Spring Stargazing

Return to Regulus momentarily, then look toward the northwestern horizon for a pair of bright stars. Those are Castor (on the right, or north) and Pollux (on the left, or south), twin stars in the winter constellation of Gemini, the Twins.

Draw a line between Regulus and Pollux, pausing about halfway along. From darker suburban and rural observing sites, you just might be able to pick out the five faint stars that form the inconspicuous constellation Cancer the Crab, a crab sent by Hera to hinder Hercules in his battle with Hydra.

If you have a sharp eye, you might also notice a faint smudge centered in the body of the Crab. Astronomers call this the "Beehive star cluster." Though it doesn't look like much to the eye alone, that "smudge" is of great interest to observers with binoculars and telescopes. The Beehive cluster is a lovely swarm of more than 200 stars packed together across an area of sky equal to the diameter of the Full Moon.

Imaginary Line through the Dipper
Turn back to the Big Dipper. Draw an imaginary line through the three stars that form its handle and continue the arc counterclockwise until you arrive at brilliant Arcturus. Arcturus, an orange-colored star, is the brightest star of the spring sky and resides in the constellation of Bovtes the Herdsman. Though our modern-day minds may have a hard time imagining a human form among the stars of Bovtes, most people can picture a kite, or even an ice-cream cone. In fact, if you look carefully, you just might be able to spot an extra scoop of ice cream formed by a semicircle of stars to the east.

That "scoop" is actually another constellation, Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown. In mythology, this jeweled crown belonged to Princess Ariadne, daughter of King Minos of Crete. When Ariadne died, her crown was placed in the sky as a memorial.

On the opposite (western) side of the Herdsman, set between Bovtes and Leo, is a faint mist of stars. This is the constellation Coma Berenices, the golden hair of the Egyptian Queen Berenice, wife of Ptolemy III. Today, we still see Berenice's hair as a soft glow with the naked eye, but a scan through binoculars reveals this actually to be a pretty cluster of three dozen stars.

The Arc to Arcturus
Retrace the arc to Arcturus, then continue to speed on to Spica. Take a careful look at the colors of both Spica and Arcturus, and note their difference. A star's color depends on its temperature. Spica's blue-white tint tells astronomers that it is much hotter than orange Arcturus. Spica belongs to the zodiacal constellation of Virgo the Maiden. Virgo was recognized by many ancient cultures as either a goddess or royalty. Most often, she is portrayed as the Roman goddess Persephone, goddess of the harvest, with Spica marking an ear of wheat held in her left hand.

Once again, return to the Big Dipper's handle. Follow the arc to Arcturus, speed to Spica, then continue to curve toward Corvus the Crow. Though its stars are faint, Corvus is surprisingly easy to spot low in the southern sky, riding on the back of Hydra. To see a crow here, however, do not think of a trapezoidal pattern as shown on the star map. Rather, image a cross tilted on one side. The Crow's body extends between the upper right (northwest) and lower left (southeast) stars. Its outstretched wings spread from the upper left (northeast) to the lower right (southwest) stars.

The late-spring constellation Libra the Balance Scale (sometimes also called the "scales of justice") is formed from another inconspicuous trapezoid of stars. Look between Spica and the southeastern horizon. Like Cancer, Leo, and Virgo, Libra is also a member of the zodiac. Long ago, Libra was not a separate constellation. Instead, its stars formed the claws of summertime's Scorpius the Scorpion. In fact, the names of Libra's two brightest stars, Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali, translate as the "southern claw" and "northern claw," respectively.

With the spring returns warmer nights that are ideal for stargazing. Take advantage of these more moderate temperatures to meet some unique personalities.