Eyes Full Of Stars

“In like a lion and out like a lamb” an old weather proverb with astronomical origins nicely describes our night sky this month. At nightfall, we find the dim constellation Aries, the ram or lamb, close to setting above the western horizon. To the east, the constellation Leo is just starting its seasonal reign bringing us warmer evenings and later sun down times. The sky in the direction of Leo harbors a number of bright stars, interesting spiral galaxies.

As if returning from winter hibernation, the star Arcturus begins its seasonal procession across our night sky. Arcturus is alternately known as the ‘bear driver’ or ‘bear guardian’ star. Its path in the northern sky follows Ursa Major, the Great Bear, as it wheels around the polar axis. To locate this star, follow the curve of the Big Dipper’s handle and “arc to Arcturus”. If you find a dazzling yellow-white or topaz colored star – you got it!

This week, we take another look at the brightest star in the night sky, the Dog Star, Sirius. During the winter months, it commands our attention with a kaleidoscopic display of dazzling color. Found nearly due south at twilight, Sirius is progressing slowly toward the western horizon. By mid-May, Sirius will set with the Sun and be absent from the night sky until it returns in autumn.

As stars go, Sirius is relatively close at 8.6 light years distant. To get a better sense of just how far away that is, consider this; many of the third graders enrolled in schools around town were born the same year the starlight we see tonight left Sirius.

With several weeks of winter to go before warmer weather arrives, ‘quick-look’ stargazing has been the observing method of choice for many sky watchers. While frigid temperatures discourage folks from cold weather stargazing, hearty souls take advantage of winter’s earlier sundown times and higher percentage of clear nights.

Past articles have featured some interesting and easy to find targets that look great to the unaided eye or through binoculars. My top picks include: the Perseus Double Cluster, the Pleiades, the Hyades, the star Sirius and the constellation Orion.