E INDICATED ALONG

DIRECTIONS AR
MPASS THE HO
N . CO s a small but distinct R IZ O N

The Evening Sky Map

I Z O r n C r o w n ) i C IR C
HOR o r the iv e co n
M
N LE (

EQUATORIAL EDITION
E Th e s t el la
CO
TH l i s ( ti o n . F OR
S.
A N D o re a NORTH EXA
B
AP
I T H o n a MP
EN or LE
M
Z C
KY
H E β “NO

JULY 2020
T R
.S
TH
”) . EE N
W MINOR TW
W
TU URSA BE
W
RN CE ED
FREE* EACH MONTH FOR YOU TO EXPLORE, LEARN & ENJOY THE NIGHT SKY
TH PH AT
ES μ EU OC
S
E L j o r).
SKY MAP SHOWS HOW
KY
Get Sky Calendar on Twitter R
Sky Calendar – July 2020
MA A
Ma
THE NIGHT SKY LOOKS
P Ly S
http://twitter.com/skymaps AR
re
ra CT
JE (U r s
a

B
OU e n ts
EARLY JUL 9 PM

ng L O
p er ar

N
Mercury at inferior conjunction with the Sun at 3h UT. Mercury
M3
1
pp

re

be

A
Di e Big

D
s
9

TI
N
IT

a
LATE JUL 8 PM

S
Th

N
S
passes into the morning sky.

E
n
Thuba

a n CEL
CE r e p

i
t

d
h
OR

N
(Add 1 Hour For Daylight Saving)

ar
e
T

a m O N.
e
DRACO
Moon near Antares (evening sky) at 20h UT.

l
2 AJ A

E
SKY MAP DRAWN FOR

h
R
M RS

Z
De
lcor

(
A LATITUDE OF 0°

I
J
U

R
ne & A izar

U
la

HO
4 Earth at Aphelion (farthest from Sun) at 12h UT. The Sun-

S
b
AND IS SUITABLE

y
T
M

HE
ν

ts
A
FOR LATITUDES UP

SY
Earth distance is 1.016694 a.u. or about 152.1 million km.

c
b

61

ST
i
y

p
Eta
TO 15° NORTH

OU

de
t
min

I
h
1 I
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse from 3:07 to 5:52 UT, with
IC

LE
5 M5 OR SOUTH OF

an )
A
AT E S

I RC
R

CY
R

HE
THIS

E
usi
N

ds m
N 4
mid-eclipse at 4:30 UT. Best seen at mid-eclipse. Visible VE CA

G
M9

RC
RC
cia

N
O
Ve

r
U
I
M92

UT E
e
N
from the Americas, SW Europe and Africa.

n
a ε g

UL

eH
i

G
ol

O
ar

O
NO
r

ES

(Th
p

χ
C
Full Moon at 4:44 UT.

E
5

h
or

D TH
e
C

L
)
u
M13

ö te s
YR
s
S

β
5 Moon near Jupiter (midnight sky) at 23h UT. Mag. –2.7. O
in

11

) AN
A
M5

TES

n Bo
T

l1
BOREALIS

7
G
HE C

Alb

M3
r

Me
CORONA

NITH
ee k
6 Moon near Saturn (midnight sky) at 10h UT. Mag. 0.2.

BOÖ
M2

o
ire 399

i
ε
OMPA

t
s

a
lu
m
Ge

4
Cr

AD ( ZE
Venus at its brightest at 12h UT. Mag. –4.5.

l
8 gu

DELPH

M6
mm

s te l
y

Re
t

γ
ho

a
S S D IR E

bola
M

The c on
11 Moon near Mars (morning sky) at 22h UT. Mag. –0.7.
l

1
o

Arcturus

E
5
En
g

H
Dene
ix
y

INUS

R
if

M87
.

miatr
12 Venus 0.95° N of Aldebaran (40° from Sun,

E
α
CTION THAT APPEARS ALONG THE BOTTO

SERPENS
(CAPUT)

V
Altair

O
morning sky) at 2h UT. Mags. –4.5 and 0.9.

Vinde

THE SKY DIRECTLY

VIRGO
6633

IC 466
12 Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 19h UT

WEST
S
EAST

M5
(distance 404,199 km; angular size 29.6'). (C ER

OP
AU PE

AQ

M12
M2

D AN S

HI

γ
12 Last Quarter Moon at 23:30 UT.

