This chart depicts the evening sky for the times indicated. The edge
represents the horizon; the chart's center is the point overhead. Hold a
printout of the chart out in front of you so the horizon marked with the
direction you're facing is down. Then match the stars on the map with the
real stars in the sky.
This chart show the sky as seen from 40 degrees
north latitude. When viewing from a lower latitude, stars in the southern
sky will appear higher above the horizon while those in the northern sky
will be lower. When viewing from a latitude higher than 40 degrees, the
opposite will be true.
Printing or enlarging the chart requires Adobe
Reader
* Lunar phase times are listed for the U.S. Central Time Zone
* Star Charts courtesy of Orion Telescopes and Binoculars
Explore the starry skies of April!
There will be a number of intriguing celestial sights to enjoy during
April with the help of a binocular and/or telescope, but there will also be
a few events you can enjoy with unaided eyes. As the Year of the Comets
continues, astronomers are hopeful April will present good viewing
opportunities for Comet PANSTARRS and Comet Lemmon. Here are a few of
Orion's top picks for April stargazing:
Catch Comet PANSTARRS - While not as bright as expected, Comet
PANSTARRS is still putting on quite a show in the night sky. In April you'll
need 50mm or larger binoculars, or a telescope to get the best views of this
cosmic traveler as it races out of our Solar System. An especially awesome
sight will occur on the nights of April 3rd and 4th, when PANSTARRS will
glide within 2° (about 4 lunar diameters, or "Full Moon widths") of M31, the
Andromeda Galaxy! Use 50mm or larger binoculars or a wide-field telescope to
get the best view of this once-in-a-lifetime event.
Rise Early for Comet Lemmon - If you rise before dawn in April,
you'll have a chance to see a second bright comet, Comet Lemmon. By
mid-month this comet will be low in the south-eastern dawn sky, and it will
get higher with the passing days. This comet is expected to fade
significantly by May, and it will then likely require an astrophotography
setup to capture an image of it. So take advantage of pre-dawn viewing
opportunities in April! Learn more about when to see Comet Lemmon in this
informative article.
A Great Month for Star Parties! - With the New Moon occurring on
Wednesday, April 10th, the prior weekend of April 6th and 7th, and the
following weekend of April 13th and 14th both present great stargazing
opportunities. Since the Moon will be relatively dim on these weekends, they
will be great times to organize star parties and search for and explore
faint Deep Sky Objects with friends and family!
Challenging Meteor Shower - On April 21st, the April Lyrids Meteor
Shower will occur, but unfortunately this popular perennial event will share
the sky with a waxing Moon, which will reach Full Moon phase on April 25th.
The glare of the bright Moon will hamper meteor observations, but it will
still be worthwhile to sit back in a comfy chair and try to sight meteors as
they appear to radiate from the constellation Lyra in the north-eastern sky.
Binocular Bounty - Use 50mm or larger binoculars in April to
explore our personal favourite constellation - Orion! The entire
constellation is a treasure trove of celestial sights, but we especially
enjoy observing M42, the Orion Nebula, with big astronomy binoculars. For
even better observations of this cloudy nebula, use a 6" telescope with a
wide-angle, low-power eyepiece to obtain a nicely framed view of this
stellar nursery where stars are formed.
Last Call for Giant Jupiter - By mid-April, Jupiter will be
approaching the horizon about 9pm, but the gas giant will still be high
enough in the sky beforehand for some respectable views. Bigger refractor
and reflector telescopes and moderate to high power eyepieces will deliver
the most rewarding views of Jupiter before it leaves the night sky for the
season.
Spring Brings Galaxy Season! - April skies provide stargazers with
ample opportunities to observe far-off galaxies. With the Virgo Galaxy
Cluster and bright galaxies in the Big Dipper and Coma Berenices
well-positioned in the sky, April evenings are truly a gift for
galaxy-hounds. Check out a few of our favourite galaxies: M101, M51, and
M106 near the Big Dipper asterism; M86, M87, M84 and M104 in the Virgo
Galaxy Cluster; and don't miss NGC 4565, M64, M99, and M100 in the
constellation Coma Berenices. While a humble 80mm telescope will show most
of the galaxies we mention, you can't beat a big 10"-16" reflector telescope
for jaw-dropping views of these galaxies!
