Click map to embiggin – I’m working on making these maps a bit clearer and bigger.

The best way to really learn the sky is to learn your constellations. Some are familiar to us – like Orion or Ursa Major. Others are harder to find. I’ll start with the easy ones.

This month Leo is out in the Eastern skies just after sunset. And as an extra added bonus, Saturn is spending 2008 sitting just to the left of Regulus, the brightest star in Leo.

From The Illustrated Guide To Astronomical Wonders:

Leo is home to scores of galaxies that are visible in amateur instruments, including no less than five bright Messier galaxies, and possesses several fine galaxies that are bright enough to be glimpsed with even a binocular. Several of these bright galaxies are tightly clustered, making it possible to observe multiple bright galaxies in the same low-power eyepiece field.

With binoculars you can see Saturn’s rings. A small telescope will show even more detail.

So go out tonite and tell me what you see.