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Hercules stands well up in the east and northeast as night falls. The constellation’s brightest star represents the entire strongman. Its name, Kornephoros, comes from a Greek word that means “the club bearer,” which is Hercules himself.

A pretty semicircle of stars crowns the sky on spring and summer nights: Corona Borealis, the northern crown. It is in the east as night falls now, and passes high overhead a few hours later. In a couple of months, it will be overhead at nightfall.

One of the most important stars in the ancient world was Arcturus, in Boštes, the herdsman. The Egyptians, Greeks, and others spun legends around this bright yellow-orange giant. Arcturus stands high in the eastern sky this evening.