In the Sky This Month

Regulus, which marks the heart of the lion, crouches to the right of the Moon at first light tomorrow. Regulus is one of the brightest stars in northern skies, so it’s hard to miss.

Regulus, the brightest star of the constellation Leo, the celestial lion, follows the Moon across the sky after they rise late this evening.

Many cultures have seen two human figures in the stars of Gemini. Twin streamers of stars extend from Castor and Pollux, the bright “twin” stars that give Gemini its name. They line up directly above the Moon this evening.

Lepus, the rabbit, hops across the evening sky this month, beneath the feet of Orion, the hunter. Since the rabbit was one of Orion’s favorite quarries, early skywatchers thought it fitting for hunter and prey to inhabit the same area of the sky.

The Sun is passing Ophiuchus, the serpent-bearer, the unofficial thirteenth constellation of the zodiac. The Sun will remain within its boundaries for about two more weeks.

Spica, the leading light of the constellation Virgo, will stand to the upper right of the planet Mars at dawn tomorrow. Spica is the brighter of the two, while Mars shows a distinctly orange tint.

The Moon is low in the east early this evening, with Aldebaran to its lower left. The star will stand above the Moon at first light tomorrow. By then, the planet Mars and the star Spica will stand side by side in the southeast, with Mars on the left.

Lyra is in the west as night falls, marked by its brightest star, Vega. RR Lyrae, a star that plays a key role in measuring the distances to all stars, stands above Vega. You need binoculars or a telescope to spot it, however.

Cassiopeia the queen is one of the most prominent star patterns of autumn and early winter. The W- or M-shaped constellation circles the North Star like the hand of a clock, though in a counter-clockwise direction.

Myriad bright stars twinkle across the sky early this evening. In the west, look for the stars of the Summer Triangle, Vega, Deneb, and Altair. Fomalhaut is low in the south, and yellow-orange Capella is low in the northeast.