SPRING EVENING SKY When to use this map: March 11:00 EST April 10:00 EDT May 8:00 EDT
MAJOR CONSTELLATIONS Name Abbrev. Represents Type Notes Boötes Boo Herdsman Cancer Cnc Crab zodiacal sun in Cnc July 21 - August 10 Corvus Crv Crow Crater Cra Cup Draco Dra Dragon circumpolar Gemini Gem Twins zodiacal sun in Gem June 21 - July 20 Hydra Hya Serpant Leo Leo Lion zodiacal sun in Leo August 11 - September 16 Taurus Tau Bull zodiacal sun in Tau May 16 - June 21 Ursa Major UMa Greater Bear circumpolar Ursa Minor UMi Lesser Bear circumpolar Virgo Vir Maiden zodiacal sun in Vir September 17 - October 31 MAJOR STARS Name Const. Distance Mag Rank Color Notes Aldebaran Tau 65 LY 0.9 14 orangish eye of the bull, 40 x sun's size Alphard Hya 95 LY 2.0 46 orangish 'the lonely one' Arcturus Boo 36 LY 0.0 4 reddish fastest moving bright star Cor Caroli CVn 121 LY 2.9 150 white 'Heart of Charles' Castor Gem 45 LY 1.6 23 white sextuple star system Denebola Leo 40 LY 2.1 59 white 'tail of the lion' Mizar UMa 69 LY 2.2 71 white double star system Pollux Gem 35 LY 1.1 17 orangish Polaris UMi 360 LY 2.0 48 white North Star Regulus Leo 1,800 LY 1.4 21 bluish Spica Vir 220 LY 1.0 16 bluish 'ear of wheat' INTERESTING OBJECTS try viewing with binoculars Designation Type Const. Mag Notes M 3 globular star cluster CVn 6.4 halfway between Arctutus and Cor Caroli M 13 globular star cluster Her 5.9 western edge of Keystone asterism M 35 galactic star cluster Gem 5.1 above toe of Castor M 41 galactic star cluster CMa 4.5 directly south of Sirius M 42 diffuse nebula Ori 4.0 Great Orion Nebula - middle of Orion s sword M 44 galactic star cluster Cnc 3.1 Beehive Cluster Milky Way our spiral galaxy low on the western horizon - difficult to see METEOR SHOWERS best viewing is from midnight to dawn Shower Const. Start Peak End Rate Where To Look Lyrids Lyr Apr 20 Apr 22 Apr 22 12 northeast eta Aquarids Aqr May 1 May 5 May 8 20 southeast
SUMMER EVENING SKY When to use this map: June 12:00 EDT July 11:00 EDT August 9:00 EDT
MAJOR CONSTELLATIONS Name Abbrev. Represents Type Notes Aquila Aql Eagle Boötes Boo Herdsman Capricornus Cap Goat zodiacal sun in Cap January 21 - February 17 Cepheus Cep King circumpolar Corona Borealis CrB Crown Cygnus Cyg Swan Draco Dra Dragon circumpolar Hercules Her Son of Zeus Libra Lib Scales zodiacal sun in Lib November 1 - November 24 Lyra Lyr Lyre Ophiuchus Oph Snake Bearer zodiacal sun in Oph December 1 - December 18 Pegasus Peg Winged Horse Sagittarius Sgr Archer zodiacal sun in Sag December 19 - January 20 Scorpius Sco Scorpion zodiacal sun in Sco November 25 - November 30 Ursa Major UMa Greater Bear circumpolar Ursa Minor UMi Lesser Bear circumpolar MAJOR STARS Name Const. Distance Mag Rank Color Notes Alphecca CrB 72 LY 2.2 65 white also known as Gemma Altair Aql 17 LY 0.8 17 white Antares Sco 520 LY 1.0 15 reddish the rival of Mars, 700 x sun s size Arcturus Boo 36 LY 0.0 4 reddish fastest moving bright star Cor Caroli CVn 121 LY 2.9 150 white Heart of Charles Deneb Cyg 1,500 LY 1.3 20 white the tail Mizar UMa 69 LY 2.2 71 white double star system Polaris UMi 360 LY 2.0 48 white North Star Spica Vir 220 LY 1.0 16 bluish ear of wheat Vega Lyr 26 LY 0.5 5 white shows direction of sun s motion INTERESTING OBJECTS try viewing with binoculars Designation Type Const. Mag Notes M 3 globular star cluster CVn 6.4 halfway between Arcturus and Cor Caroli M 4 globular star cluster Sco 5.9 just West of Antares M 6 galactic star cluster Sco 4.2 above the scorpion s tail M 7 galactic star cluster Sco 3.3 above the scorpion s tail M 8 diffuse nebula Sgr 6.0 a glowing cloud above the Teapot s spout M 11 galactic star cluster Scu 5.8 rich clump of stars behind the Eagle s tail M 13 globular star cluster Her 5.9 western edge of Keystone asterism M 17 diffuse nebula Sgr 7.0 a glowing cloud above M 8 M 22 globular star cluster Sgr 5.1 just east of the teapot top M 29 galactic star cluster Cyg 6.6 a dense crowd of stars near the Swan s wing M 31 spiral galaxy And 3.4 the Andromeda Galaxy M 39 galactic star cluster Cyg 4.6 a small cluster in the rich starfield of the Milky Way Milky Way our spiral galaxy faint glow from Sgr through Summer Triangle METEOR SHOWERS best viewing is from midnight to dawn Shower Const. Start Peak End Rate Where To Look S. δ Aquarids Aqr Jul 25 Jul 28 Jul 30 20 southeast Perseids Per Jul 25 Aug 11 Aug 18 50 northeast
AUTUMN EVENING SKY When to use this map: September 11:00 EDT October 8:00 EST November 6:00 EST
MAJOR CONSTELLATIONS Name Abbrev. Represents Type Notes Andromeda And Princess circumpolar Aquarius Aqr Water Bearer zodiacal sun in Aqr February 18 - March 13 Aquila Aql Eagle Aries Ari Ram zodiacal sun in Ari April 20 - May 15 Capricornus Cap Goat zodiacal sun in Cap January 21 - February 17 Cassiopeia Cas Queen circumpolar Cepheus Cep King circumpolar Cetus Cet Whale Cygnus Cyg Swan Draco Dra Dragon circumpolar Hercules Her Son of Zeus Lyra Lyr Lyre Pegasus Peg Winged Horse Perseus Per Rescuer Pisces Psc Fish zodiacal sun in Psc March 14 - April 19 Ursa Minor UMi Lesser Bear circumpolar MAJOR STARS Name Const. Distance Mag Rank Color Notes Algol Per 72 LY 2.1 58 bluish eclipsing variable star Altair Aql 17 LY 0.8 17 white Capella Aur 45 LY 0.1 6 yellowish above horizon more than 20 hours Deneb Cyg 1,500 LY 1.3 20 white the tail δ Cephii Cep 815 LY 4.0 white Cephied variable star Fomalhaut PsA 22 LY 1.2 22 white above horizon less than 8 hours Mira Cet 220 LY 3.5 reddish long period variable star Polaris UMi 360 LY 2.0 48 white the North Star Vega Lyr 26 LY 0.5 5 white shows direction of sun s motion INTERESTING OBJECTS try viewing with binoculars Designation Type Const. Mag Notes M 13 globular star cluster Her 5.9 western edge of Keystone asterism M 31 spiral galaxy And 3.4 the Andromeda Galaxy Milky Way our spiral galaxy from Summer Triangle to Per Pleiades galactic star cluster Tau 1.2 the Seven Sisters also M 45 METEOR SHOWERS best viewing is from midnight to dawn Shower Const. Start Peak End Rate Where To Look Orionids Ori Oct 16 Oct 21 Oct 27 25 southeast Leonids Leo Nov 15 Nov 17 Nov 19 15 east Geminids Gem Dec 7 Dec 14 Dec 15 50 northeast
WINTER EVENING SKY When to use this map: December 12:00 EST January 10:00 EST February 8:00 EST
MAJOR CONSTELLATIONS Name Abbrev. Represents Type Notes Auriga Aur Charioteer Cancer Cnc Crab zodiacal sun in Can July 21 - August 10 Draco Dra Dragon circumpolar Canis Major CMa Big Dog Canis Minor CMi Small Dog Gemini Gem Twins zodiacal sun in Gem June 21 - July 20 Leo Leo Lion zodiacal sun in Leo August 11 - September 16 Orion Ori Hunter Taurus Tau Bull zodiacal sun in Tau May 16 - June 21 Ursa Major UMa Greater Bear circumpolar Ursa Minor UMi Lesser Bear circumpolar MAJOR STARS Name Const. Distance Mag Rank Color Notes Aldebaran Tau 65 LY 0.9 14 orangish eye of the bull, 40 x sun s size Algol Per 72 LY 2.1 58 bluish eclipsing variable star Betelguese Ori 650 LY 0.5 10 reddish red giant, 900 x sun s size Capella Aur 45 LY 0.1 6 yellowish above horizon more than 20 hours Castor Gem 45 LY 1.6 23 white sextuple star system Denebola Leo 40 LY 2.1 59 white tail of the lion Mizar UMa 69 LY 2.2 71 white double star system Pollux Gem 35 LY 1.1 17 orangish Polaris UMi 360 LY 2.0 48 white the North Star Procyon CMi 11 LY 0.4 8 white before the dog Regulus Leo 1,800 LY 1.4 21 bluish Rigel Ori 850 LY 0.1 7 bluish blue-white giant, 50 x sun s size Sirius CMa 9 LY -1.4 1 white brightest star in night sky INTERESTING OBJECTS try viewing with binoculars Designation Type Const. Mag Notes M 31 spiral galaxy And 3.4 the Andromeda Galaxy M 35 galactic star cluster Gem 5.1 above toe of Castor M 41 galactic star cluster CMa 4.5 directly south of Sirius M 42 diffuse nebula Ori 4.0 Great Orion Nebula - middle of Orion s sword M 44 galactic star cluster Cnc 3.1 Beehive Milky Way our spiral galaxy from CMa through Aur to Cep Pleiades galactic star cluster Tau 1.2 the Seven Sisters also M 45 METEOR SHOWERS best viewing is from midnight to dawn Shower Const. Start Peak End Rate Where To Look Quadrantids Dra Jan 2 Jan 4 Jan 4 40 north
How to find objects with circular star maps The circles around the outside of these maps represent the horizon line, where the sky touches the ground. You are standing with the center of the map directly over your head. Put your finger in the center of the circle. Move your finger in a straight line from the center through the object you want to locate to the horizon line. Put the place your finger touches the horizon line at the bottom of the map. Turn to face that direction in the sky. Determine how high to look. Is the constellation nearer the horizon or nearer to being overhead (the center of the map)? Look for bright stars first, then match the pattern on the map with the stars. Explanation of terms Asterism - an informally accepted grouping of stars. Cephied variable star - a star that changes brightness in a cycle that repeats in a period of a few days. Delta Cephii changes brightness from magnitude 3.4 to 4.2 and back in a span of about 5 days. The magnitude change is caused by instability within the star. Circumpolar Constellation - constellations that circle the pole, never setting below the horizon. Diffuse Nebula - a cloud of glowing gas in space, composed mostly hydrogen and helium with some fine dust grains. Diffuse nebulae are often the birthplace of stars. Eclipsing variable star - a binary star system that changes magnitude when one member moves in front of the other, producing an eclipse when viewed from Earth. The members of the Algol system eclipse each other every 2.5 days, changing the system s magnitude from 2.3 to 3.3 for 8 hours. Ecliptic - the apparent path of the sun through the zodiacal constellations, shown by a dashed line on these star maps. EDT - Eastern Daylight time EST - Eastern Standard Time Galactic Star Cluster - a cluster of dozens to hundreds of gravitationally bound stars. Most galactic star clusters are found near the plane of the Milky Way Galaxy. Globular Star Cluster - a spherical cluster of tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of stars. These clusters form a halo around the core of the Milky Way galaxy. Long period variable star - a star that changes magnitude in a repeating cycle that lasts several weeks. Mira, the long period variable star on the map changes from third magnitude to ninth magnitude and back over a span of 331 days. Mag. - abbreviation for magnitude - the term astronomers use to describe the apparent brightness of a star. The magnitude scale is an inverse scale in which the brighter stars have low magnitudes and dim stars have high magnitudes. Meteor shower - an event in which a large number of falling stars are seen. Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through a dusty trail left by a comet orbiting the sun. Rank - the order of a star in a list of stars by their brightness. Zodiacal Constellation - those constellations found along the path of the sun.
Pronunciation guide ANDROMEDA AQUARIUS AQUILA Altair ARIES AURIGA Capella BOOTES Arcturus CANCER CANES VENATICI Cor Caroli CANIS MAJOR Sirius CANIS MINOR Procyon CAPRICORNUS CASSIOPEIA CEPHEUS δ Cephii CETUS Mira CORON BOREALIS Alphecca CORVUS CRATER CYGNUS Deneb DRACO ann-drom-eh-da ack-kwair-ee-us AK-weh-la al-tare A-reh-ease au-rye-gah kah-pell_ah bow-oh-tease arc-too-rus CAN-sir KAY-knees vee-nat-eh-see core-care-ol-lie KAY-niss MAY-jer SEAR-ee-us KAY-nis MY-ner PRO-see-on CAP-rih-CORE-nus KASS-eh-oh-PEA-ah See-fee-os DELL-tah SEE-fy SEE-tus MY-rah coe-row-nah Bow-ree-ALICE al-feck-ah CORE-vuss KRAY-ter SIG-nus DEN-ebb DRAY-coe GEMINI Castor Pollux HERCULES HYDRA Alphard LEO Denebola Regulus LIBRA LYRA Vega OPHIUCHUS ORION Betelquese Rigel PEGASUS PERSEUS Algol PISCES SAGITTARIUS SCORPIUS Antares TAURUS Aldeberan URSA MAJOR Mizar URSA MINOR Polaris VIRGO Spica GEM-in-eye CASS-ter PAUL-lucks HER-kyou-leez HIGH-druh AL-fard LEE-oh de-neb-oh-la REG-you-luss LEE-bra LIE-rah VEE-gah OFF-ih-YOU-cuss oh-rye-un BET-el-jooz RYE-jel PEG-uh-suss PURR-see-us AL-gall PIE-seas saj-ih-tay-rih-us SCORE-pea-uss an-tay-rease TAW-russ al-deb-ah-ran URR-sah MAY-jer MY-czar URR-sah MY-ner poe-lair-iss VURR-go SPY-kah