Look high in the east for the constellation Hercules. Scan with binoculars or a telescope in this area to find many faint star clusters and nebulae throughout this part of the sky. This hazy band of light is the bulk of our disc-shaped galaxy, as we see it from within.Īs you look towards Scorpius and Sagittarius, you are looking in the direction of the dense center of the Milky Way Galaxy. On a clear night, find a dark spot far away from city lights, give your eyes time to adjust to the dark, and look for even more celestial sights.Įvenings in late spring and early summer are great for spotting the Milky Way coursing from Sagittarius and Scorpius, through the Summer Triangle and on towards Cassiopeia the Queen in the northeast. From Dark Skiesīright outdoor lighting can make it hard to see all but the brightest stars. Watch for a beautiful crescent Moon near Venus on the evening of June 21. Watch on the evenings of July 9 and 10 with Mars positioned extremely close to Regulus, with Venus not far away. Venus won’t quite pass Mars - by the second week in July, Venus will appear to reverse course, setting earlier each night. Viewers with darker skies might find the fainter stars that make up the three constellations of the Triangle: Cygnus the Swan, Aquila the Eagle, and Lyra the Harp.Īs the sky begins to darken, look low in the west for brilliant Venus, probably the first single point of light in the sky you’ll see.Night by night, Venus is catching up with the fainter planet Mars, now a dim red dot above and to the left of Venus.

To the east are the three bright stars that make up the Summer Triangle. To ancient civilizations it may have looked like a mythical centaur holding a bow and arrow, but to modern stargazers it looks a lot more like a teapot. Just to the east of Scorpius is Sagittarius the Archer. The red star Antares marks the scorpion’s heart. Look to the southeast for the hook-shaped constellation Scorpius the Scorpion low in the south. Even under dark skies away from city lights, it’s hard to imagine these mythological figures just by connecting the dots. Neither of these constellations has any other bright stars. Then speed on to Spica, the single bright star in Virgo the Maiden. Go back to the Big Dipper once more and follow its curved handle to trace an ‘arc’ to Arcturus, the orange colored star in Boötes the Herdsman. The “dot” at the bottom of the question mark is Regulus, the brightest star in Leo. Other stargazers imagine the top hook of a coat hanger, or a sickle in this group of stars. The head and mane of the lion are represented by a group of stars that looks something like a backwards question mark. The water falls onto the back of Leo the Lion. Imagine poking a hole in the bottom of the Big Dipper to let the water drip out.

This group of stars is also officially known as Ursa Minor the Little Bear. Polaris is at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper. When you face the North Star, you’re facing due north. Polaris is not a particularly bright star, but it does remain fixed in the sky throughout the night and throughout the year. Use the two stars at the end of the Dipper’s bowl to lead you to Polaris, also known as the North Star. Ursa Major the Great Bear is the official constellation here, but you’ll need dark skies to see its fainter stars. It’s a familiar name for this pattern of stars, especially used by observers in the United States, but it’s not one of the 88 constellations recognized by astronomers worldwide. The Big Dipper is not officially a constellation it’s what astronomers sometimes call an asterism.

Connect the dots to imagine a big spoon or ladle high above. In the late spring, the Big Dipper is easy to find, high in the northwest after sunset.

A path towards the stars