Download s*t*a*r chart - Ontario Science Centre

THE CONSTELLATIONS
S*T*A*R
CH ART
The star groups linked by lines are the constellations
created by our ancestors thousands of years ago as a
way of mapping the night sky. Modern astronomers still
use the traditional names, which give today’s stargazers
a permanent link to the sky myths and legends of the
past. This season's evening sky features Orion the
Hunter. Connect three bright stars to form Orion’s belt.
Betelgeuse, a red super-giant star, marks the left
shoulder. Notice its reddish appearance in comparison
with the ‘blue’ color of the belt stars. Betelgeuse is one
of the largest and most luminous stars known. If it were
at the center of our Solar System, its surface would
extend beyond the orbit of Mars!
FOR WINTER
January/February
* 2014 *
THE PLANETS
MERCURY Look for a first-magnitude or
brighter “star” low in the west during
the first week of February.
*
VENUS appears by mid-January
as a brilliant object low in the
southeastern sky at dawn.
*
MARS rises about midnight and
shines high in the south in the
predawn hours.
*
JUPITER is the prime-time planet this
winter. On Jan. 5th, it is closest to
Earth and brightest for the year.
Jupiter rises at sunset in early January,
but by the end of February, Jupiter is
high in the east at nightfall, shining
as a bright extra “star” in the
constellation of Gemini.
*
SATURN rises in the east at 1 a.m. by
the end of February.
OBSERVING HIGHLIGHTS
JAN 5
Jupiter at opposition (closest to Earth for 2014), rising at sunset
JAN 15
* Full Moon, 11:52 p.m., EST; smallest full Moon of 2014, with
Moon at distant apogee (406,532 km); Earth passes through
orbital plane of Comet ISON, with possible meteor shower.
JAN 22 * Waning gibbous Moon 0.5° above Spica and 5° below
Mars after midnight on Jan. 23
JAN 31
* Mercury at greatest angle away from Sun (18°) in evening sky; thin crescent
Moon 4° north of Mercury.
FEB 18
Zodiacal light at its best in evening sky for next two weeks; waning Moon,
Spica and Mars in a 5°-wide triangle in midnight to dawn sky.
* Impressive or relatively rare astronomical event
SPACE STATION SIGHTINGS
As the space station orbits the Earth, sunlight reflects off of its giant solar arrays.
From Earth, it appears as a bright object moving high across the night sky. Visit
www.heavens-above.com to get a list of upcoming ISS passes over your community.
MOON PHASES
OBSERVING TIP:
Check our calendar for more details:
www.ontariosciencecentre.ca
Need a night-sky friendly flashlight?
Cover a flashlight's lamp with brown
or red paper to dim its light and
preserve your night vision.
Full
JAN 15 (11:52 p.m.)
FEB 14 (6:53 p.m.)
New
JAN 1 (6:14 a.m.)
JAN 30 (4:38 p.m.)
*FREE ASTRONOMY EVENTS AT THE OSC*
Jan 4th & Feb 1st, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Solar Observing: Spot sunspots and solar flares through specially
filtered telescopes. TELUSCAPE
Jan 22nd, 7:30 p.m.: Astronomy presentations, including: Observing highlights of this month’s sky,
Astronomy from the Atacama, and Solar cycle 24: are we really at solar max? Presented by members
of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
OUR CHART SHOWS the major stars, planets and constellations visible
from Canada and the northern United States within one hour of these times:
EARLY JANUARY: 11 P.M.; LATE JANUARY: 10 P.M.
EARLY FEBRUARY: 9 P.M.; LATE FEBRUARY: 8 P.M.
NORTH
WEST
W
N
N
E
EAST
S
E
Download our most recent star chart:
www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/tour/default.asp?demoid=75
W
S
SOUTH
Cartography and design by Roberta Cooke. Base chart data derived from maps drawn by Roy Bishop for the Observer’s Handbook, published by The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
ROTATING NIGHT SKY: During the night, the Earth’s rotation on its axis slowly
shifts the entire sky. This is the same motion that swings the Sun on its daily eastto-west trek. The rotational hub is Polaris, the North Star, located almost exactly
above the Earth’s North Pole. Everything majestically marches counter-clockwise
around it, a motion that becomes evident after about half an hour.
TO USE THIS CHART: Hold the chart in front of you and rotate it so the direction
you are facing (N,S,E,W) is at the bottom of the chart. The edge of the chart
represents the horizon; the overhead point is at centre. On a moonless night in the
country, you will see more stars than are shown here; deep in the city, you will see
fewer. The ecliptic line is the celestial pathway of the Moon and planets. The star
groups straddling this line are known as the zodiac constellations. The Moon is
shown for selected dates.
Prepared for the Ontario Science Centre by SkyNews,
the Canadian Magazine of Astronomy & Stargazing. SkyNews.ca
SkyNews.ca 1-866-759-0005