Spring is a great season to start learning the constellations. You can still see the constellations of winter, as they incline toward the west, soon to disappear into the sunset. In the current month, Venus is passing through Taurus, near the famous constellation Orion. The blazing evening star Venus is currently in Taurus, making these constellation easy to find. Above Orion is Gemini, easy to spot by the twin stars, Castor and Pollux. Next to Gemini is Jupiter, a very bright “star” nearly as bright as Venus. Jupiter is between Gemini and Leo the Lion, another very conspicuous constellation.
This time of year, “The Lion is Higher Than Orion.” Orion has ruled the evening sky all winter, but the seasonal cycle has turned, and Orion is becoming low toward the west, while Leo rides high in the early evening. This is just as much a sign of the return of spring as the robins and the daffodils.
Now that the evenings are warmer, go outside and try to learn these constellations. It will give you a new appreciation for the cycle of “seedtime and harvest” (Gen. 8:22) that the LORD has established for our benefit.
For more information on these topics, check out our Signs & Seasons astronomy curriculum, created for homeschoolers but enjoyed by many, including curious adults.
