starfall calendar months headings march 2019

Hydra is the largest of all constellations, an impressive meandering figure that spans nearly one-quarter of the sky, from its head high in the south to its tail near the eastern horizon. Slithering beneath the small constellations Corvus, Crater, and Sextans is Hydra, the Water Snake.

It was first designated as a constellation in 1687 by noted Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius. It’s another three-star constellation, but unlike very ancient Corvus and Crater, Sextans is a modern invention. To the upper right of Crater and directly blow Regulus is Sextans, the Sextant, one of the least impressive constellations of all. Crater is much fainter but equally old, and it does actually resemble its namesake. Its four main stars form an asterism that is easy to spot, even though it bears a scant resemblance to a crow. when it was known to the Babylonians as The Raven. Corvus is an ancient constellation dating back to at least 1,100 B.C. The Crow and the CupĬontinuing downward, past the large constellation Virgo, we come to the compact figures of Corvus, the Crow, and Crater, the Cup. With your eyes alone, you will see only about five stars in the cluster, but even small binoculars will reveal several more. However, the constellation is also home to the Coma Berenices Star Cluster, which is highlighted on our map. Like Leo Minor, Coma Berenices consists of just three main stars. When he did, Berenice lopped off her golden locks, and astronomers of the time declared that they would be forever preserved in the night sky. It seems Berenice pledged to cut her long, flowing hair if her husband, King Ptolemy III, returned safely from battle.

Moving to the east (leftward), we find Coma Berenices, Berenice’s Hair, named for Queen Berenice of ancient Egypt.

You’ll have to make good use of your imagination because only three of Leo Minor’s stars are easily visible, arranged in a much-flattened triangle. Just above Leo lies the Smaller Lion, Leo Minor. With Leo clearly in view, we can now make our way to the first few Minor Leaguers. Once you’ve spotted the Sickle, you should have little trouble tracing out the rest of Leo, culminating with bright Denebola, whose name comes from an Arabic phrase meaning “tail of the lion.” The Smaller Lion and Berenice’s Hair The most distinctive part of Leo is the Sickle asterism, a pattern of six stars anchored by Regulus, the 21st brightest star in the night sky. When you look to the south on April evenings, mighty Leo, the Lion, dominates the scene.

Starfall calendar months headings march 2019