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.

Saturn, Mars, Venus, Mercury are all visible

So we've arrived at April in Butler. The nights are allegedly growing warmer, and you can take off at least some of your layers while stargazing.

But there is a trade-off here. Actually, there are a couple trade-offs. For one thing, while the nights are getting warmer, they also are getting shorter. Now it's not dark enough for decent stargazing until after 8:30 p.m.

Another trade-off for the warmer stargazing is the fact that the best and brightest stars and constellations of the year, in my opinion, are starting to head for the celestial exits. The mighty constellation Orion the Hunter and his gang of bright constellations are a little farther to the west every night at the start of dark. The Earth, in its perpetual orbit around the sun, is gradually turning away from the great stars of winter. By mid to late May, they will be pretty much gone from our evening skies, not to be seen in the evening again until fall.

Don't get me wrong. Even though the very best of the night sky is checking out in the west, there are still many treasures in the rest of the heavens.

In the high southeastern sky, look for a backward question mark that outlines the heart, chest and head of Leo the Lion. The semi-bright star Regulus, Leo's heart, is at the bottom of the question mark. To the lower left of the question mark is a small but distinct triangle that makes up the lion's rear and tail.

A little below the triangle that depicts Leo's tail is the ever-so-lovely planet Saturn. It's the brightest starlike object you can see below the beast's tail in the low southeastern sky.

Saturn and Earth are at their closest approach to each other for 2010, a term astronomers call opposition. At a distance of more than 750 million miles, Saturn isn't exactly down the block, but since the planet is so large and so highly reflective, it makes a great telescope target. Unfortunately, though, this year the ring system that is less than 100 miles in thickness is nearly on edge from our view from Earth, but it's still worth a long look-see through even the smallest of telescopes.

Along with Saturn itself, you can see many of Saturn's moons, which appear as tiny stars that swarm the ringed wonder. One of the moons that is significantly brighter is Titan's largest moon.

I'll have a lot more on Saturn in next week's Starwatch, but one more observing tip I want to leave you with is to wait until after 9 p.m. to start your telescoping at Saturn. That will allow the ringed wonder to rise higher in the sky so you won't have to look through as much of Earth's blurring atmosphere as you would when it's closer to the horizon.

Three other planets are available in the western sky.

Mars starts out the evening in the high southwestern sky near the constellation Gemini the Twins. It's not really much of a telescope target anymore since it's almost 100 million miles away and only about half the size of Earth. Earlier this winter, Mars was a lot closer and you were able to see some of the details on the surface. But now it's just too far away for most backyard telescopes.

In the very low western sky toward the end of evening twilight, you can see a couple planets in a tight celestial hug. These are Venus and Mercury, the two planets that are closer to the sun than our Earth.

This week, the planets will be within five degrees of each other, which equates to about half the width of your hand held at arm's length. Venus is to the left of Mercury and is by far the brighter of the two because of its very reflective cloud cover. The two planets aren't actually physically close together but just happen to be nearly in the same line of sight.

Over the next couple weeks, Mercury and Venus will gradually part company and go their separate ways. Make sure you get a look at the tangoing planets as soon as twilight sets in, because shortly after twilight, the planets will head down below the western horizon.

I wouldn't bother with the telescope with either of these planets because they're so low in the sky and their clarity is mired by our thicker atmosphere that we have to look though near the horizon.

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 Web site www.lynchandthestars.com.