Star-gazing becomes a later activity

As part of the ever-changing view, the stars of winter have just about gone down into the west and the stars of spring are firmly holding center stage overhead in the early evening hours.

The time of sunset is getting later and later with each passing day, which means the prime observing hours are drifting later as well. What could be observed at 8 p.m. a month ago will now need to be viewed at 9 p.m.

Orion is all but gone, only the arm holding his upraised club against the charge of Taurus, the Bull is sticking above the horizon and poor old Taurus is gone until next year.

Above the western horizon, Gemini can still be seen as can Auriga, the Charioteer to the right with bright Venus between them. Above them is dim Cancer with a first-quarter moon between Cancer and Gemini.

Continuing along the ecliptic, the path the sun follows through the sky, we can find orange Mars between Cancer and Leo and Saturn between Leo and Virgo.

Even these spring apparitions are starting their downward slide to the west to make room for the summer stars now starting to peek over the late evening eastern horizon.

The head of wild Scorpius is just sticking out above the eastern horizon at 9 p.m. If you can stay up later, weather permitting, the Summer Triangle of Vega, Altair, and Deneb are up and out for viewing by 11:30 p.m. MDT.

In addition to the three planets currently visible, Jupiter is making an early morning apparition at about 4 a.m. MDT. Now is a good time, if you are up that early, to grab the binoculars and use Jupiter as a location aid for finding Uranus, one of the distant outer gas giant planets

It will be in the same field of view to Jupiter's right. If you keep an eye on Uranus night by night it will be right on top of Jupiter by June 7.

I have saved the best tools I use for following the night sky to last. It is planetarium software.

With it I can show the night sky for any time and any date and move time and date backward and forward to see what is going to be where and when.

There are two programs that I use. My favorite, and the one I use the most, is Starry Night Enthusiast 6. It will cost you some money, $80 last time I checked, and it can be downloaded from the site.

Another place to look is http://astro.nineplanets.org/astrosoftware.html It is a long list of planetarium software programs and they often have samples that can be downloaded for free.

One program that is free and can be downloaded is Stellarium. It is a program of comparable quality to Starry Night. I have it but I haven't used it much because it has a high learning curve and will take some time to learn it. But I am sure that if I use it I will like it as much as Starry Night.

SKY WATCH: Tonight, May 20, is first quarter moon. The moon will be to the left of Mars and below Regulus the brightest star in Leo, the Lion. On May 22, look for the moon directly below Saturn, On the nights of May 23 and 24 the moon will be playing tag with Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, first on one side then on the other.

NEXT TIME: More astronomical blathering.