Zenith
Crater
Boötes
Big Dipper
Coma
Berenices
Canes Venatici
Virgo
Leo Minor
Leo
Corvus
Hydra
Arcturus
Regulus
Mizar/
Alcor
South
The night sky in
springtime
YOU WILL NEED
› Star chart
› Red-light flashlight
› Warm jacket
HERE’S HOW:
1. Look for the Big Dipper, which will be high in
the sky. You will need to crane your neck
back to see its seven more or less equally
bright stars. Four make up the dipper’s ladle,
and three more compose the curved handle.
2. Now extend the curve of the dipper’s handle
toward the horizon. You will come to the
bright star Arcturus in the constellation of
Boötes (meaning “herdsman” or “plowman”
in Greek). It will be shining with a reddish-or-
ange glow.
3. On the other hand, if you extend a line from
the two stars at the front edge of the dipper’s
ladle and proceed in a downward direction,
you will come to the constellation of Leo.
This will also be about halfway up the sky,
and looks a bit like a large clothes iron. Its
brightest star, called Regulus, shines with a
slightly blue color.
DID YOU KNOW …
… that the Big Dipper is not really a
constellation? It actually belongs to
the constellation of Ursa Major, which
also includes a lot of other stars. See
the illustration on page 23!
VIEWING
27
Identifying Constellations in the Sky
