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 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 the time of year when you can't get started with any serious stargazing until 10 p.m.

But despite the late start, you'll be rewarded with some pretty good stuff as we say goodbye to the last of the wintertime constellations in the western skies and say hello to some of the summer delights coming up in the east.

In between the east and west, there's still plenty of spring left in the sky. I highly recommend you haul out a lawn chair, preferably a reclining one, and lay back and enjoy the show. If you're doing this in your backyard, some of your neighbors might think you've totally flipped, or maybe they'll come out and join you. Make sure to have refreshments available. That always breaks the celestial ice!

In the western skies, the final curtain call is taking place for the last of the winter constellations, or 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 right 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.

The very bright planet Venus is also in the mix of exiting winter constellations, located in the low western sky just above and to the right of the head of Orion. Venus isn't much of a telescope target because it is completely covered by thick and poisonous clouds containing wonderful things like acid rain. 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 oval gibbous moon.

The planet Mars is also part of the winter gang, hanging out in the western sky near Gemini the Twins. Even with the naked eye, you can see a reddish tint to it. Like Venus, however, Mars doesn't offer a very enticing view though your telescope. That's because at more than 120 million miles away and being only about half the diameter of Earth, you're not going to get much except a little red dot. Mars will be a good telescope target in early 2012 when the Earth and our Martian neighbor draw within 65 million miles of each other.

The planet Saturn, on the other hand, is definitely a good telescope target as it trails the famous constellation Leo the Lion in the high southern sky as evening begins. You'll easily find the ringed wonder just to the lower left of the star Denebola at the tail of Leo.

Through even the smallest of telescopes, you can see the ring system of Saturn. Unfortunately, the rings are still a little edgewise from our view on Earth but still wonderful to see in your scope. You'll also probably see at least a few of Saturn's moons, which resemble little stars that swarm Saturn. One of the moons is a little brighter than the rest. That's Titan, the biggest moon in our solar system.

If you face north during this merry month of May and look high in the sky, 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, and of course, mostly on the weekends. There are 66 constellations we can see throughout the course of the year in the Butler celestial dome, 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, but it is the brightest part of the great beast.

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.

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.