Spring evenings, with their welcomed warmer temperatures, bring skywatchers under the starry dome. The bright stars of winter shine low in the west dropping from view, and the Milky Way has sunk below the northwestern and northern horizons. So, what do the skies of May and June offer?
Nearly overhead in the early evening twinkle the faint stars of a frequently overlooked attraction—the Coma Berenices Star Cluster. While certainly not a commanding feature, unlike the more famous Pleiades star cluster, it is seen glimmering near the center of the curvature of the handle of the Big Dipper. It lies northeast of the constellation Leo the Lion, and, over 2,000 years ago, was pictured as representing the fluffy tip of the lion’s tail.
A keen–eye stargazer, admiring the sky away from city lights, can pick out perhaps ten dim stars roughly tracing an inverted “Y.” Binoculars greatly help by bringing another dozen stars into view.
Place yourself in a dark area such as at a state park or at an overlook along the Blue Ridge Parkway. As you gaze at these dim lights, consider that the light you see left them 280 years ago, long before the United States was founded!
The story above first appeared in our May / June 2024 issue.
