Night sky map May 2016

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

P
Jupiter First Quarter CANIS MINOR
on 15th Moon on 14th
SEXTANS HYDRA

Sirius
HYDRA
FALSE CROSS
Full Moon
SOUTHERN
on 22nd Mars CROSS
P on 22nd

OPHIUCHUS
Mimosa
M4
P Antares
Jewel Box
Saturn Canopus
on 22nd POINTERS

Coalsack
Proxima Centauri

M6

M7 ERIDANUS

CHART KEY
Bright star
Faint star MOON PHASE
Ecliptic Milky Way
New Moon 07th
Celestial Equator
First quarter 14th
P Planet
Full Moon 22nd
LMC or Large Magellanic Cloud
Last quarter 29th
SMC or Small Magellanic Cloud

THE CHART HIGHLIGHTS IN MAY 2016

The star chart shows the stars and constellations visible in The Southern Cross is well placed for
the night sky for Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart and observation as it is now high in the south-east.
Adelaide for March 2015 at about 9 pm (summer time) and The brightest star of the Cross, Acrux, is the
at about 8 pm (local standard time) for Perth and Brisbane. closest to the horizon, while the next brightest,
For Darwin and similar locations the chart will still apply, but Beta Crucis or Mimosa, is to the east. Jupiter is
some stars will be lost off the southern edge while extra stars located in the northern sky in the constellation
will be visible to the north. Stars down to a brightness or of Leo and is directly next to the crescent moon
magnitude limit of 4.5 are shown on the star chart. To use on the 15th. Mars and Saturn appears low in the
this star chart, rotate the chart so that the direction you are east in Scorpius, while the full Moon between
facing (north, south, east or west) is shown at the bottom. the two planets on the 22nd. The Eta Aquariids
The centre of the chart represents the point directly above meteor shower will occur this month. Look for it
your head, called the zenith point, and the outer circular in the eastern sky in the early morning of the 6th.
edge represents the horizon.

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 Dr Dimitri Douchin. 2016 Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney.