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Rigel
Sirius
Canis
Major
Canopus
Achernar
FACEBOOK - “SCOB – Science Centre OBservatory”
16th Jan
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Pleiades
Auriga
JUPITER
Castor
Betelgeuse
Aldebaran
Procyon
19th Jan
WEBSITE - www.science.edu.sg/events/Pages/Stargazing.aspx BLOG – scobbers.blogspot.com
Pollux
22nd Jan
27thJan
Stars of the month (January) – Taurus, Orion & Sirius
January 2013 Moon Dates
5th Jan
12th Jan
19th Jan
27th Jan
Last Quarter
Half Moon
(1am-8am)
New Moon
(not visible)
1st Quarter
Half Moon
(6pm-12am)
Full Moon
(8pm-6am)
Bright Planets
Mercury – Not visible, hidden in the Sun’s glare.
Venus – Early morning, low in the East around 7am.
Mars – Low in west after sunset, hidden in Sun’s glare.
Jupiter – Visible throughout early evening , beside stars of Taurus,
until 3:30am.
Saturn – Visible early morning 3am-6:30am, near to star Spica
(Virgo).
High in the sky, are the constellations Taurus (bull) and Orion (hunter). Taurus’ best objects include
the bright orange star Aldebaran (the follower) and the star clusters Pleiades and Hyades.
Orion is one of the most distinctive groups of stars in the sky. Its brightest stars include red
supergiant Betelgeuse (shoulder) and blue-white supergiant Rigel (foot). Orion is well known for
having three stars in a straight line, Orion’s belt.
1
2
Located towards the South East of Orion’s belt is the
brightest star in the sky, Sirius (scorching), belonging to
the constellation Canis Major. Its brightness causes it to
twinkle more than other stars as its light passes through
our atmosphere.
Moons of Jupiter
3
Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Jupiter’s four biggest moons, Io,
Europa, Ganymede and Callisto in the following positions:
Fri 4th Jan
Io
Callisto
Ganymede
Europa
Sirius
Fri 11th Jan
Callisto
Europa
Europa Shadow transit 7:30pm-10pm
Io
Ganymede
A large and bright cluster of young white-blue stars. Try and spot the 7 brightest members
using only your eyes. Use binoculars to experience its full glory!
Fri 18th Jan
2. The Hyades
Io
Ganymede
Callisto
Europa Transit 8:15pm-10:30pm
Fri
25th
Jan
1. M45 – The Pleiades (Seven Sisters)
Callisto
Europa
A loose grouping of stars next to the bright star of Aldebaran. One of the closest star clusters
to the Sun (150 light years away). Requires binoculars.
3. M42 – The Orion Nebula
Io
Ganymede
A large, diffuse nebula (hydrogen gas cloud) and one of the best objects in the sky! Our eyes
can see it as a hazy speck, a short distance from Orion’s belt. Binoculars can show more of the
nebula. A telescope reveals the small cluster of stars (the trapezium) at its heart. These hot,
young stars are responsible for illuminating of the gas cloud that surrounds them.
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Procyon
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Aldebaran
Auriga
Capella
Castor
Pollux
Rigel
Canis
Major
Canopus
Achernar
WEBSITE - www.science.edu.sg/events/Pages/Stargazing.aspx BLOG – scobbers.blogspot.com
Regulus
Betelgeuse
26th Feb
18th Feb
21st Feb
February Moon Dates
10th Feb
3rd Feb
Stars of the month (Feb) – Orion & Orion Nebula
26th Feb
18th Feb
Last Quarter
1st Quarter
New Moon
Half Moon (Chinese New Year) Half Moon
正月
(1am-8am)
(6pm-12am)
Betelgeuse
Full Moon
(8pm-6am)
“female warrior”
Bright Planets
Mercury – Visible in the early evening low in the West after
sunset,12-22 Feb. Highest on 14 Feb (18.1o).
Venus – Early morning, low in the East around 7am.
Mars – Very low in West at sunset, hidden by Sun’s glare.
Jupiter – Visible throughout early evening, beside stars of Taurus,
until 1am.
Saturn – Visible early morning 1am-6:30am, near to star Spica
(Virgo).
Moons of Jupiter
Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Jupiter’s four biggest moons,
Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto in the following positions:
Fri 1st Feb
Callisto
Europa
Ganymede
Io
Ganymede Shadow Transit 7:30pm-9pm
Fri 8th Feb
Callisto
Io
Ganymede
Europa
Fri 15th Feb
Europa
Callisto
Io
Ganymede
Ganymede Transit at 9:24pm
Fri 22nd Feb
Europa
Ganymede
Io
Bellatrix
“arm/shoulder”
Callisto
In February’s night sky, Orion, the hunter, is
located directly overhead.
Orion’s seven brightest stars can easily be seen
in Singapore’s light-polluted sky.
Betelgeuse (alpha Orionis) is a massive red
supergiant that varies in brightness. Bellatrix
(gamma Orionis), is blue giant star. Its name
means “female warrior”, indicating that Orion
may not have always been seen as a male
hunter. Bellatrix is the closest of Orion’s stars
(243 light years away). Rigel (beta Orionis) is a
large bluish-white supergiant star which
becomes the brightest star in Orion, when
Betelgeuse occasionally fades.
On Orion’s Belt, Alnilam (epilson Orionis) is the
closest and brightest of the three.
Orion contains many more star and deep sky
objects, which are visible in binoculars or a
telescope.
The Orion Nebula (M42), a large cloud of gas
(mainly hydrogen) containing a cluster of young
stars, appears as a tiny bright speck to the
naked eye.
The diagram on the right illustrates the view
of the Orion Nebula through a telescope.
The tight group of four star is known as the
Trapezium (theta Orionis).
Surrounding the trapezium is part of the
hydrogen gas cloud, which is being illuminated
by the energy from the Trapezium stars.
A number of other stars within and in front of
the nebula are also visible.
Orion’s Belt
Mintaka
Alnilam
Alnitak
Orion Nebula
(M42)
Rigel
“foot”
Saiph
“sword”
Magnified view of
Orion Nebula
(M42)
0
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Rigel
Capella
FACEBOOK - “SCOB – Science Centre OBservatory”
Aldebaran
Procyon
Sirius
Castor
Pollux
Regulus
Betelgeuse
Canopus
Achernar
WEBSITE - www.science.edu.sg/events/Pages/Stargazing.aspx BLOG – scobbers.blogspot.com
25th Mar
18th Mar
22nd Mar
March Moon Dates
5th Mar
12th Mar
20th Mar
27th Mar
Stars of the month (March) – Gemini, Leo, Cancer, Canis Major
The March sky contains many of the brightest stars in the sky, most notably Sirius, the brightest of all stars.
Between Sirius and the 1st magnitude stars of Betelgeuse, Castor, Pollux, Procyon and Regulus lie many
hidden star clusters and asterisms ( star patterns) such as The Sickle in Leo or the head of Hydra the snake.
Last Quarter
Half Moon
(1am-8am)
New Moon
(not visible)
1st Quarter
Half Moon
(6pm-12am)
Full Moon
(8pm-6am)
Bright Planets
Mercury – Not visible until 20th Mar, early morning 6:30am. Highest
on 31st Mar (18.1o) in the East before sunrise.
Venus – Not visible, behind Sun.
Mars – Very low in West at sunset, hidden by Sun’s glare.
Jupiter – Visible until 12am, West, near Taurus.
Saturn – Visible from 11pm-7am, near to star Spica (Virgo).
Moons of Jupiter
Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Jupiter’s four biggest moons, Io,
Europa, Ganymede and Callisto in the following positions:
Fri 1st Mar
Io
1) Castor – a multiple star, made up of 6 tightly grouped stars. Most telescope can see two white stars and
a smaller red dwarf star.
2) M35 –a large open cluster of over 200 stars arranged in curved chains, 2800 lightyears away.
Best viewed in binoculars or telescopes using low magnification.
3) M44 – The Beehive Cluster (Praesepe) A swarm of about 50 stars in the heart of the constellation
Cancer, over 500 lightyears away. Best viewed in binoculars.
4) M67 – A more distance, fainter open cluster in Cancer, containing 200 stars.
5) Rosette Nebula (NGC2237 & 2244) A small group of 6 stars surrounded by a gas cloud 5000 lightyears away.
Dark skies and large telescopes required for nebula.
6) M48 – large, triangular-shaped open cluster of 80 stars, located on the edge of the constellation Hydra.
Visible in binoculars, 2000 light years away.
7) NGC 2362 – a compact cluster of 60 stars containing a bright blue supergiant star in the centre.
8) M41 – large, bright open cluster of 80 stars, 2100 lightyears away.
Europa Ganymede
Callisto
1
Io Shadow Transit until 8:10pm
Fri
8th
Mar
Io
Io Shadow Transit 7:50pm-10:06pm
15th
Mar
Io Transit until 8:42pm
Betelgeuse
x4
“shoulder”
x
Vernal Equinox
Callisto
20th Mar 23:27 SGT
Io
Ganymede
Mar
Io
5
“before the dog”
Io Transit at 8:28pm – 10:40pm
Europa
Ganymede
Regulus
Procyon
Fri 22nd Mar
Europa
x
Callisto
Ganymede
Fri
2
x
Callisto
“King/Prince”
Europa
29th
Pollux
“second twin”
3
Europa Ganymede
Fri
The
Sickle
Castor “first twin”
Callisto
The day in which the Sun is
directly above the Equator.
In Singapore, this results in the
highest position of the Sun in
the sky at noon at 1:12pm.
Sunrise is at 7:09am
x
6
Sirius “scorching”
x
7
x
8
Sirius
Betelgeuse
Canopus
Pollux
Castor
Capella
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Aldebaran
15th Apr
TWITTER – twitter.com/scobbers
Spica
Rigil Kentaurus
(a Centauri)
Regulus
22nd Apr
Procyon
Arcturus
SATURN
WEBSITE - www.science.edu.sg/events/Pages/Stargazing.aspx BLOG – scobbers.blogspot.com
25th Apr
18th Apr
Rigel
April Moon Dates
3rd
Apr
Last Quarter
Half Moon
(1am-8am)
10th
18th
Apr
New Moon
(not visible)
26th Apr
Stars of the month (April) – The Argo Navis (Carina, Vela, Puppis)
Full Moon
The constellations Puppis, Vela and Carina form the ancient star pattern of the Argo Navis, representing the sailing ship from
an Ancient Greek legend. Canopus is the second brightest star in the sky, known in China as “Old Man of the South” for its
southern location and sometimes red appearance in hazy or cloudy conditions.
The asterism (star pattern) the False Cross is sometimes confused for the Southern Cross (Crux), located nearby to the east.
Lying close to a dense part of our Galaxy, The Milky Way, several star clusters can be found when scanning the area with
binoculars.
Apr
1st Quarter
Half Moon
(6pm-12am)
Partial Lunar
Eclipse
2am-6am
Bright Planets
Mercury –Visible in early morning 6:30am, low in the East before
sunrise.
Venus – Very low in West at sunset, hidden by Sun’s glare.
Mars – Not visible, hidden behind Sun.
Jupiter – Visible until 9pm, low in the West.
Saturn – Visible from 8:30pm-7am, near to star Spica (Virgo).
Saturn Opposition – 28th April
Brightest and biggest view of Saturn for 2013 (Magnitude +0.7
Every year, Earth (which is closer to the Sun) begins to move
in front of Saturn, resulting in an alignment of Earth and
Saturn with the Sun. This known as an opposition as Saturn
and the Sun become directly opposite each other, as seen
from Earth.
21
1) & 2) M46 & M47 – Two faint open clusters, east of bright
star Sirius. M47 is the closer and brighter of the two. Small
telescope maybe required.
3) M93 – Faint wedge-shaped star cluster over 3000 light
years away but visible in binoculars.
v
v
EARTH
DISTANCE:
~1,277 million km
Sirius “scorching”
3
x
4) IC2391 – large open cluster of 50 stars surrounding the
star Omicron Velorum. Best viewed using binoculars.
5), 6) & 7) IC2581, NGC3293 & NGC3114
Three fainter open star clusters
located in front of the rich
spiral arm of the Milky Way.
Binoculars and small
telescopes required.
4
6
7x
x
x x
SUN
xx
9
5
x
Canopus
(old man of the South)
8
10
8) Eta Carinae Nebula (NGC 3372) – a gas cloud surrounding the explosive variable star Eta Carinae. Several
more stars are visible through binoculars and telescopes.
9) NGC3532 - A large bright open cluster containing more than 100 stars forming an elliptical shape, 1300
lightyears away.
SATURN
(IN OPPOSITION)
10) IC2602 (The Southern Pleiades) Large open cluster of around 60 stars surround star Theta Carinae. Easy to
spot with binoculars .
Spica
SATURN
Rigil Kentaurus
(a Centauri)
Canopus
TWITTER – twitter.com/scobbers
22nd May
Sirius
Pollux
Castor
FACEBOOK - “SCOB – Science Centre OBservatory”
18th May
Procyon
Arcturus
25th May
Regulus
Big Dipper
WEBSITE - www.science.edu.sg/events/Pages/Stargazing.aspx BLOG – scobbers.blogspot.com
15th May
May Moon Dates
2nd May
10th May
18th May
Stars of the month (May) – The Big Dipper (Ursa Major)
25th May
M109
x
Last Quarter
Half Moon
(1am-8am)
New Moon
(not visible)
1st
Quarter
Half Moon
(6pm-12am)
M108
Full Moon
(8pm-6am)
Merak
En
R
Alkaid
Alioth
“leader of mourners”
“horse/tail”
“flank”
Bright Planets
Mercury – Low in the west at sunset
Venus – Low in the west at sunset.
Mars – low in the east at sunrise, hidden in Sun’s glare.
Jupiter – Low in the west at sunset.
Saturn – Visible all night from 8pm-6am, near to star Spica (Virgo).
Moons of Saturn
Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Saturn’s biggest moons, Titan (Ti),
Rhea (R), Dione (D), Tethys (Te), Enceladus (En) in the following
positions:
Fri 3rd May
x
Phad
“thigh”
Megrez
Mizar
“tail base”
“groin/girdle”
Alcor
“horse”
x
M101
Dubhe
“bear”
M81
xx
M82
Towards North
Star (Polaris)
D
The Big Dipper is one of the most famous asterisms (star patterns) throughout history. In some
places of the Northern Hemisphere, its seven brightest stars can be seen all year round. Further
South near the equator it is only visible for a few months.
Te
Merak and Dubhe are known as The Pointers, pointing directly to the North Star, Polaris (not
visible from Singapore).
Ti
Fri 10th May
Te
R
En
Ti
D
Fri 17th May
Ti
D
R
En
Fri 24th May
D
R
Te
En
Fri
31st
Ti
May
Ti
D
R
Te
En
Te
The Dipper is part of a much larger star pattern, the constellation Ursa Major (Greater Bear)
although it had a variety of meanings in many cultures. Most common is that of a bear or a
ladle/dipper used for scooping water. Other representations include a plough, an ox or horse
pulling a plough and three mourners standing beside a funeral pyre.
The names of the stars come from Arabic phrases indicating the different meanings.
The stars Merak, Phad, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar and Alcor are approximately the same distance from
Earth (80 lightyears) moving together as a large star cluster (The Ursa Major Moving Cluster).
Dubhe and Alkaid are more distance and are not part of this cluster.
Objects of Interest:
1) Mizar & Alcor – two very close stars. A good test of eyesight. Easily viewed in binoculars.
Alcor is the furthest of the two. Mizar is actually a multiple stars containing several more stars.
A telescope shows three including Alcor.
2) M81, M82, M101, M108, M109 – distant spiral galaxies which may be too faint to see in
Singapore’s brightly lit skies. M81 is the brightest.
Rigil Kentaurus
(a Centauri)
TWITTER – twitter.com/scobbers
23rd June
Spica
Antares
Leo
Coma
Berenices
Arcturus
FACEBOOK - “SCOB – Science Centre OBservatory”
Regulus
SATURN
WEBSITE - www.science.edu.sg/events/Pages/Stargazing.aspx BLOG – scobbers.blogspot.com
19th June
13th June
17th June
June Moon Dates
1st June
8th June
17th June
23rd June*
30th June
Last Quarter
Half Moon
(1am-8am)
New Moon
(not visible)
1st Quarter
Half Moon
(6pm-12am)
Full Moon
(8pm-6am)
Last Quarter
Half Moon
(12am-6am)
Stars of the month (June) – Centaurus and Crux
*June 23rd – Closest Lunar Perigee – Largest and closest Full Moon of the year
Bright Planets
6
x
Northern Solstice
21st June 17:45 SGT
The day in which the Sun is
reaches it northernmost point
in the sky.
In Singapore, this results in the
lowest position of the Sun
towards the north at noon
1:06pm. Sunrise is at 7am.
Moons of Saturn
Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Saturn’s biggest
moons, Titan (Ti), Rhea (R), Dione (D), Tethys (Te),
Enceladus (En) in the following positions:
Fri 7th June
D
En
Hadar
2
4
3
x
“ground”
Ti
En
2) The Jewel Box (NGC4755)– a bright open cluster of 50 stars including star Kappa Crucis. Visible
Te
in binoculars, best seen in a telescope using low magnification. Some stars appear red, orange and
blue in colour.
R
Fri 21st June
R
Ti
En
3) Alpha Crucis (Acrux) – the brightest star in Crux. A double star (bluish-white) when viewed
D
through a telescope .
4) NGC3766 – a sparkling star cluster containing about 100 stars. Can be seen in binoculars.
Te
5) NGC 5460 - a large open cluster of 40 stars visible in binoculars or small telescopes.
Fri 28th June
En
Ti
D
“Centaur’s foot”
x
reveals two bright yellow stars similar to The Sun. The third star (proxima centauri) a faint red
dwarf, is difficult to find although it is the closest of the three.
Fri 14th June
Te
Alphs Centauri
(Rigil Kentaurus)
1) Alpha Centauri –closest star to our Sun (4.25 light-years away). A triple star system. A telescope
Ti
D
1
The constellations of Centaurus and Crux are easy to identify on a clear night. There are
great for observing with binoculars as they lie directly in front of one of the richest parts of
our Galaxy (The Milky Way).
R
Te
x
5
Mercury – Visible in the early evening low in the West
after sunset,12-22 Feb. Highest on 12 June24.3o).
Venus – Early morning, low in the East around 7am.
Mars – Very low in West at sunset, hidden by Sun’s
glare.
Jupiter – Visible all night, beside stars of Taurus.
Saturn – Visible early morning 1am-7am, near to star
Spica (Virgo).
R
6) Omega Centauri (NGC5139) – The largest Globular Cluster, a dense ball of 100,000 stars or
more. Appears as a hazy patch in binoculars . Telescopes at low magnification may resolve
individual stars. 17,000 lightyears away.