UI

M10
)

UC
LA
A

14 Jupiter at opposition (opposite the Sun) at 8h UT.

HE PART OF
M11

HU
Q U

t h e sky .
Spica
S
A

Best time to observe the largest planet in the solar

M104
M16

ER
RIUS

Jupiter
7009

system. Mag. –2.8.

AT
Saturn

M1
β A
LIBR

CR

AP IS T
7

ti o n in
M2

VU
M2
16 Moon near the Pleiades at 8h UT (morning sky).
CAP

ECLIPTIC

3
5

COR
SC
M2

R
M2
M OF

M4

1 M
17 Moon, Venus and Aldebaran within a circle of

s t e ll a
0
M2

HE M
O
RI

Nunki

Ant
RP
2
Coron

8
COR

diam. 4.1° (morning sky) at 2h UT. Mags. –4.5 and 0.9.

T HE

2
ares
IU

OF T
t co n
324
M6

3
SAG

A
S

M8
a Au

NU

ITT
MA P

Moon near Mercury (morning sky) at 5h UT. Mag. 0.9.

DR
19 ARI M7

TE R
r g es
US
S

HY
st r a
IS T

CE N
20 New Moon at 17:32 UT. Start of lunation 1207.

d la
6124
lis (

CO
AUS RONA
HE

6231

HE
co n
20 Saturn at opposition (opposite the Sun) at 22h UT. The TRA
28 US
T

LIS

S. T
SAM
he

51 UR

AN h e se
A
ringed planet is at its closest and brightest at mag. +0.1.
Sou

NT

IME
EA

CE

t
the

DT
ST

nd
Saturn’s rings are spectacular even in a small telescope.
HE
rn

N D io n a
6397 5822
C

23 Moon near Regulus (evening sky) at 0h UT.

DI R

ES
row ION

R T e ll a t
AT
Symbols
EC

n)

25 Moon at perigee (closest to Earth) at 5:05 UT (distance

T

st
6025
is

on
AI
α
as

5 X
β 475 Galaxy

c
368,361 km; angular size 32.4'). RU
TH

od 2
ma U F

ia c
C

CE
3
675
AT

31
ll

2 k
Double Star

ON
lsac 18
Moon near Spica (evening sky) at 19h UT.
YO

ar

26

tz
Coa 39

W
x
S
c o E. B

Acru

S
es
E

AR
S
TRIANGULUM Variable Star
ff

in

rg
la
AC

PE
27 First Quarter Moon at 12:33 UT. ts AUSTRALE
a

κ 32 e

AP
EG ta 35 th IT
IN r s. PAV is S Diffuse Nebula
30 Moon near Antares (evening sky) at 3h UT. BY O 32
93 g o
V ir ZO N
A
US
I MU
SCA 33
72
R I Planetary Nebula
NG
More sky events and links at http://Skymaps.com/skycalendar/ TH 2 -H
O
Open Star Cluster
ES 260 -TO
IC
KY Z ON
All times in Universal Time (UT). (Singapore Standard Time = UT + 8 hours.) MA
PT HO R I Globular Star Cluster
OF M
I ND F RO
SAVE ON RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS • http://Skymaps.com/store SKY
AB
RIG
HT S
Cent
auru
s ( Th e SOUTH il k y W a y.
N IG HT
-1 0 1 2 3 4 Star Magnitudes
• Star Atlases & Planispheres • Star Charts & Astro Posters TAR C e nt a u r her n M T IRE
PATT ) is a large constellation in the sout T H E EN
• Books for Sky Watchers • Telescopes & Binoculars E RN I W S Copyright © 2000–2020 Kym Thalassoudis. All Rights Reserved.
N THE S AP SHO
All sales support the production and free distribution of The Evening Sky Map.
KY. INSTRUCTIONS: THE SKY M * TERMS OF USE: FREE FOR NON-COMMERCIAL EDUCATIONAL USE. ASTRONOMY EDUCATION GROUPS
MAY FREELY DISTRIBUTE PRINTED HANDOUTS. FULL DETAILS AT http://Skymaps.com/terms.html
 Easily Seen with the Naked Eye

