Number five on the Top Ten countdown

And now for number five on our Top Ten countdown of stargazing tips. As you are outside after dark, notice the star patterns. Constellations or asterisms.

For the last several months, I have been outlining the constellations, so by now you should have an idea of what is there. I haven't covered all of them, just the major ones so there are more to be found, 88 in all in fact but some of those are in the southern hemisphere.

Learning the constellations is the first step to finding your way around the sky. Just like learning your way around on a road map, learning the patterns and what stars are there is the first step in basic astronomy. Some constellations are obvious, others take a little looking.

This is also where a star chart will come in handy. In case you missed it before, point your Internet browser to http://skymaps.com/downloads.html for a good, printable star chart. This site will give you a chart of the southern hemisphere constellations too if you would like to see what is there.

Some of those patterns are the same ones our ancient ancestors saw when they were looking at the night sky, the ones they made up stories about and passed those stories down to us.

Stargazing tip number four is find a good dark sky site. For some observing it is essential. Living in this part of the world it is not too difficult to find a dark sky place. Sometimes all that is needed is a short drive of five or ten miles into the country.

Other locations could include any of the state parks or recreation areas, at least the ones that don't have lights. Just make sure the horizons are clear and you have unobstructed views in all directions.

This next may not be astronomy per se, but it does have to do with the night sky.

The space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for launch on Wednesday, June 6, and will be joining the International Space Station shortly thereafter. With the shuttle and space station joined they become one of the brightest objects in the sky.

To find out when the space station will be over your area, point your browser to /www.heavens-above.com and click on "select from database" to enter your location. Yes, McCook is listed, I checked.

Some of the passes will be in the early morning and others will be in the mid- to late evening but whenever it is, the space station is a sight to behold when it passes over, and with the space shuttle docked it is brighter yet.

SKY WATCH: Full Moon on May 31 so any star gazing may be out of consideration for a few nights anyway.

Look to the east that evening for Jupiter located to the upper left of the Moon and the bright star Antares in Scorpius above the Moon about an hour after sunset. They both are bright enough to overcome the glare of the full Moon.

On June 5 Jupiter will be at opposition which means it will be opposite the Sun in the sky, rising at sunset and setting at sunrise. Mercury will be at its best visibility in the west just after sunset this week. It is located in the feet of the constellation Gemini and to the lower right of bright Venus.

Binoculars might be needed. Follow a line from Mercury through Venus on to the upper left to find Saturn in regal Leo the Lion. Venus and Saturn are getting closer to each other and by months' end they will be extremely close. Their movement will be something worth watching for the next few weeks. Get a look at Saturn now as it will be leaving the evening sky in July.

Next time, more of our Top Ten tips for stargazers.