Northants Amatuer Astronomers

Star Chart above is set for 10^th of the month at 20:00hours
The brilliant constellation of Orion is seen in the south. Moving up and to the right - following the line of the three stars of Orion’s belt - brings you to Taurus; the head of the bull being outlined by the V-shaped cluster called the Hyades with its eye delineated by the orange red star Aldebaran. Further up to the right lies the Pleaides Cluster. Towards the zenith from Taurus lies the constellation Auriga, whose brightest star Capella will be nearly overhead. To the upper left of Orion are the heavenly twins, or Gemini, their heads indicated by the two bright stars Castor and Pollux. Down to the lower left of Orion lies the brightest star in the northern sky, Sirius, in the consteallation Canis Major. Up and to the left of Sirius is Procyon in Canis Minor. Rising in the East is the constellation of Leo, the Lion, with the planet Saturn up and to the right of Regulus its brightest star. Continuing in this direction towards Gemini is the faint constellation of Cancer with its open cluster Praesepe (also called the Beehive Cluster). On a dark night it is a nice object to observe with binoculars.
The constellation Gemini is now setting towards the south-west and Leo holds pride of place in the south with its bright star Regulus. Below Gemini is the tiny constellation Canis Minor whose only bright star is Procyon. Rising in the south-east is the constellation Virgo whose brightest star is Spica. Though Virgo has few bright stars it is in the direction of a great cluster of galaxies - the Virgo Cluster - which lies at the center of the super cluster of which our local group of galaxies is an outlying member.
Clear skies to you all, Steve Bell