A horse and rider gallop across the north and northwest on May evenings. They are in the handle of the Big Dipper, which is high in the sky at nightfall. They're the stars Mizar and Alcor. Mizar is the brighter of the two, with fainter Alcor just a whisker away.
Weekly Stargazing Tips
Provided by StarDate.org. Unless otherwise specified, viewing times are local time regardless of time zone, and are good for the entire Lower 48 states (and, generally, for Alaska and Hawaii).
May 18: Mizar and Alcor
May 19: Moon and Spica
Spica, the brightest star of Virgo, stands close to the lower left of the Moon at nightfall. The Moon slides toward it during the night, so they are especially close as they set, in the wee hours of the morning.
May 20: Sun Rays
One of the icons of western movies is the sunset, with rays of sunlight radiating into the sky from behind mountains or clouds. They are called crepuscular rays, from the Latin word for twilight. They appear to converge at the Sun because of perspective.
May 21: Balanced Moon
The Moon is in a sort of cosmic balance tonight. It is passing through Libra, the balance scales, which is the only constellation of the zodiac that doesn't represent a living thing.
May 22: Man in the Moon
The features of the "man in the Moon" are a combination of dark, smooth volcanic plains and lighter jumbled areas. You can look for the face the next couple of nights because the Moon is full. The bright star Antares is to the lower left of the Moon this evening.
May 23: Moon and Antares
The Moon appears to almost touch the bright star Antares tonight. Antares represents the heart of the scorpion. It is one of the largest, brightest, and most massive stars in our region of the Milky Way Galaxy.
May 24: The Bear
Ursa Major may be the most famous constellation that isn't well known. Most of us know it for a pattern formed by only some of its stars: the Big Dipper. But few know that the dipper's bowl forms the body of a bear, while its handle is the bear's tail.