Star Atlas
you need eyes like those of a Lynx to see anything at all. Vega is now rather
low in the east, but gaining altitude so that Capella on the opposite side of the
Pole Star is dropping down towards the horizon.
Vega will be at its best in Summer and is one member of the so-called
"Summer Triangle". Adjoining Vega is Cygnus the Swan, headed by the
first magnitude Deneb. The Milky Way is rich round here but will be better
seen during the summer. Cassiopeia remains visible, as is Perseus with its
famous double cluster. Rising in the east we have Hercules, a large but not
bright constellation. Here the main object of interest is the globular cluster
M13, the finest globular visible in the northern hemisphere and surpassed
only by the southern hemisphere’s Omega Centauri and 47 Tucani.
M13 is easy to locate, and is just visible with the naked eye. Binoculars
show it well. A small telescope will resolve its regions into individual stars.The Lyrid Meteor Shower
The main recurring meteor shower is that of the Lyrids, lasting from 18 to
25 April. They are usually moderate, but occasionally brilliant as in 1922 and
1982, so it's worthwhile keeping watch on them.Leonis, to the north, is a lovely double star. East of the Sickle we have the
other main part of Leo consisting of a triangle of stars of which the brightest
is Denebola. Denebola is now of the second magnitude. It has been claimed
that it used to be as bright as Regulus and has now faded, but the evidence
for this is very inconclusive.
Castor and Pollux, the Twins
The Twins, Castor and Pollux are still visible. Between them and Regulus lies
the dim zodiacal constellation of Cancer, the Crab. It contains no bright stars,
but there are two lovely open clusters of which one, Praesepe, the Beehive,
is visible with the naked eye and is a fine sight in binoculars.
In a southward (downward) direction, Castor and Pollux point to the
reddish, second-magnitude star Alphard, in Hydra the Watersnake. The star
is nicknamed the “Solitary One”, for there are no other bright stars anywhere
near it. Hydra is the largest constellation in the entire sky; it sprawls along
eastward from a point close to Orion, but it is lacking in interesting objects.
Lynx, the Lynx, is now almost overhead. It adjoins Ursa Major and
contains one prominent reddish star, but very little else. It has been said that
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