Look Up

Our night sky continues to change as we move deeper into spring. We are well past our halfway point. As noted on March 25 after the spring equinox, Orion is known for being a winter constellation. Now the three familiar stars of Orion are barely visible at sunset and with the clouds and fog clinging to the horizon, they’re no longer visible. Yet Venus continues to shine brightly in the northern sky. Now where the three bright stars of the Orion’s belt used to be, there’s a bright star that’s part of the constellation that makes up one of his hunting dogs. This star is called Procyon and can be seen in the west sky after the sunsets. It’s one of the first stars that’s visible after Venus rises. If you recall from March 11, according to Stardate.org, Procyon’s name means “before the dog.” This constellation is called, Canis Minor. In Greek mythology, it represents the smaller of Orion's two hunting dogs that accompany him as he hunts Lepus, the rabbit.

Between Venus and Procyon, another two stars become visible before many other stars. They are the top two stars of the Gemini constellation. According to EarthSky.org, most people see this constellation as just two bright stars — Castor and Pollux. In Latin, Gemini, means “twins.” In Greek mythology, Castor and Pollux were the sons of a mortal mother, Leda. Castor was the mortal brother, son of Tyndareus, king of Sparta, and Pollux the immortal brother, son of Zeus. Castor and Pollux were joyfully united in spirit, yet sorrowfully divided by circumstance. When Castor was slain in battle, Pollux was inconsolable and begged Zeus to relieve him of the bonds of immortality. Zeus granted his request and so Pollux and Castor stand reunited in the heavens as a tribute to the redemptive power of brotherly love. However, these two stars aren’t really twins. Pollux is a red giant star that is 33 light-years from Earth and has at least one massive planet orbiting it, according to NASA. While Castor is about 51 light-years away from us and has two companion stars.