Page 79 - Astronomy - October 2017 USA

HOW TO USE THIS MAP: This map portrays
the sky as seen near 30° south latitude. DECEMBER 2017
Located inside the border are the four
directions: north, south, east, and
west. To find stars, hold the map Calendar of events
overhead and orient it so a
direction label matches the 1 Asteroid Dembowska is at 17 Asteroid Massalia is at
direction you’re facing. opposition, 13h UT opposition, 16h UT
The stars above the
map’s horizon now 3 Mercury is stationary, 8h UT 18 New Moon occurs at 6h30m UT
match what’s The Moon passes 0.8° north of 19 The Moon is at apogee (406,603
in the sky. Aldebaran, 13h UT kilometers from Earth), 1h26m UT
VEL A
Full Moon occurs at 15h47m UT 21 Summer solstice occurs at
16h28m UT
ANTLIA 4 The Moon is at perigee Dwarf planet Ceres is stationary,
(357,492 kilometers from Earth),
8h46m UT 21h UT
8 The Moon passes 0.7° north of Saturn is in conjunction with the
PYXIS Regulus, 23h UT Sun, 21h UT

10 Last Quarter Moon occurs at 23 Mercury is stationary, 3h UT
NGC 2477 7h51m UT 24 Asteroid Pallas is stationary,
13 Mercury is in inferior conjunction, 6h UT
2h UT
Alphard The Moon passes 4° north of The Moon passes 1.4° south of
Neptune, 13h UT
Mars, 16h UT
CANIS MAJOR E 14 Geminid meteor shower peaks 26 First Quarter Moon occurs at
9h20m UT
The Moon passes 4° north of 27 The Moon passes 5° south of
M47 HYDR A The Moon passes 0.2° south of 31 The Moon passes 0.8° north of
Jupiter, 14h UT
Uranus, 18h UT
MONO CEROS Procyon asteroid Vesta, 19h UT Aldebaran, 1h UT

CANIS MINOR

GEMINI Stars’ true colors
STAR COLORS:
Pollux depend on surface
temperature. Hot
stars glow blue; slight-
ly cooler ones, white;
Castor intermediate stars (like
the Sun), yellow; followed
by orange and, ulti mately, red.
Fainter stars can’t excite our eyes’
color receptors, and so appear white
without optical aid.

Illustrations by Astronomy: Roen Kelly
BEGINNERS: WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT HOW TO READ A STAR CHART AT www.Astronomy.com/starchart.