Alphonsus NECTARI S
Gassendi
MARE
Arzachel
Fracastorius
NUBI UM
MARE
HUMORUM
Maurolycus
Tycho
Tycho
Longomontanus
Clavius
© 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
ALPS
SINUS
MTS
RORIS
LACUS
SOMNIORUM
CAUCASUS
MTS
PA
SOMNI
L
U
S
APENNINE MTS
APENNINE MTS
y
or
at
v
ser
b
alley
O
V
Rheita
UCO/Lick