April's Challenge Object - You'll need a big reflector telescope to
go after this month's challenge object, which is a group of at least six
faint galaxies closely packed around NGC 2687, which lies about a degree
northwest of Talitha, the south-western "foot" of the constellation Ursa
Major (which also is home to the Big Dipper asterism). This so-called
"Kevin's Sextet" of faint galaxies is quite challenging to detect in
telescopes, so we recommend using a 12" to 16" Dobsonian reflector to find
out how many galaxies you can see.
All objects described above can easily be seen with the suggested equipment
from a dark sky site, a viewing location some distance away from city lights
where light pollution and when bright moonlight does not overpower the
stars. All objects have been verified by actual observations by Orion
Telescopes & Binoculars Staff at Fremont Peak State Park, and/or Deep Sky
Ranch, 60 miles and 90 miles respectively from San Jose International
Airport, San Jose, CA.
Events to watch for in 2013
May
- In late May, be
sure to get outside
on clear evenings
for an unaided-eye
treat as Mercury,
Venus, and Jupiter
form a conjunction
in the sky. Galaxy
season continues!
Use a big telescope
and catch great
galaxies like M51,
M81 & M82, M101 and
more!
June
- Summer
stargazing season
kicks off with great
opportunities to see
a host of globular
and open star
clusters, emission
nebulas, and more.
Scan the Summer
Milky Way with big
binoculars or a
telescope for great
views.
July
- With the
constellation
Hercules overhead
and Scorpius to the
south, there's
plenty to explore as
summer continues.
Try to pick out the
three bright stars
of the Summer
Triangle (Altair,
Deneb and Vega) with
unaided eyes on a
clear evening.
August
- Use 50mm
or larger binoculars
and/or a telescope
to explore the
summer Milky Way in
August for nice
views of various
star clusters,
galaxies, and cloudy
nebulas. Get outside
after dark on August
11th to catch
meteors from the
Perseids shower
radiating from the
constellation
Perseids.
September
- The Fall
stargazing season
begins with
wonderfully placed
spiral galaxies M31
(Andromeda Galaxy),
M33 (Triangulum
Galaxy), and M74 in
Pisces. Use a big
telescope to see
these glittering
island universes.
October
- As nights
become cooler in
October, gigantic
Jupiter takes over
the night sky. Enjoy
nightly views of the
biggest planet in
our solar system and
see its four
brightest moons (Io,
Ganymede, Europa and
Callisto) change
position each night.
See the Orionids
meteor shower on the
night of October
20th as meteors
radiate from the
constellation Orion.
November
- Bundle up
for bright skies!
See our namesake
constellation Orion
arch its way across
the sky along with
lots of bright star
clusters. Get
outside on the
evening of November
17th to see the
Leonids meteor
shower as meteors
radiate from the
constellation Leo.
December
- Amateur
astronomers all over
the world are hoping
that Comet ISON will
put on a spectacular
show in December
skies. If the comet
survives its close
approach to the Sun
in late November, it
will be extremely
bright throughout
December - perhaps
as bright as the
Full Moon! As long
as the comet stays
intact, its closest
approach to Earth on
December 26th will
be a heavenly
holiday gift for all
stargazers! You
won't want to miss
the Geminids meteor
shower which peaks
on the evening of
December 13th - look
for meteors coming
from the
constellation
Gemini.
All objects described above can easily be seen with the
suggested equipment from a dark sky site, a viewing location some distance
away from city lights where light pollution and when bright moonlight does
not overpower the stars. All objects have been verified by actual
observations by Orion Telescopes & Binoculars Staff at Fremont Peak State
Park, and/or Deep Sky Ranch, 60 miles and 90 miles respectively from San
Jose International Airport, San Jose, CA
Only two planets are easily visible throughout November 2012: Jupiter and
Venus.
Mercury
Innermost Mercury is lost in the
solar glare until early February, when it re-emerges in the
evening sky.
Venus
Venus
shines like a beacon in the southeastern morning sky. At magnitude -4
the planet is still close to peak brightness, but it is rapidly losing
altitude and gets closer and closer to the horizon with each passing
day. At the beginning of the month, Venus spans 10.8" across and shows a
disk 94-percent lit. By late January, the disk has shrunk to 10.2" and
the phase has grown to 97-percent illumination.
For such a dazzling naked eye sight, Venus is one of the most profoundly
disappointing sights in the telescope. The planet's surface is
perpetually obscured by an extremely thick atmosphere, so any
observations will be limited to details discernible in its rather bland
covering - slightly brighter or darker areas, or irregularities in the
terminator (the dividing line between the illuminated and the dark part
of the planet's disk).
