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 backwards. 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.

I love December stargazing. We max out on nighttime this month with more than 13 hours of totally dark skies per night over Western Pennsylvania, and these dark skies become occupied by some of the best constellations of the year.

Bundle up, get out that comfy reclining lawn chair and enjoy the cold clear night delights. If you have neighbors who are within eyeshot, they might think you've lost your mind lounging in lawn chairs, but they're missing out on a great show!

Keep that warm coffee or hot chocolate handy, or maybe even some hot apple cider.

The Venus-Jupiter conjunction show continues in the southwestern sky early in the evening, but the planets are beginning to part company from each other. But before they start their separate ways they'll be a wonderful conjunction Monday night between the Venus, Jupiter and crescent moon.

The moon will lie just above the sparkling pair of planets in the post twilight southwestern sky. Venus is the brighter of the two, shining to the left of Jupiter. As the month continues Venus will maintain its absolute dominance in brightness in the early evening southwest sky, but Jupiter will continue to pull away from the planet named after the Roman god of love.

By the end of the month, Jupiter will be setting shortly after the sun. As it begins to pull behind our home star, it will disappear from our view, not to be seen in the evening sky again until late next summer.

Believe it or not, in the early evening western sky you can still see the Summer Triangle of stars: Vega, Altair and Deneb, each of which is the brightest star in its respective constellation.

Deneb, a star at least 1,500 light-years away, is the brightest star in the constellation Cygnus the Swan, otherwise known by its nickname the Northern Cross. During the holiday season, the cross is standing nearly upright above the northwestern horizon. This is the last call for the Northern Cross and the Summer Triangle, because next month, the night side of the Earth will turn away from that part of space.

The great horse Pegasus is riding high in the south-southwestern sky with Cassiopeia the Queen, the one that looks like a bright "W" in the high northern sky.

The Big Dipper is still very low in the northern sky, but you'll notice from night to night it will gradually get higher, standing diagonally on its handle. The Little Dipper is hanging by its handle above the Big Dipper, with Polaris the North Star at the end of its handle. Because Polaris is shining directly above Earth's North Pole, it appears all stars in the sky revolve around Polaris once every 24 hours, including our sun. The later you stay up in the evening, the more you'll see of the best part of December skies rising in the east.

By 8 to 9 p.m., you'll easily see Orion the Hunter, that wonderful winter constellation, rising in the east. Its calling card is the three bright stars in a row that make up Orion's belt.

Preceding Orion are the bright autumn constellations Taurus the Bull, the wonderful Pleiades Star Cluster and Auriga, the constellation that looks like a lopsided pentagon with the bright star Capella. Auriga is supposed to be a retired chariot driver turned goat farmer. Just to the north of Orion is the constellation Gemini the Twins with the bright stars Castor and Pollux in position on the forehead of the Twins. I call this part of the sky "Orion and his gang."

There also is one of the year's best meteor showers this month, the Geminid meteor shower. It peaks the morning of Dec. 13, but unfortunately there is a full moon that will wash out many of the shooting stars.

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