EQUATORIAL EDITION
JULY 2020
About the Celestial Objects
Listed on this page are several of the brighter, more interesting celestial objects Altair Aql Brightest star in Aquila. Name means "the flying eagle". Dist=16.8 ly.
visible in the evening sky this month (refer to the monthly sky map). The objects are Arcturus Boo Orange, giant K star. Name means "bear watcher". Dist=36.7 ly.
β Centauri Cen With Alpha Centauri, forms the so-called "Pointers-to-the-Cross". Dist=525 ly.
grouped into three categories. Those that can be easily seen with the naked eye (that α Centauri Cen Nearest bright star to Sun at 4.4 ly. Brilliant double star in a telescope. 80 year period.
is, without optical aid), those easily seen with binoculars, and those requiring a Coalsack Cru Most famous naked-eye dark nebula. Requires dark sky. Dist=600 ly.
telescope to be appreciated. Note, all of the objects (except single stars) will α Herculis Her Semi-regular variable. Magnitude varies between 3.1 & 3.9 over 90 days. Mag 5.4 companion.
appear more impressive when viewed through a telescope or very large Vega Lyr The 5th brightest star in the sky. A blue-white star. Dist=25.0 ly.
binoculars. They are grouped in this way to highlight objects that can be seen using Antares Sco Red, supergiant star. Name means "rival of Mars". Dist=135.9 ly.
Spica Vir Latin name means "ear of wheat" and shown held in Virgo's left hand. Dist=250 ly.
the optical equipment that may be available to the star gazer.
Easily Seen with Binoculars
Tips for Observing the Night Sky η Aquilae Aql Bright Cepheid variable. Mag varies between 3.6 & 4.5 over 7.166 days. Dist=1,200 ly.
When observing the night sky, and in particular deep-sky objects such as star clusters, 6397 Ara Thought to be the nearest globular. Dist=7,000 ly.
M3 CVn Easy to find in binoculars. Might be glimpsed with the naked eye.
nebulae, and galaxies, it’s always best to observe from a dark location. Avoid direct

