TheSky (c) Astronomy Software 1984-1998

Sydney Observatory night sky map

December 2015

CAMELOPARDALIS

A map for each month of the year, to help you learn about the night sky

www.sydneyobservatory.com.au

CEPHEUS

The star chart shows the stars and constellations visible in the night sky for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart,
Adelaide and Perth for December 2015 at about 7:30 pm (Local Standard Time) or 8:30 pm (Local Daylight Savings 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 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
CASSIOPEIA
represents the point directly above your head, called the zenith, and the outer circular edge represents the horizon.

North

Star Brightness
Capella
Zero or brighter
st
1 AURIGA
magnitude
2nd
3rd
4th

Moon Phase
Last quarter:
New Moon:
Deneb
First quarter:
CYGNUS Full Moon:

LACERTA

PERSEUS

03rd
11th
19th
25th

NW

Andromeda Galaxy

NE

ANDROMEDA

M45 (Pleiades or
Seven Sisters)

TRIANGULUM

Hamal

ARIES

TAURUS

Hyades
Aldebaran

Aldebaran

VULPECULA

PEGASUS

TAURUS
PISCES First quarter
Moon on 19th

SAGITTA

DELPHINUS
EQUULEUS
Mira

First point of Aries

Betelgeuse
ORION

ORION
Orion's belt

Altair

CETUS

M42

AQUARIUS

ERIDANUS

East

Rigel

AQUILA

Saucepan

SCULPTOR

FORNAX

Fomalhaut

PISCIS AUSTRINUS
PISCIS AUSTRINUS

West

Betelgeuse

CAPRICORNUS
Mars

LEPUS
PHOENIX

ERIDANUS

Sirius

GRUS

MICROSCOPIUM

CAELUM

Sirius

Achernar

COLUMBA

SAGITTARIUS

CANIS MAJOR

INDUS

TUCANA
PICTOR

RETICULUM

Adhara

HYDRUS

SAGITTARIUS

SMC

DORADO
Canopus

LMC

Tarantula Nebula
MENSA

CORONA AUSTRALIS

PAVO

Galactic centre

OCTANS

Centre of the Galaxy

South Celestial Pole

FALSE CROSS
VOLANS

CHAMAELEON
CARINA

DIAMOND CROSS

SE

Bright star PYXIS

Faint star
VELA
Ecliptic
Milky Way
P Planet
LMC or Large Magellanic Cloud
ANTLIA
SMC or Small Magellanic
Cloud

SERPENS

TELESCOPIUM

PUPPIS

Chart Key

SCUTUM

Venus on 23rd

HOROLOGIUM
Achernar

SCORPIUS

ARA

APUS

SCORPIUS
TRIANGULUM AUSTRALE

NORMA
MUSCA

Eta Carina

CIRCINUS

SOUTHERN CROSS

CRUX

Mimosa

NORMA

SW

Antares

POINTERS

CIRCINUS
Alpha Centauri
Hadar

LUPUS

South

HYDRA

Summer solstice occurs on the 22nd and this is the longest CENTAURUS
day of the year in the southern hemisphere, with Sydney
experiencing 14 hours and 24 minutes of daylight. The best time to view the Moon using binoculars or a small telescope is a few
days either side of the first quarter Moon. Crux (the Southern Cross) is just above the southern horizon making it difficult to
locate, and Crux can be easily confused with the Diamond Cross, or the False Cross. So if looking for Crux, also look for the
adjacent Pointer Stars. December sees the return of the summer constellations of Orion (the Hunter) and Taurus (the Bull)
which can be found in the eastern part of the sky.
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.au or call (02) 9921
3485. Sydney Observatory is at 1003 Upper Fort Street, Observatory Hill, in the historic Rocks
area of Sydney.
Sydney Observatory is part of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. The Sydney Observatory night sky map is prepared by Dr M Anderson using the
software TheSky. This months map was compiled by Brenan Dew 2015 Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney.