Astrological Signs

The constellation is easy to find right now, as it floats nearly overhead after sunset. The most prominent part of the celestial lion is a large, sickle-shaped group of stars that looks something like a backward question mark. They represent the lion's head and mane.

Making identification even easier, the bright planets Mars and Saturn are currently bracketing Leo. Mars, a ruddy orange, is just west of Leo, while Saturn, a pale yellowish-white, is to the east.

(If you're still having trouble finding Leo, look first for the Big Dipper, in the northern sky. Leo is about 40 degrees due south of the dipper's bowl.)

Leo is one of the larger constellations and, once pointed out, does look something like a lion.

The brightest star in Leo is Regulus. It is at the bottom of the sickle, which currently is about one-third of the way between Mars and Saturn. Many cultures of the ancient world associated the star, formerly known as Cor Leonis (the heart of the lion), with royalty and power.

Regulus is nearly 80 light-years away and about five times the diameter of our sun. If you look at Regulus through a telescope, you'll see it has a faint orange companion star.

A fairly prominent triangle of stars east of the sickle represents the hindquarters of the lion. Look for the brightest of the three, Denebola, north and just a bit west of Saturn.

Denebola, about 36 light-years away, is the second-brightest star in the constellation. Its name comes from the Arabic words Al Dhanab al-Asad (the lion's tail).

Two slightly fainter stars west of Denebola make up the other points of the triangle.

Planets

For the next few months, Venus appears as the "evening star," shining brightly in the west after sunset. One look and it's easy to see why, even now, people sometimes report the planet as a UFO.

Jupiter, shining brightly is in the east-southeast before sunrise, dominates the morning sky. It appears below the crescent moon on the morning of May 9.

Moon

Look for a lovely sliver of a crescent moon below and to the right of Venus after sunset on May 15. Then, the next evening, a slightly fatter crescent appears above and to the left of Venus.

On the evening of May 27, the full moon appears near Antares, a bright, distinctly orange star in the constellation Scorpius.

Spaceflight anniversary

Apollo 10 blasted into space May 18, 1969.

While John Young remained in lunar orbit aboard the service module (which the crew dubbed "Charlie Brown"), mission commander Thomas Stafford and lunar module pilot Gene Cernan flew the LM ("Snoopy") to within 9 miles of the moon's surface, prompting Cernan to exclaim " . . . we is down among 'em, Charlie!"

Although a brief misfire of their maneuvering rockets had them "wobbling all over the sky," as Cernan described it, the astronauts quickly regained control of the LM and completed the mission, paving the way for the history-making flight of Apollo 11 two months later.

Every planet shines in April's night sky

April 1 to 16, Mercury will make its best appearance of the year. The best way to locate it is to find Venus, which is a little brighter and slightly above it. You need an evening with clear skies in the west. Watch the sunset and in the growing twilight find both planets following close behind the sun. Binoculars will help, revealing the disk of Venus, which is currently almost fully lit. In the coming months Venus will climb higher in the night sky, increasing in diameter and going through the same phases that we observe on the moon.

When it is dark, look almost directly overhead and you will see Mars shining with its warm red hue. Using Mars as a reference, look about two or three degrees to the south. Binoculars will reveal a tightly packed cluster of stars known as M44 or the Beehive cluster. This cluster of stars is about 600 million years old, young in stellar terms. In dark skies it is visible to the naked eye, and was known to ancient Chinese astronomers as a demon in a carriage.

As soon as it is completely dark you will be able to locate Saturn slightly above the eastern horizon. Your view of it will improve as it rises higher in the night sky. To make your planetary collection complete you will have to get up early and find Jupiter in the east, rising just before the sun.

The Chinese Horoscope Tiger

Were you born in the year of the tiger? Are you curious what that means for you? If so, this article can help explain the Chinese horoscope tiger to all of you tigers out there! For thousands of years, the lunar cycle- based zodiac has been used in China. Because it takes the lunar cycle twelve years to complete, there are twelve animal symbols. Your Chinese horoscope is determined by the year you were born instead of the month like in our western zodiac.

Under each sign, the characteristics of occurrences in people and events correspond with the traits of that animal. The myth of how the twelve signs were chosen originated with Buddha. Before he departed from this world, he invited all the animals to a great feast. Only twelve were present. Buddha named each year after all of the twelve animals in the order by which they arrived. The tiger was the third animal to arrive.

Tigers are very compassionate, supportive, and tenderhearted. They are without a doubt the lovers of the Chinese zodiac. The tiger is very alert and attentive to the world around them. Thoughtful and reflective, they have great intelligence. Tigers are fiercely loyal, and are very assertive. They will defend their loved ones boldly and vigorously. A tiger knows what it wants and is not afraid to go after it. They make passionate lovers and true friends. Conversely, they can also be hot headed, stubborn, and impulsive.

The Chinese astrology also incorporates natural elements in their horoscopes. These elements influence the world around them. So, you are not only a tiger, but you can be specific type of tiger: water, fire, metal, earth, or wood. Water tigers are creative, highly intelligent, and hate to be alone. Fire tigers are vibrant, charismatic, and are famous for their short tempers. The metal tiger is compassionate, forgiving, and have a huge competitive streak. An earth tiger is a self-confident and thoughtful workaholic. Finally, wood tigers are the witty and charming best friends you always wanted.

Tigers are successful in careers as musicians, actors, writers, daredevils, and explorers. Did you know that Oscar Wilde and Marco Polo were tigers? For companionship, tigers should avoid monkeys and snakes. Look for joy with a dragon, horse, dog, pig, or rabbit.

If these qualities sound like you, you must be a true tiger! Considering the Chinese horoscope tiger is such a versatile and like able character, you should be proud! Keep moving stealthily through life, but be on the alert for troublesome monkey