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's horizon to the actual direction you're facing. 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.

This is your absolute last chance to see what’s left of the brilliant winter constellations. They’ve just about crashed in Butler’s low western sky, not to be seen again in the evening until late autumn when they emerge above the eastern horizon.

Since around Christmas the bright constellation Orion and his surrounding posse of shining stars have been lighting up the evening skies, but they’re getting the hook.

As the Earth continues its annual journey around the sun, we’re turning away from the direction of space occupied by Orion and company and are now pointing in the direction of the noticeably less brilliant constellations of springtime.

While there’s still a little time after these later spring sunsets, Orion is already partially set in the west. You can still barely see the three bright stars in a row that outline the great hunter’s belt hovering above the horizon. Above the belt is the bright star Betelgeuse, in the armpit of Orion.

The brightest member of Orion’s gang is just renting out space. It’s the extremely bright planet Venus, a next-door neighbor planet to Earth. Venus is also on its way out of the evening sky. As bright as it is, Venus is not all that great of a telescope target because it has a permanent global cloud cover.

The shroud of clouds is very reflective and the sunlight that bounces off it makes Venus bright, but also hides the surface. It’s worth a peek with your scope or even a good pair of binoculars because, just like our moon, Venus goes through phases and changes shape.

Now it’s taken on a crescent look. Venus is also nearing its closest approach to the Earth for 2012. At the start of May it’s less than 40 million miles away. Early in the month Venus will also have a real tight celestial hugging with the moderately bright star Elnath, one of the members of the winter constellation Auriga the Chariot Driver. From about May 5th through the 9th it will pass within one degree of Elnath, which is about the width of one of your fingers at arm’s length.

Mars is also available in the western sky, although much higher up in the prime constellation Leo the Lion. The right side of Leo is a distinctive backward question mark of stars with Leo’s brightest star, Regulus, marking the period of the question mark.

The backward question mark outlines the chest and head of the celestial lion and Regulus denotes the heart of the supersized feline. Just to the left of Regulus is a brighter reddish star that’s actually Mars, Earth’s other solar system neighbor.

Mars is not one my favorite telescope targets either. Even though it’s fairly close to Earth at just over 93 million miles, Mars is a small planet and even with a moderately large telescope it’s hard to see much detail.

The constellation Bootes the Hunting Farmer dominates the eastern half of the sky and is leading in the summer constellations.

Bootes actually looks more like a big kite with the bright star Arcturus at the tail of the kite. In the lower southeastern sky, not far from Arcturus and Bootes, is the large but faint constellation Virgo the Virgin. Spica is Virgo’s brightest star and honestly the only star in Virgo that jumps out at you.

Spica, though, has a temporary mate in 2012. Just to the left of Spica is the wonderful planet Saturn, featured in last week’s Skywatch column.

Saturn is always a wonderful celestial treat. It reached its closest point to Earth recently when it was about 807 million miles away. It’s still just about as close and is a wonderful target for any sized telescope. In fact, it can be argued that viewing Saturn is better now since it’s higher in the sky at the start of evening. You don’t have as much of Earth’s blurring atmosphere in the way.

Face north and look nearly overhead and the Big Dipper will appear to be pouring 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, and of course, mostly on the weekends.

Technically the Big Dipper is only the rear end and tail of the constellation Ursa Major, the Big Bear, but it is the brightest part of the great beast.

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 www.lynchandthestars.com.