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 where you're observing from. East and West on this map are not backward. This is not a misprint. I guarantee that 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 of the flashlight. You won't lose your night vision when you look at this map in red light.

Season's best shiners appear

The stargazing doldrums of late spring and early summer are long over in our Butler skies because we're entering prime time for summer stargazing.

There's a lot of great stuff to gaze and ponder. If you can, treat yourself by getting out to the countryside, or at least a little ways away from the lights of the big city. Lay on the ground with a blanket or take a load off in a reclining lawn chair. Forget about daytime stuff like work and all, and become one with the universe. OK, OK, that's a little sappy!

In the northern sky, you'll see the Big Dipper hanging by its handle in the high northwest sky. The pot and handle of the Big Dipper is actually the rear end and tail of the constellation Ursa Major, which is Latin for "Big Bear."

See if you can spot a dimmer, skinny triangle of stars to the lower right of the pot. That's the Bear's head. To the lower right of the head and rear end, hunt for two curved lines of stars that make up his legs. You need a fairly dark site to see them.

Not far from the Big Dipper (and Bear) is the fainter upside down Little Dipper. It has the "Lynchpin" of the stars, Polaris the North Star, at the end of its handle.

The North Star is certainly not the brightest star in the sky, but it's an important shiner. I call it the "Lynch Pin," because as the world turns on its axis every 24 hours, all the stars make a counterclockwise circle around it. It appears that way because the North Star shines directly above the Earth's North Pole.

Scattered around the stationary North Star are a group of stars that are always above the horizon in the northern sky. These are called circumpolar constellations, and besides the Big and Little Bears, there are others like Cassiopeia and Cepheus, the king and queen respectively. I know you've seen Cassiopeia. It's that bright "W," and this time of year, the queen sits in the low northeastern sky. The "W" outlines the throne and red carpet of her majesty. Just above Cassiopeia, look for the faint house with a steep roof laying on its side.

That's Cepheus the King. If you can make that sideways house into a king, more stargazing power to ya!

In the eastern sky is the famous Summer Triangle, which is made up of three bright stars; Vega, Deneb and Altair. They are the brightest stars in that part of the sky, and each of them is the brightest in their individual constellations. Vega is the brightest star in Lyra the Harp, Deneb is the brightest in Cygnus the Swan, otherwise known as the Northern Cross. And Altair is the brightest shiner in Aquila the evil Eagle.

In the low southern skies are two of my favorite constellations, Scorpius the Scorpion and Sagittarius the Archer.

Scorpius is one of those semi-rare constellations that actually looks like what it is supposed to be, but Sagittarius is a constellation that doesn't look like what it's supposed to be. If you can see a figure of man with the legs and rear end of horses shooting an arrow, you've got a much better imagination than I do — or you've been looking at Sagittarius after some pretty wild summer parties. Sagittarius actually looks much more like a teapot, and in fact, that's what most amateur astronomers refer to it as. The teapot is steaming with stars as it's in the direction of the center of our Milky Way galaxy.

August also is the month for the Perseid meteor shower, which is the best of the year. Toward the end of next week, we might see more than 50 meteors — or "shooting stars" — an hour. This should be a great year for the Persieds because there will be very little to no moonlight to interfere with the show. I'll have much more on the Perseids next week.

The planet congestion continues this first week of August in the low western sky toward the end of evening twilight.

You're going to need a low and fairly treeless horizon to really enjoy the show. Venus is by far the brightest and also the brightest starlike object in the sky. You can't miss it. Just up to the immediate left of Venus are Mars and Saturn, which are less than two degrees apart. Start looking early in the evening as soon as evening twilight ends, because by about 10 to 10:30 p.m., they'll be out of sight below the western horizon.

A little later, about 11 p.m., look for a super bright star rising in the eastern horizon. That's Jupiter, the king of the planets, and it's making its closest pass to Earth this year.

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