23rd July
Antares
16th July
Rigil Kentaurus
(a Centauri)
Hadar
TWITTER – twitter.com/scobbers
SATURN
Spica
VENUS
1ST July
FACEBOOK - “SCOB – Science Centre OBservatory”
Regulus
VENUS
31ST July
Arcturus
Altair
WEBSITE - www.science.edu.sg/events/Pages/Stargazing.aspx BLOG – scobbers.blogspot.com
19th July
13th July
July Moon Dates
8th July
16th July
23rd July
Stars of the month (July) – Scorpius
30th July
9
8
6x
New Moon
(not visible)
Full Moon
(8pm-6am)
1st Quarter
Half Moon
(6pm-12am)
Last Quarter
Half Moon
(1am-8am)
Antares
“Anti-Mars”
Bright Planets
1
Mercury – Low in the east at sunrise, 25-31 July. Near to Jupiter
and Mars. Highest on 30th July (20o high)
Venus – Bright and visible in early evening towards west until 9pm.
Mars –Low in the east at sunrise, visible 6:30-7am.
Jupiter – Low in the east at sunrise, visible 6:30-7am.
Saturn – Visible from 8pm-2am, near to star Spica (Virgo).
x
2
x
x5
7
Graffias
“Claws”
Scorpius is one of the easiest constellations to
identify, with its distinctive curved chain of stars
representing the tail and sting of a scorpion.
The bright star Antares is the 6th brightest star
in the night sky and one of the largest stars
known to exist. Being a red supergiant it is
similar in appearance to the planet Mars,
therefore one meaning of its name is as a rival
of Mars.
Shaula
“tail”
4
x
3
Scorpius is full of deep sky objects and bright
stars as it lies in front of the heart our Galaxy
(The Milky Way). It is well worth viewing
through binoculars.
Moons of Saturn
Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Saturn’s biggest moons, Titan
(Ti), Rhea (R), Dione (D), Tethys (Te), Enceladus (En) in the
following positions:
Fri 5th July
Te
En
Ti
Te
D
Fri 19th July
3) Zeta Scorpii – Double star, orange and blue/white colour, unrelated (do not orbit each other).
More visible in telescope.
4) NGC6231 – a bright open star cluster of 100 stars. Located near to Zeti Scorpii. Binoculars may
reveal more star clusters in the surrounding area.
Fri 12th July
En
1) M6 (Butterfly Cluster) – beautiful open star cluster arranged in curved chains like the wings of a
butterfly. Visible in binoculars, best in telescope using low magnification.
2) M7 – large open cluster of about 70 stars. Triangular pattern. Close to M6 and other star clusters.
D
R
Objects of interest:
R
Ti
Ti
5) M4 – large globular cluster containing thousands of stars. Difficult to spot may appear fuzzy in
binoculars.
6) M80 – small, distant globular cluster. Faint, requires low magnification.
D
R
Te En
Fri 26th July Te
R
7) Omega Scorpii – unrelated double star. Easy to spot in Binoculars.
8) Nu Scorpii – a quadruple star (double-double), four stars in one. Binoculars only show two stars.
Large telescope and high magnification needed to see all four.
D
En
Ti
9) Graffias (Beta Scorpii) – bright unrelated double star, best seen in a telescope. Both are bluishwhite in colour.
18th Aug
Antares
14th Aug
Spica
11th Aug
TWITTER – twitter.com/scobbers
Rigil Kentaurus
(a Centauri)
SATURN
VENUS
FACEBOOK - “SCOB – Science Centre OBservatory”
1ST Aug
VENUS
31ST Aug
Arcturus
Altair
WEBSITE - www.science.edu.sg/events/Pages/Stargazing.aspx BLOG – scobbers.blogspot.com
21st Aug
August Moon Dates
14th Aug
7th Aug
1st Quarter
Half Moon
(6pm-12am)
New Moon
(not visible)
21st Aug
Neptune opposition
28th Aug
Full Moon
(8pm-6am)
27th Aug (mag 7.8)
Stars of the month (Aug) – Scorpius & Sagittarius
Earth moves into alignment
with Neptune. Around this
time Neptune appears at its
brightest, however it is still
too dim to be seen with the
naked eye. It is best viewed
after 11pm.
Last Quarter
Half Moon
(1am-8am)
Bright Planets
Mercury – Not visible
Venus – Bright and visible, early evening towards west until 9pm.
Mars – low in the east before sunrise, visible 6am-7am.
Jupiter – Low in the east, early morning 5:30am-7am.
Saturn – Visible at night from 8pm-11pm, towards the west.
Graffias
7
7x
8x
9x
10x
Antares
“Anti-Mars”
“Claws”
x
5
1
x
2
x
Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Saturn’s biggest moons, Titan (Ti),
Rhea (R), Dione (D), Tethys (Te), Enceladus (En) in the following
positions:
Fri 2nd August
Objects of interest:
1) M6 (Butterfly Cluster) – beautiful open star cluster arranged in curved chains like the wings of a
butterfly. Visible in binoculars, best in telescope using low magnification.
2) M7 – large open cluster of about 70 stars. Triangular pattern. Close to M6 and other star clusters.
