The eyes of Draco, the dragon, stare down from the northeast as night falls. They are above brilliant Vega, one of the night sky's most prominent stars. The brighter eye is the star Eltanin. The other eye, Rastaban, is just above Eltanin.
Weekly Stargazing Tips
Provided by StarDate.org. Unless otherwise specified, viewing times are local time regardless of time zone, and are good for the entire Lower 48 states (and, generally, for Alaska and Hawaii).
May 9: Dragon's Eyes
May 10: Hercules
Hercules the strongman poses low in the east-northeast at nightfall and soars high across the sky later on. It's marked by a lopsided square of stars known as the Keystone. None of the stars of Hercules is all that bright.
May 11: Venus and the Bull
Venus, the brilliant Evening Star, is sneaking up on the star Elnath, which marks the tip of one of the horns of the bull. Tonight, the star is a little to the upper right of Venus. The planet will slip past Elnath during the week.
May 12: Moon and Saturn
Saturn, the second-largest planet in the solar system, stands below the Moon at dawn tomorrow. The planet looks like a bright star with perhaps a slight golden tint, low above the horizon.
May 13: Boötes
The constellation Boötes, the herdsman, is high in the east as darkness falls. Find it by picking out its brightest star, yellow-orange Arcturus, which is the second-brightest star in northern skies.
May 14: Faint Constellations
The little-known constellations Canes Venatici and Coma Berenices stand high overhead in early evening. They reside between two easy-to-find stars: Alkaid, which is the end of the Big Dipper's handle, and Denebola, the tail of Leo, the lion.
May 15: M82
The galaxy M82 is in Ursa Major, the great bear. As night falls, the galaxy dangles below the upside-down bowl of the Big Dipper. It's an easy target for small telescopes. It's a spiral galaxy, like the Milky Way, but only about half as big.