Starwatch: Lynx constellation well placed for northern hemisphere observers

Wait 5 sec.

A moonless evening away from streetlights will be the best to track down this celestial felineIt will require some patience to track down this faint northern constellation, but it will put another piece of celestial geography into place.Lynx is currently well placed for northern hemisphere observers, stretched high across the sky after nightfall. Lynx lies between the familiar pattern of Ursa Major, the great bear, and the twins of Gemini. Introduced in the late 17th century by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius, he remarked that only those with the eyesight of a lynx would be able to see it. There is no myth attached to the constellation. Continue reading...