The evening sky is free of the moon, making now a good time to find the faint constellations of Cancer the Crab and Hydra the Water Snake.
Look south at 9 p.m. to find bright Jupiter 71 degrees above the horizon. Jupiter is currently in Cancer, and the stickman-like figure of Cancer is just to the right (west) of Jupiter.
Fifteen degrees to the east (left) of Jupiter is the front part of Leo the Lion with the bright star Regulus. To the right (west) of Jupiter and Cancer and slightly north of them — nearly overhead — is Gemini the Twins with its bright stars Pollux and Castor.
Cancer is dim but easy to recognize once you have found Leo and Gemini. Just south of Cancer is the small five-star polygonal head of Hydra. Hydra is a long constellation that stretches over a considerable part of the sky. It sort of looks like a sea snake.
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Right in the middle of Cancer is the Beehive, a large star cluster. The Beehive is also known as M44. The famous French astronomer Charles Messier (1730-1817) included it as the 44th object in his catalog of important sky objects, but it has been known since ancient times. It is visible to the naked eye in dark skies and is a gorgeous sight through binoculars.
Once you have found Cancer and the head of Hydra, look along the front part of Hydra’s body to see Alphard, the brightest star in Hydra. Alphard can be seen in relatively light polluted skies and stands out as there are no nearby bright stars.
