Dear readers,
In my previous article published in The European Magazine and entitled “How to Discover More Constellations Than Orion“, we explored the night sky, identifying the brightest stars and constellations surrounding Orion.
I hope that I have ignited your interest in stargazing, especially as the nights become milder, the weather improves, and spring arrives with its stunning celestial displays. In this article, I aim to show you how to uncover additional wonders of the night sky. Fortunately, there exists a multitude of beautiful constellations and stars awaiting your discovery.

The Night Sky in Spring
How to spot Ursa Major
Ursa Major is a large and prominent constellation that dominates the Northern sky. If you look towards the southwest after dark, high in the sky, you will notice a pattern that resembles a bowl with a handle. This collection of seven bright stars, known as The Big Dipper, is part of the larger Ursa Major constellation, which includes additional dimmer stars.
In Greek mythology, Ursa Major represents Callisto, a nymph who was transformed into a bear by Hera, Zeus’ jealous wife. Various cultures have different interpretations of Ursa Major; for example, it’s seen as a bear in Native American and Greek traditions, a wagon in European interpretations, and a plough in British culture.
Because Ursa Major is positioned high in the sky during spring evenings, we can use The Big Dipper’s striking arrangement of stars as a guide to navigate the night sky.
The brightest star in Ursa Major is Alioth, situated on the handle and closest to the bowl. However, we will begin our journey from the second brightest star, Dubhe, located at the top right edge of the bowl. Directly below Dubhe, on the bottom right side of the bowl, you will find the star Merak. Together, Dubhe and Merak form an imaginary line that points to Polaris, the North Star.

Ursa Major ( The Great Bear )
How to spot Ursa Minor
To locate Polaris in the Ursa Minor constellation, let’s start by following the line along the right side of The Big Dipper’s bowl and continue north for a distance four to five times the gap between Dubhe and Merak.
The Ursa Minor constellation consists of seven stars forming a bowl and handle shape similar to that of The Big Dipper, with Polaris at the end of the handle.
Polaris is located almost directly above the Earth’s North Pole, making it a valuable reference point for finding true north. It serves as an important navigational marker as its altitude in the sky corresponds to the observer’s latitude – at the North Pole, Polaris is directly overhead; at the equator, it’s on the horizon.
Polaris is a triple star system. Its primary star is a yellow supergiant that is nearly five times more massive than our Sun and situated over four hundred light-years away.
How to spot Boötes
Returning to the Big Dipper’s handle, let’s follow the curve formed by the handle’s stars as it arcs down toward the southeast to encounter Arcturus in the Boötes constellation. Its distinctive orange sparkle makes it particularly noticeable.
Boötes, the Herdsman, is one of the largest constellations in the northern sky in terms of its area. The name Boötes comes from the Greek word meaning ploughman. According to legend, the gods honoured the son of Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture, by placing him in the heavens next to the Big Dipper.
Arcturus, the most prominent star in the constellation Boötes, is a red giant star around forty light years away. It is the brightest star in the spring sky and ranks fourth as the brightest star in the entire night sky. The name Arcturus comes from ancient Greek, meaning Guardian of the Bear, referring to its proximity to Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
How to spot Virgo
From Arcturus, let’s continue tracing the arc towards the south, a full Big Dipper length, to find the first magnitude star Spica in the Virgo constellation. The name Virgo comes from Latin, meaning virgin. In ancient legends, Virgo symbolises the goddess of fertility and harvest time.
The Virgo Supercluster, which includes our Milky Way galaxy, is located to the right of the Virgo constellation. This enormous structure contains approximately two thousand galaxies and is situated about fifty-four million light-years away from Earth. Notably, some of the brightest galaxies within this supercluster can be observed using amateur telescopes.
Spica is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo and ranks as the fifteenth brightest star in the night sky. It is a binary star system composed of two stars: one is a blue supergiant, and the other is a blue subgiant. Both stars are larger and hotter than the Sun, and they are located approximately 260 light-years away from Earth.
How to spot Leo
Returning to the Big Dipper, we can utilise the two stars situated near the handle, toward the left side of the bowl, to trace an imaginary line southwestward to find Regulus, a first-magnitude star located within the Leo constellation. The term Leo is derived from the Latin word for lion. In Greek mythology, this constellation symbolises the Nemean Lion, killed by the legendary hero Heracles.
The Leo constellation contains nine bright stars that are easily visible to the naked eye. Six of these stars create a shape resembling a backwards question mark, known as The Sickle asterism. Regulus is located at the base of the question mark, marking the lion’s heart. The remaining three stars form a triangular shape that represents the lion’s tail.
Regulus is the brightest star in the Leo constellation and the twenty-first brightest star in the night sky. Its name comes from the Latin term meaning little king or prince. Regulus is a quadruple star system, which consists of two pairs of stars: a primary white-blue star and its companion, along with a binary pair of dimmer stars, eighty light-years away from Earth.
The Spring Triangle
Regulus, Spica, and Arcturus form the prominent Spring Triangle asterism, connecting the constellations of Leo, Virgo, and Boötes. As they rise above the horizon by mid-evening, the Spring Triangle stars signal the approach of warmer, more inviting days ahead. Their twinkling brilliance reminds us of the seasonal transition, inviting stargazers to revel in the beauty of springtime nights.

The Spring Triangle
Main night sky events in May
We wandered through the night sky, using the Big Dipper as our guide to explore beautiful constellations steeped in mythology and showcasing stunning stars. However, if discovering these brightest spring treasures isn’t enough, I invite you to step outside and witness these exciting events happening in May:
May 6 – The Eta Aquariid meteor shower will peak this morning, with an estimated 50 meteors per hour shooting through the skies. The Eta Aquariids are remnants of Halley’s comet, which takes 76 years to orbit the Sun—it was last seen in 1986 and will not enter the inner solar system again until 2061. To view this spectacular meteor shower, head outside in the early hours of May 6 after 3 a.m. and look toward the low southeastern sky. If you happen to miss the peak date, don’t worry; you can still catch glimpses of the meteors until the end of May, though they will be less intense.
May 12 – Full Moon, known as the Flower Moon for the abundance of flowers that bloom this time of year. Although the Moon will be at its farthest from Earth at this time, it may seem bigger because of a peculiar optical illusion that occurs when the Moon is close to the horizon. Look out towards the southeast just after 9:15 p.m. to witness the magnificent rise of this supermoon.
May 23 – The Moon close approach to Venus and Saturn. Look toward the eastern horizon just before sunrise to see the waning crescent Moon at the centre of these two planets, Venus to the left and Saturn to the right.
May 28 – The Moon close approach to Jupiter. Look toward the western horizon just after sunset to see the thin waxing crescent Moon above brilliant Jupiter.
Another version of this article has also been published in The European Magazine. You can find it here: Spot the Big Dipper — and unlock the secrets of the spring sky – The European Magazine