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.

Stargazing on these Butler nights has for the most part lost its chill, but honestly it’s also lost some of its thrill.

The winter constellations, overall the brightest of the year, are about to go on a summer vacation from our evening skies and won’t be returning until late autumn. That’s because the nighttime side of the Earth is turning toward a different direction in space as our world endlessly orbits the Sun.

In early May, Orion the Hunter and all of his gang of bright stars and constellations along with the planet Jupiter start out very low in the western sky. By the end of the month, all of the great stars of winter have sunk below the horizon by the time it finally gets dark enough to stargaze, and by the end of May that’s about 10 p.m. Stargazing is now officially a late night affair!

By far the best celestial gem in the evening sky this month is the planet Saturn, starting out in the low southeastern sky after evening twilight. It’s one of the brightest starlike objects in the evening sky right now.

Look for the two brightest star in low southeast. They’ll be fairly close together. The shiner on the lower left is Saturn, and it has a slight yellow tinge to it. The one to the upper right is Spica, the brightest star in the large but faint constellation Virgo the Virgin.

Saturn is at its closest point to Earth for 2013, just less than 820 million miles away. It’s close enough for great viewing this merry month of May. Even through a small telescope you can see its huge ring system.

I’ll have more on Saturn next week in Starwatch. Whatever you do, check out Saturn in a telescope! It’s a must see!

It’s true the constellations of spring, at least compared to the winter shiners, aren’t nearly as dazzling, but there’s still much to see.

Leading the charge of spring constellations is Leo the Lion in the high southwest sky. Look for the backward question mark that outlines the chest and head of the great lion.

The moderately bright star at the bottom of the question mark is Regulus, more than 77 light-years away, with one light-year equaling just less than six trillion miles.

If you face north and look overhead this month, 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.

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

Because Ursa Major is nearly overhead right now, this is a great time to see the fainter stars that make up the rest of that constellation. See my website, lynchandthestars.com, for details.

Elsewhere in the northern sky is the Little Dipper, lying 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.

In the high eastern sky, look for the brightest star you can see, which I mentioned before is Arcturus, the brightest star in the eastern sky and the brightest shiner in the constellation Bootes the Farmer.

Bootes actually looks like a giant nocturnal kite with Arcturus at the tail of the kite. According to Greek mythology, Bootes the Farmer is hunting down Ursa Major, the Big Bear. The pursuit will go on until the middle of autumn.