To use this map, cut it out and attach it to a stiff backing. Hold it over your head and line up the compass points on the map to the compass points on the horizon you're observing from. East and west on this map are not backwards. This is not a misprint. When you hold this map over your head, east and west will be in their proper positions. Also, use a small flashlight and attach a red piece of cloth or red construction paper over the lens. You won't lose your night vision when you look at this map in red light.

This is the time of year when you can't get started with any serious stargazing until 10 p.m. Despite the late start, you'll be rewarded with some pretty good stuff as we say goodbye to the last of the winter constellations in the western skies and say hello to some of the summer delights coming up in the east.

In between the east and the west, there's still plenty of spring left in the sky. I highly recommend that you haul out a lawn chair, preferably a reclining one, lie back and enjoy the show. If you're doing this in your back yard, some of your neighbors may think that you've totally flipped, or maybe they'll come out and join you.

In all honesty, you probably don't want to do a lot of serious stargazing the first week of May because of the full moon — the enemy of stargazers. The actual date of the full moon is Wednesday, but the nights will be lit up for the next four to five nights following the monthly event.

In the western skies, the final curtain call is taking place for the last of the winter constellations, what I call Orion and his gang.

As soon as darkness sets in, about 9:30 to 10 p.m., the constellation Orion will be starting to set in the western horizon. Just off to the left of the falling hunter will be the bright star Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, about 50 trillion miles away.

Just above Orion you'll see two twin stars next to each other. Those are Castor and Pollux, the brightest stars in the constellation Gemini the Twins, marking the heads of the twins, Castor and Pollux.

If you face north and look nearly overhead, the Big Dipper will appear to be dumping out on top of you. The Big Dipper is always upside down in the evening this time of year and, according to old American folklore, that's why we have so much rain in the spring — mostly on the weekends.

Also note that there are 66 constellations that we can see throughout the course of the year in Western Pennsylvania, but the Big Dipper is not one of them. Technically the Big Dipper is the rear end and tail of the constellation Ursa Major, the Big Bear, and is not a constellation by itself.

Elsewhere in the northern sky is the Little Dipper, laying on its handle, with the North Star, Polaris, at the end of the handle. Cassiopeia the Queen, the one that looks like the big W, is very low in the northwestern sky.

As far as planets this month, it's the Venus and Saturn show. Both are in the western sky.

Venus is by far the brighter of the two. You can't miss it in the low western sky toward the end of evening twilight. Even though it's such a bright beacon in the sky, it's a dud through the telescope. It's completely cloud covered and there's no way you can see any of its surface. About the only interesting thing, as far as I'm concerned, is the fact that Venus goes through phases just like our moon. Right now, it looks like a small ovalish gibbous moon. Next month, it will take on a crescent shape.

Saturn is the one you want time with. It's a little higher up in the western sky as evening begins, just to the lower left of the leaning backward question mark that outlines the chest and head of Leo the Lion.

Through even the smallest of telescopes, you can see the ring system of Saturn. Get a good look this month because this will be the last decent view of it in the evening this year. By next month, Saturn will start the evening a lot lower in the west, and our thicker atmosphere near the horizon will really start to blur it out.

Another reason to get a good look at Saturn this month is because next year the ring system will be turned more on its thin edge from our viewpoint on Earth, making it a lot tougher to see.

Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis and author of the book, "Pennsylvania Starwatch," available at bookstores and at his Web site www.lynchandthestars.com