En
Fri 9th August
En
D
R
3) Zeta Scorpii – Double star, orange and blue/white colour, unrelated (do not orbit each other). More
Te
Fri 16th August
Ti
En
Te
D
R
R
Fri 23rd August
En
D
Te
Ti
En
Ti
R
4
x
3
Te
R
Ti
Shaula
“tail”
Ti
D
D
6x
11x
Moons of Saturn
Fri 30th August
Located directly in front of the centre of our Galaxy, The
Milky Way, the constellations Sagittarius and Scorpius
contain many star clusters and nebulae (gas clouds).
Te
visible in telescope.
4) NGC6231 – a bright open star cluster of 100 stars. Located near to Zeti Scorpii. Binoculars may reveal
more star clusters in the surrounding area.
5) M4 – large globular cluster containing thousands of stars. Difficult to spot may appear fuzzy in
binoculars.
6) M17 – Omega/Horseshoe Nebula – a curved gas cloud. May be difficult to spot in binoculars. Best
viewed in telescopes using low magnification.
7) M24 – a large grouping of hundreds of stars in one of the brightest parts of the Milky Way. Worth
scanning the area with binoculars.
8) M25 – a bright open cluster of about 30 stars, visible in binoculars and small telescopes.
9) M20 & M21 - The Trifid Nebula – a faint gas cloud located close to star cluster M21 containing
about 70 stars. Both are visible in low magnification telescopes although M21 is more obvious.
10) M8 – Lagoon Nebula – a bright gas cloud surrounding star cluster NGC6530. Visible in binoculars and
telescopes. Has a dark patch through the centre.
11) M22 – a large, bright globular cluster. A compact ball of thousands of stars. Bright, hazy appearance in
binoculars. Low magnification telescopes reveal its elliptical shape.
Antares
VENUS
10th Sept
13th Sept
Rigil Kentaurus
(a Centauri)
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1ST Sept
VENUS
Spica
16th Sept
30th Sept
Arcturus
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SATURN
Altair
WEBSITE - www.science.edu.sg/events/Pages/Stargazing.aspx BLOG – scobbers.blogspot.com
19th Sept
September Moon Dates
5th
Sept
New Moon
(not visible)
13th Sept
1st Quarter
Half Moon
(6pm-12am)
19th Sept
Full Moon
中秋節
(8am-6am)
27th Sept
Stars of the month (Sept) – Summer Triangle
Last Quarter
Half Moon
(1am-8am)
Altair
Bright Planets
“eagle”
牛郎
Mercury – Low in the west at sunset, hidden in Sun’s glare
Venus – Bright and visible towards the west, until 9:30pm.
Mars – Visible early morning towards the east, 5:30am-6:30am.
Jupiter – Visible early morning towards the east, 4:30am-7am.
Saturn – Visible in the evening towards the west until 9pm.
Mid-Autumn Festival - 19thth Sept 中 秋 節
Deneb, Altair and Vega are three bright, 1st
magnitude stars that form the Summer Triangle.
The Summer Triangle is first seen rising in the East
during northern hemisphere summer each year.
It remains in the night sky until late September.
2
x
4
5
x
3
x
1
The three stars belong to three separate
constellations: Cygnus, Aquila and Lyra. The names
of the stars come from Arabic phrases referring to
birds such as Eagles and Swans.
In Chinese culture Vega is Zhi nu 织女(weaver
girl/fairy)and Altair is Niu lang 牛郎 (cow herder).
They represent a young married couple who
become separated when 织女is taken back to
heaven. Deneb represents the “magpie” bridge
across which the couple can meet once a year on
the 7th day of the 7th Lunar month, Qi Xi 七夕
(Chinese Valentine’s Day), which this year
Deneb
occurred on 13th August.
This festival always falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the
Vega
Chinese Lunar Calendar.
6
“swooping/landing”
In astronomical terms, it is on the Full Moon closest to the
织女
Autumnal Equinox (late Sept) when the midday Sun is directly
above the Equator. In northern countries, this results in the Full
“tail”
Moon rising earlier than a normal Full Moon would, meaning
Objects
of
Interest:
this Full Moon stays in the sky longer, brightening up the sky
more, making it an ideal time for night time harvest and 1) Delphinus – a small constellation (star pattern) representing a Dolphin. Visible to the naked eye and
celebration. Sadly, in Singapore, near the equator, there is little binoculars.
change in the Moon’s rising so we do not witness any significant
2) Coathanger Asterism (Brocchi’s Cluster) – A small group of 10 stars in the shape of a coathanger.
effect.
Requires Binoculars or small telescopes. Located in the faint constellation of Vulpecula.
3) Dumbbell Nebula (M27) – a Planetary Nebula, gas cloud formed from the other layers of a dying star.
Appears as a faint misty ellipse when using low magnification.
4) Albireo (Beta Cygni) – a colourful double star, yellow and blue in colour. Requires telescope.
Autumal Equinox
23rd Sept 09:23 SGT
The day in which the Sun is directly above the Equator.
