The Spring Night Sky

Winter is over and the leaves on the trees are starting to come out. The flowers are blooming, and the birds are chirping. It’s still time to view the night sky before it gets dark too late during the summer. Here are some notes taken from two earlier FAS Astronomer Blogs.

The Night Sky

In the Spring as you look toward the south:

  • High in the sky, is Leo, the Lion with bright star Regulus. If you look closely, Leo does look a bit like a lion with Regulus as its heart. The Lion’s head could also be described as a backwards question mark or possibly a coat hanger. And I’m not lion.
  • Leo is followed by Corvus, the Crow, which looks more like a kite than a crow.
  • Then there is Virgo, the Maiden. Virgo doesn’t look much like a maiden. For me, it resembles a lopsided square with the bright star Spica or possibly a pan or dipper.
  • Farther to the east is Boötes the Herdsman (pronounced bo-HO-teez). Look closely and Boötes might look something like a kite (although larger than Corvus) or an ice cream cone.
  • Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown is next to Boötes. It might just be the smile from a young child as he/she is about to take a bite out of the ice cream cone.
  • You can find the bright stars Arcturus (Boötes) and Spica (Virgo) by following the handle of the Big Dipper -> “Arc to Arcturus and Speed on to Spica.”

Hercules is also visible in the spring when looking south. It is, however, upside down. Look for the Keystone of Hercules at its center, and its two legs – one bent and standing on the head of Draco the Dragon – the other kneeling down.

Turn around toward the north and find the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) high in the sky. Follow the two stars at the end of the bowl to find Polaris (the North Star) at the end of the tail of the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor). Notice that the Little Dipper is always found curved in toward the Big Dipper. You might see the queen Cassiopeia low in the horizon looking like a big W or M. Nearby is the faint King Cepheus resembling a child’s drawing of a house.

See our webpage about The Night Sky for a few smartphone and tablet apps and links to various star maps including Stellarium Web. The Astronomical League has monthly sky charts (see below). You might also visit the new Kaleideum Digital Dome Planetarium for their daily sky tours (museum admission rates apply).

The Deep Sky

Cancer is one of the fainter constellations in the night sky. It looks like an upside-down Y and is found between Gemini and Leo. Its most interesting object is the Beehive Cluster [M44]. The cluster is found ½ way between Asellus Australis/Delta Cancri (the intersection of the Y) and Asellus Borealis/Gamma Cancri (the next bright star above the intersection), and a bit to the right in the direction of Pollux.

The Coma Star Cluster is an open cluster in the constellation Coma Berenices somewhat similar to the Hyades. It is relatively near us and spread out so that it is best viewed with low power binoculars. Although Ptolemy cataloged it, it is not included in either Messier’s list or the NGC/IC catalogs. It is included in Melotte’s 1915 Catalog [Melotte 111]. To locate this cluster, use Leo as your guide. Follow a line from Regulus through Zosma/Delta Leonis (the upper star of Leo’s triangle). Continue about the same distance to the cluster.

For the following directions, we assume Hercules is upside down as it appears when viewing it looking south. Another one of my favorite objects is the Hercules Globular Cluster [M13]. This is the brightest globular cluster visible from the Northern Hemisphere. It is found on the side of the Hercules Keystone facing away from Vega and toward Arcturus and Corona Borealis. It is approximately 1/3 of the way from Eta Herculis (the corner of the Keystone near his “kneeling leg”) and toward Zeta Herculis A (Hercule’s upper left shoulder and the lower right corner of the Keystone).

There is another globular cluster [M92] found in the constellation Hercules. It is located approximately ½ of the way between the top middle of the keystone (between Pi Herculis and Eta Herculis) and Iota Herculis (near the head of Draco).

Toward the north and the Big Dipper, look for the Owl Cluster [M97] under the bowl and another globular cluster [M03] off the handle toward the star Arcturus.

The Deep Sky (Galaxies)

The spring is really galaxy season as many galaxies are visible particularly as we look south off toward Leo, Corvus, Virgo, and Boötes. Here are several interesting targets.

  • NGC 2903 / NGC 2905 – a spiral galaxy near Leo’s nose.
  • M65, M66, & NGC 3628 – the Leo Triplet near Denebola (Leo’s tail).
  • C60 & C61 / NGC 4038 & NGC 4039 – Antennae Galaxies in Corvus.
  • M84, M86, M87, M60, and more – Markarian’s Chain in Virgo.
  • Markarian’s Chain – Many galaxies, including M84 and M86, in Virgo toward Canes Venatici.
  • M104 – the Sombrero Galaxy between Virgo and Corvus.

A few more are found in Coma Berenices between Leo and Boötes.

  • C38 / NGC 4565 – the Needle Galaxy (Berenices Hair Clip).
  • M100 – the Mirror Galaxy.
  • M64 – the Black Eye / Sleeping Beauty Galaxy.

Toward the north, find the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) for several more galaxies.

  • M81 & M82 – Bode’s Galaxy and the Cigar Galaxy above the Big Dipper’s bowl.
  • M108 – the Surfboard Galaxy below the bowl near M97 (The Owl Cluster).
  • M101 – the Pinwheel Galaxy just above the tip of the Big Dipper’s handle.
  • M51 – the Whirlpool Galaxy (technically in Canes Venatici) just below the tip of the Big Dipper’s handle.

There are additional galaxies found toward the north in Canes Venatici below the handle of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major).

  • C26 / NGC 4244 – the Silver Needle Galaxy.
  • NGC 4631 – the Whale Galaxy.
  • NGC 4656/57 – the Hockey Stick/Crowbar Galaxy.
  • M63 – the Sunflower Galaxy.
  • M94 – the Cat’s Eye / Crocodile Eye Galaxy.
  • M106 – Spiral Galaxy.

A Few References

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