Some of the brightest stars in all the night sky are in view early this evening. Sirius, the brightest of all, is low in the southwest. Orange Betelgeuse is well to its upper right, with Aldebaran to the lower right of Betelgeuse.
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).
April 28: Evening Stars
April 29: Hunting Dogs
The constellation Canes Venatici, the hunting dogs, is high in the east this evening. To find it, look for bright yellow-orange Arcturus well up in the east as darkness falls. Canes Venatici is to the upper left of Arcturus.
April 30: Cor Caroli
Cor Caroli, the Heart of Charles, is the brightest star of Canes Venatici, the hunting dogs. It’s to the right of the handle of the Big Dipper as night falls, and wheels above the dipper later on. It consists of two stars in a wide orbit around each other.
May 1: Beltane
Today is the date of Beltane, an ancient Celtic festival that was celebrated with bonfires. In Celtic culture, the date marked the beginning of summer, not the middle of spring as it does today. Some of Beltane's traditions are preserved as May Day.
May 2: Moon and Saturn
The planet Saturn is in the dawn sky now. It looks like a bright golden star. Unlike a star, though, it doesn't twinkle - its light holds steady. Tomorrow, it will stand close to the left of the Moon. The Moon will pass between Saturn and Mars the next morning.
May 3: Moon and Planets
Mars stands close to the lower left of the Moon at dawn tomorrow. The planet looks like a fairly bright orange star. The planet Saturn is about the same distance to the upper right of the Moon.
May 4: More Moon and Planets
The planet the next few mornings. The planet is passing farthest from the Sun, and it looks like a fairly bright star. Tomorrow, it's to the lower left of the Moon during twilight, with Mars and Saturn to the upper right of the Moon.