CELESTIAL OBJECTS
ω Centauri Cen Largest and brightest globular star cluster in sky. 1 million stars. Dist=17,000 ly.
light from street lights and other sources. If possible observe from a dark location 4755 Cru Jewel Box. Outstanding star cluster. Many contrasting colours. Dist=7,600 ly.
away from the light pollution that surrounds many of today’s large cities. ν Draconis Dra Wide pair of white stars. One of the finest binocular pairs in the sky. Dist=100 ly.
You will see more stars after your eyes adapt to the darkness—usually about 10 to M13 Her Best globular in northern skies. Discovered by Halley in 1714. Dist=23,000 ly.
20 minutes after you go outside. Also, if you need to use a torch to view the sky M92 Her Fainter and smaller than M13. Use a telescope to resolve its stars.
R Hydrae Hya Long period variable. Mag varies between 3.0 & 11.0 over 390 days. Brilliant red.
map, cover the light bulb with red cellophane. This will preserve your dark vision.
ε Lyrae Lyr Famous Double Double. Binoculars show a double star. High power reveals each a double.
Finally, even though the Moon is one of the most stunning objects to view R Lyrae Lyr Semi-regular variable. Magnitude varies between 3.9 & 5.0 over 46.0 days.
through a telescope, its light is so bright that it brightens the sky and makes many of M12 Oph Close to the brighter M10. Dist=18,000 ly.
the fainter objects very difficult to see. So try to observe the evening sky on M10 Oph 3 degrees from the fainter M12. Both may be glimpsed in binoculars. Dist=14,000 ly.
moonless nights around either New Moon or Last Quarter. IC 4665 Oph Large, scattered open cluster. Visible with binoculars.
6633 Oph Scattered open cluster. Visible with binoculars.
M8 Sgr Lagoon Nebula. Bright nebula bisected by a dark lane. Dist=5,200 ly.
Astronomical Glossary M25 Sgr Bright cluster located about 6 deg N of "teapot's" lid. Dist=1,900 ly.
M22 Sgr A spectacular globular star cluster. Telescope will show stars. Dist=10,000 ly.
Conjunction – An alignment of two celestial bodies such that they present the least M4 Sco A close globular. May just be visible without optical aid. Dist=7,000 ly.
angular separation as viewed from Earth. 6231 Sco Easy to see in binoculars. Dist=5,900 ly.
Constellation – A defined area of the sky containing a star pattern. M6 Sco Butterfly Cluster. 30+ stars in 7x binoculars. Dist=1,960 ly.
M7 Sco Superb open cluster. Visible to the naked eye. Age=260 million years. Dist=780 ly.
Diffuse Nebula – A cloud of gas illuminated by nearby stars. M5 Ser Fine globular star cluster. Telescope will reveal individual stars. Dist=25,000 ly.
Double Star – Two stars that appear close to each other in the sky; either linked by 6025 TrA A small open star cluster in Milky Way. Dist=2,700 ly.
gravity so that they orbit each other (binary star) or lying at different distances from Cr 399 Vul Coathanger asterism or "Brocchi's Cluster". Not a true star cluster. Dist=218 to 1,140 ly.
Earth (optical double). Apparent separation of stars is given in seconds of arc ("). Telescopic Objects
Ecliptic – The path of the Sun’s center on the celestial sphere as seen from Earth. ε Boötis Boo Red giant star (mag 2.5) with a blue-green mag 4.9 companion. Sep=2.8". Difficult to split.
Elongation – The angular separation of two celestial bodies. For Mercury and Venus 5128 Cen Bisected by a wide obscuring lane. Strong radio source. Dist=11 million ly.
the greatest elongation occurs when they are at their most angular distance from the M64 Com Black-Eye Galaxy. Discovered by J.E. Bode in 1775 -- "a small, nebulous star".
Albireo Cyg Beautiful double star. Contrasting colours of orange and blue-green. Sep=34.4".
Sun as viewed from Earth. M83 Hya Classic face-on spiral. Discovered in 1752 by Lacaille. In attractive star field.
Galaxy – A mass of up to several billion stars held together by gravity. 5822 Lup Large, attractive cluster. Dist=1,800 ly. Open cluster NGC 5823 to the south.
β Lyrae Lyr Eclipsing binary. Mag varies between 3.3 & 4.3 over 12.940 days. Fainter mag 7.2 blue star.
Globular Star Cluster – A ball-shaped group of several thousand old stars.
M57 Lyr Ring Nebula. Magnificent object. Smoke-ring shape. Dist=4,100 ly.
Light Year (ly) – The distance a beam of light travels at 300,000 km/sec in one year. M23 Sgr Elongated star cluster. Telescope required to show stars. Dist=2,100 ly.
Magnitude – The brightness of a celestial object as it appears in the sky. M20 Sgr Trifid Nebula. A telescope shows 3 dust lanes trisecting nebula. Dist=5,200 ly.
M21 Sgr A fine and impressive cluster. Dist=4,200 ly.
Open Star Cluster – A group of tens or hundreds of relatively young stars. M17 Sgr Omega Nebula. Contains the star cluster NGC 6618. Dist=4,900 ly.
Opposition – When a celestial body is opposite the Sun in the sky. 6124 Sco Contains 5 bright tightly packed stars near centre. 7 star chain. Dist=1,600 ly.
M11 Sct Wild Duck Cluster. Resembles a globular through binoculars. V-shaped. Dist=5,600 ly.
Planetary Nebula – The remnants of a shell of gas blown off by a star. M16 Ser Eagle Nebula. Requires a telescope of large aperture. Dist=8,150 ly.
Universal Time (UT) – A time system used by astronomers. Also known as Greenwich M87 Vir Supergiant galaxy with supermassive black hole at its core. Dist=53.5 million ly.
Mean Time. Singapore Standard Time is UT plus 8 hours. M104 Vir Sombrero Galaxy. Almost edge-on spiral galaxy. Protruding central core.
γ Virginis Vir Superb pair of mag 3.5 yellow-white stars. Orbit=169 years. At their closest in 2005.
Variable Star – A star that changes brightness over a period of time. M27 Vul Dumbbell Nebula. Large, twin-lobed shape. Most spectacular planetary. Dist=975 ly.
The Evening Sky Map (ISSN 1839-7735) Copyright © 2000–2020 Kym Thalassoudis. All Rights Reserved.