Mars
Mars has faded in
the past few months, but it is still visible
about half an hour after sundown, low in the
southwest (a perfect scene for wide-angle
photography - for the best results, include some
photogenic foreground trees or buildings).
Because of its small angular diameter of only 4"
this January, Mars is a challenging object to
observe. Even when closest to Earth it is
disappointingly small, and high magnification on
a good telescope with a steady atmosphere are
required to see some details on the surface.
Small amateur telescopes show the bright polar
caps and some dark features like Syrtis Major
and Mare Erythraeum. You can also see the giant
Hellas basin, that when filled with white clouds
can rival the polar caps in brilliance. Hellas
is the largest visible impact crater known in
the solar system, with a diameter of about 1,400
miles.
Jupiter
Jupiter reached
opposition to the Sun in December 2012, when it
was closest to Earth and at its largest and
brightest. The gas giant still rises shortly
after sunset, remains visible all night and
looks stunning through a telescope. It shines at
magnitude -2.6 and resides in Taurus, close to
Aldebaran, the brightest star in the
constellation and one of the brightest in the
nighttime sky.
Named after the king of the
Roman gods, Jupiter is the largest planet in the
solar system - its mass is nearly two and a half
times greater than the mass of the rest of the
planets combined. The planet has four large
moons, which are a constant delight to amateur
astronomers.
These moons orbit the planet so quickly, that
their motion can be seen almost minute by minute
if they are next to the planet or to each other.
Amateurs with medium-sized telescopes enjoy
watching the moons pass in front of Jupiter,
cast their shadows on the planet, disappear in
eclipse in Jupiter's shadow, become occulted by
the edge of the planet, or even eclipse each
other. Jupiter's moons eclipse and occult each
other only when the plane of their orbit is seen
edge-on to our line of sight, and this will
happen in November 2014, March 2021, and October
2026.
Saturn
Saturn rises in
the east around 3 A.M. local time and by the
beginning of dawn it is fairly high in the
south. A small telescope will reveal Saturn's
system of rings which span 37", surrounding a
disk about 17" in diameter. The rings are tilted
20° to our line of sight, the widest open they
have been in seven years.
The planet's ring system is unique, and quite
unlike the obscure rings of Jupiter, Uranus and
Neptune. Six major rings all lying in the
equatorial plane of Saturn have been identified,
of which three, in addition to the Cassini
division and a subtler demarcation called the
Encke division, can be seen from the Earth with
a good telescope.
Saturn's rings are made up of many small
particles, all moving round the planet in the
manner of tiny moons. There is no mystery about
their composition; they are made primarily of
water ice.
Neptune
T
Bluish Neptune is in
the constellation Aquarius, just 2° northeast of the
4th-magnitude star Iota Aquarii. The planet is
rather faint, at magnitude +8, but can be found with
binoculars provided that the night is very dark,
very clear, and you are far from sources of light
pollution.
Neptune, named after the mythical god
of the sea, is more than half again as far from the
Sun as is Uranus: 2,800 million miles. The planet
has 13 known moons, of which only two where known
before the Voyager fly-by in 1989: Triton and Nereid.
Triton, discovered by the British astronomer William
Lassell just 17 days after Neptune itself had been
found, is the only major satellite with a retrograde
orbit; that is to say, it moves round Neptune in a
sense opposite to that in which the planet rotates.
Nereid is only 140 miles across and its eccentric
orbit is more like that of a comet than a satellite;
its distance from Neptune varies from 841,100 to
5,980,100 miles.
Uranus
(Uranus is so inconspicuous that it was
mistaken for a star dozens of times before its accidental discovery in 1781 by
William Herschel, using a primitive 6-inch Newtonian reflector. The planet is
never less than 1,600 million miles from the Earth; it qualifies as a giant,
with a diameter of over 30,000 miles, but it is much smaller than Jupiter or
Saturn and its composition is quite different.
Uranus is technically at the threshold of vision at magnitude +5.9, and can be
found among the stars of the constellation Pisces immediately after dark. For a
proper identification, however, you will need binoculars and a current finder
map like the one provided on this page. A good telescope and a power of 100x or
more are needed to make the planet's disk obviously nonstellar.
Pluto
The dwarf planet is barely emerging from the glow of dawn, so it
will be obscured for many observers. It will not be high enough above the
horizon for telescopic viewing until about mid-February.