In Singapore, this results in the highest position of the Sun in
the sky at noon at 12:57pm. Sunrise is at 6:54am
5) Ring Nebula (M57) – A faint planetary nebula in the shape of a ring or halo. Appears misty in small
telescopes, best viewed in large telescopes with very clear skies.
6) Double-Double (Epsilon Lyrae) – Four stars arranged in pairs, very close together. In binoculars and
low magnification each pair looks like a single stars. Larger telescopes and high magnifications are need to
separate each pair to see all four stars. 600 light-years away.
9th Oct
1st Oct
VENUS
31st Oct
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Achernar
MERCURY
Antares
Fomalhaut
VENUS
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Altair
Deneb
WEBSITE - www.science.edu.sg/events/Pages/Stargazing.aspx BLOG – scobbers.blogspot.com
19th Oct
October Moon Dates
5th
12th Oct
Oct
19th Oct
Stars of the month (Oct) – Cap. Aqu. Fomal. Arch.
27th Oct
Sadalmelik
1 “luck of king”
New Moon
(not visible)
1st
Quarter
Half Moon
(6pm-12am)
Full Moon Last Quarter
(8pm-6am Half Moon
(1am-8am)
Sadalsuud
“luck of lucks”
x3
Bright Planets
Mercury – Low in the west around 7:30pm. Near to Saturn. Highest on 9th
Oct (25.3o high)
Venus – Bright and visible in early evening towards west until 9:30pm.
Mars –Visible early morning, towards west 5am-7am, near star Regulus
Jupiter – Visible early morning, towards east, 4am:-7am.
Saturn – Visible in the early evening towards the west until 8pm.
Fomalhaut
“fish’s mouth”
URANUS OPPOSITION – 3rd Oct (mag. 5.7) Earth moves into alignment with
Uranus. Around this time Uranus appears at its brightest, however it is still
difficult to see with the naked eye. It is best viewed in the late evening.
Venus and Scorpius
Venus
Crescent Moon
(31st Oct)
x2
(9th Oct)
Achernar
“river’s end”
Antares
4
Algedi
“goat/kid”
Many of October’s stars are associated with
water and the coming of the rainy season. The
constellation Aquarius represents the pouring
a water from a jar. The names of its two
brightest stars (Sadalmelik and Sadalsuud)
come from the Ancient Middle East and refer
to the luck and favour of the rains, bringing
life after a hot, dry summer.
Likewise, Capricornus represents a mythical halfgoat/half-fish creature (Mergoat). The bright star
Fomalhaut is the mouth of a the southern fish, while
Achernar signifies the end of a faint constellation known
as Eridanus, the river. Finally, the stars of Grus are named
after a Crane, the long-necked water bird.
Sadly, most of these stars are faint and difficult to see in
Singapore’s brightly lit sky.
“Anti-Mars”
Object’s of interest:
This October, Venus travels in front of
the constellation Scorpius. Around
15th-18th October 2013, Venus appears
close to Scorpius’ brightest star,
Antares. Look out for the crescent
moon appearing above the bright pair
on 9th Oct. Best viewed before 8pm,
towards the west. The planets Mercury
and Saturn may also be seen lower to Mercury
st
th
the ground at the start of the month. (1 -20 Oct)
Venus
(1st
Oct)
1) The Water Jar – a asterism (star pattern) made up of four stars representing the water jar
of Aquarius. Best viewed in binoculars.
2) M2 – a large globular star cluster, barely visible in binoculars, requires large telescopes to
individual stars.
3) NGC 7009 The Saturn Nebula – a planetary nebula formed from the outer layers of a
dying star. Faint and oval-shaped.
Saturn
(1st to 15th Oct)
4) Algedi (Alpha Capricorni) – a multiple star consisting of two pairs of stars all visible in
small telescopes.
1st Nov
Vega
Deneb
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13th Nov
8th Nov
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Achernar
VENUS
Altair
Aries
Fomalhaut
VENUS
30th Nov
Pleiades
Aldebaran
WEBSITE - www.science.edu.sg/events/Pages/Stargazing.aspx BLOG – scobbers.blogspot.com
17th Nov
Stars of the month (November)
Pegasus and Andromeda
November Moon Dates
3rd Nov
10th Nov
26th Nov
17th Nov
Look northwards, to find the bright stars of Pegasus and Andromeda, two constellations named after
an ancient legend involving a flying horse (Pegasus) and a princess (Andromeda).
New Moon
Deepavali
(not visible)
1st Quarter
Half Moon
(6pm-12am)
Full Moon
(8pm-6am)
Last Quarter
Half Moon
(1am-8am)
Sadly, our bright Singapore sky prevents us from seeing the full extent of these northern constellations.
The most obvious part are the 4 stars forming a giant square shape (The Square of Pegasus).
One of these 4 stars also forms the start of Andromeda. From this star (Alpheratz), trace an imaginary
curved line towards the east and find the other bright stars forming the backbone of the Princess.
Bright Planets
Mercury – Low in the east, early morning around 6:30am, highest on
18th Nov .
