The distance around the horizon, from North, through East, South, West and back to North is 360 degrees. It makes no sense to say, for instance, that one star is “2 centimetres” to the left of another or that a shooting star left a trail “half a meter” long! Instead we should use angular measurements. To find your way around the night sky, it helps to know how to measure angles across it. Another useful direction to remember is the zenith. And if the Sun is setting at your right shoulder, then you must be facing south. You can find the cardinal directions – North, South, East and West – from a compass app on your mobile device, or just remember, of course, that the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Now that we have our equipment together we need to know a few directions and also how to measure angles across the sky. They’re not essential for following this guide but if you do have them they will help you see a few of the fainter objects more easily and in more detail. The red light will allow your eyes to remain dark adapted during the evening, yet still allow you to read your star map.įinally, a pair of binoculars or a telescope can be very handy. The star map will show you what stars and constellations are visible in the night sky this month and I’ll be referring to that star map in this guide.Īs well as the star map, a torch with a red LED, or one covered with a few layers of red cellophane, will be very useful. You can download a free one from Sydney Observatory’s website where you’ll find it in the Astronomy Resources section under Monthly Sky Guides. To make the most of this guide, you should begin by gathering a few items together. Learn what stars and constellations are visible, where to find the planets and what special events are happening overhead this month. This is Andrew Jacob, and I’m the Curator at Sydney Observatory, part of Sydney’s Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences. Hello, and welcome to the Night Sky Guide for July 2018. To view PDF star charts you will need to download and install Adobe Acrobat Reader if it’s not on your computer already. We provide a July 2018 Night Sky Chart (PDF) which shows the stars, constellations and planets visible in the night sky from anywhere in Australia. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or directly download this month’s guide to your favourite audio listening device. Learn how to find the winter constellations including the Scorpion and search for star clusters in the Milky Way. And be sure to catch the total lunar eclipse before dawn on July 28. This month, don’t miss Mars – at its closest since 2003. This month’s guide is presented by Dr Andrew Jacob, Sydney Observatory’s Curator of Astronomy. To help you learn about the southern night sky, Sydney Observatory provides a guide and a sky map each month.
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