In Depth |
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Finding the north star, Polaris, is no problem
for former scouts like me, and the trick is to
find the big dipper in the northeast; take the
last two stars in the cup of the dipper, draw a
line "up" from them, and there you are.
The fact that Polaris is the 49th brightest night time star makes this much handier than looking at random! Polaris is easily found this way, but "bear" in mind that it's constellation, Ursa Minor the little bear, has one other star of about the same brightness (which can be found by drawing a line north from the bowl's other side).
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The third star in the big dipper's handle, Mizar, is also of interest; as one of the best known double stars in the sky (and a good test for sharp eyes), it is a distinctive sky mark and a chance to show off your vast collection of astronomical knowledge.
Our constellation features this month are two of the bright zodiac constellations, Leo and Virgo. Click on "Featured Constellations" below to explore further.
Remember, planets are not shown on this chart - for information about them, see our Planets This Month section.
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