Venus – Bright and visible in early evening towards west until 9:30pm.
Mars –Visible early morning, towards west 4:30am-6:30am, near star
Regulus
Jupiter – Visible early morning, 1am:-6:30am.
Saturn – Very low towards the east in the early morning around
6:30am (25-30th Nov).
3
4x
VENUS GREATEST ELONGATION EAST – 1ST NOVEMNER (47.1o)
Venus reaches it furthest position from the Sun as seen from Earth.
During this time Venus appears at its highest in the western sky during
the early evening.
Uranus and Neptune
On 3rd Oct, Uranus was at opposition, resulting in it being at its brightest and
closest for the year. Likewise, the planet Neptune was recently at opposition
on 27th August.
1x
Here are some hidden treasures within Pegasus and Andromeda,
which you might like to find with a pair of binoculars or a
telescope and hopefully a clear sky:
1. M31 – The Andromeda Galaxy.
Dazzling under the darkest conditions. In a clear, moonless Singapore sky, you “might” see its
fuzzy looking core through binoculars or a telescope at low power.
x URANUS
2. Gamma Andromedae (Almach)
This month, although both
planets are dim and
difficult to see, Uranus and
Neptune are close to their
highest position in the
early evening, near the
bright star of Fomalhaut
and the faint constellations
of Pisces and Aquarius.
A beautiful double star. One star is golden yellow the other blue. Requires a telescope to be
seen.
x NEPTUNE
3. Triangulum
A small constellation of 3 faint stars in a distinctive triangle shape. Can be seen with the naked
eye or binoculars.
4. M15 Globular Cluster
Fomalhaut
A dense collection of over 100,000 stars. Very distant and faint, requires very dark and clear
conditions, binoculars or telescope using low power.
Rigel
Achernar
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Orion
Sirius
Fomalhaut
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Altair
Pleiades
9th Dec
Aldebaran
Betelgeuse
7th Dec
VENUS
JUPITER
Canopus
13th Dec
Cetus
WEBSITE - www.science.edu.sg/events/Pages/Stargazing.aspx BLOG – scobbers.blogspot.com
17th Dec
December Moon Dates
3rd Dec
9th Dec
New Moon
(not visible)
1st Quarter
Half Moon
(6pm-12am)
Full Moon
(8pm-6am)
Stars of the month (December)
Taurus, Perseus & Auriga
25th Dec
17th Dec*
Last Quarter
Half Moon
(1am-8am)
Looking Eastward, the most obvious objects will be the bright
orange star of Aldebaran (the follower) in Taurus and the brilliant
white star Capella (female goat) in Auriga.
*Dec 17th – Furthest Lunar Apogee – smallest Full Moon of the year
Bright Planets
Mercury – Low in the east, early morning hidden in Sun’s glare .
Venus – Brightest during December. Visible in early evening towards
west until 8:30pm.
Mars –Visible early morning, from 3am-6:30am, near stars of Leo.
Jupiter – Visible from 11pm-6:30am, near stars of Gemini.
Saturn – Low in the east before sunrise around 6:30am .
Southern Solstice – 22nd Dec 01:11 SGT
The day in which the Sun is reaches it
southernmost point in the sky. In Singapore, this
results in the lowest position of the Sun towards
the south at noon 1:03pm. Sunrise is at 7:02am.
Taurus, Auriga and nearby Perseus,
contain a wealth of beautiful star
clusters, well worth searching for in
clear, moonless skies. (see below for
more details)
Moons of Jupiter
Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Jupiter’s four biggest moons, Io,
Europa, Ganymede and Callisto in the following positions:
Fri 6th Dec
1. M45 – The Pleiades (Seven Sisters)
Europa
Io
Ganymede
Fri 13th Dec
Fri
Io
Ganymede
Dec
Europa
Ganymede
A loose grouping of stars next to the bright star of Aldebaran. One of the closest star clusters to
the Sun (150 light years away). Requires binoculars.
3. Perseus Double Cluster (NGC 869 & NGC 884)
Io
Callisto
Europa behind Jupiter until 9:56pm
Fri 27th Dec Callisto
A large and bright cluster of young white-blue stars. Try and spot the 7 brightest members using
only your eyes. Use binoculars to experience its full glory!
2. The Hyades
Europa
Callisto
20th
Callisto
Io
Ganymede
Europa disappears behind Jupiter at 8:56pm
Two large clusters lying close together in our Galaxy. Must use binoculars but can be tricky to
find in our urban sky.
4. Alpha Persei/Melotte 20 Cluster
This large, loose cluster surrounds and includes the supergiant star of Alpha Persei (Mirfak), the
brightest star in Perseus. Find it with binoculars or telescopes at low power.
5,6,7. – M38, M37, M36 respectively
Three star clusters located a short distance from each other in Auriga. M37 (no. 6) is the
brightest of the three. Containing hundreds of stars they can appear very faint in bright skies.