The arrival of spring in the Northern Hemisphere brings a different collection of constellations into prominence during the evening. Apart from circumpolar constellations such as Ursa Major, some of the most recognizable spring constellations include Leo, Boötes, Hydra, Virgo, Cancer, and Crater.
Together they offer everything from bright stars and naked-eye star clusters to some of the richest fields of galaxies visible from Earth.
Boötes Constellation
Boötes derives from an ancient Greek word usually interpreted as the herdsman, ox driver, or ploughman. The constellation is particularly easy to recognize because it contains Arcturus, one of the brightest stars in the entire night sky.
Quick Boötes Facts
- Constellation: Boötes
- Visible between latitudes: +90° and -50°
- Best seen: At 21:00 (9 PM local time) during June
- Brightest star: Arcturus (Alpha Boötis)
- Size: 13th largest constellation
- Area: 907 square degrees
- Neighboring constellations: Draco, Ursa Major, Canes Venatici, Coma Berenices, Virgo, Serpens Caput, Corona Borealis, and Hercules
Objects of Interest in Boötes
Boötes contains no Messier objects, but its brightest star, Arcturus, makes the constellation an important spring landmark. Following the curve of the Big Dipper’s handle provides one of the easiest ways to find it: simply “arc to Arcturus.”
Far beyond the stars of Boötes lies the enormous Boötes Void, a sparsely populated region of the universe hundreds of millions of light-years across. The constellation also contains the Boötes I dwarf galaxy, a faint satellite of the Milky Way discovered in 2006.
Cancer Constellation
Cancer is the faintest of the 12 zodiac constellations, with no particularly bright stars to make its pattern obvious. However, it contains one of the finest naked-eye and binocular star clusters in the spring sky.
Quick Cancer Facts
- Constellation: Cancer
- Visible between latitudes: +90° and -60°
- Best seen: At 21:00 (9 PM local time) during March
- Brightest star: Al Tarf (Beta Cancri)
- Size: 31st largest constellation
- Area: 506 square degrees
- Neighboring constellations: Lynx, Gemini, Canis Minor, Hydra, Leo, and Leo Minor
Objects of Interest in Cancer
Cancer contains two Messier objects: the Beehive Cluster (M44) and M67.
The Beehive Cluster is one of the closest prominent open clusters to Earth and is visible to the naked eye under reasonably dark skies. Binoculars transform the hazy patch into a loose scattering of stars spread across a large area of sky.
M67 is much farther away at about 2,800 light-years, but is particularly interesting because it is around four billion years old, making it one of the oldest known open clusters and the oldest open cluster in the Messier catalog. It contains more than 500 stars and can be seen in binoculars as a faint patch, while telescopes begin resolving its individual stars.
Crater Constellation
Crater, “the Cup,” represents the drinking cup of the Greek god Apollo. It is a faint constellation with no stars brighter than fourth magnitude, making it much less conspicuous than nearby Leo and Virgo.
Quick Crater Facts
- Constellation: Crater
- Visible between latitudes: +65° and -90°
- Best seen: At 21:00 (9 PM local time) during April
- Brightest star: Delta Crateris
- Size: 53rd largest constellation
- Area: 282 square degrees
- Neighboring constellations: Leo, Sextans, Hydra, Corvus, and Virgo
Objects of Interest in Crater
Crater contains no Messier objects and relatively few easy targets for small telescopes. Most of its notable deep-sky objects are distant galaxies that require larger apertures and dark skies to observe well.
The constellation is therefore more useful to many casual observers as part of the spring sky’s geography, sitting above the long body of Hydra and beside Corvus.
Hydra Constellation
Hydra represents the many-headed Lernaean Hydra slain by Heracles during his Twelve Labors. It is the largest of all 88 modern constellations and stretches across an enormous section of the sky below Cancer, Leo, Virgo, and Crater.
Quick Hydra Facts
- Constellation: Hydra
- Visible between latitudes: +54° and -83°
- Best seen: At 21:00 (9 PM local time) during April
- Brightest star: Alphard (Alpha Hydrae)
- Size: Largest of the 88 recognized constellations
- Area: 1,303 square degrees
- Neighboring constellations: Antlia, Cancer, Canis Minor, Centaurus, Corvus, Crater, Leo, Libra, Lupus, Monoceros, Puppis, Pyxis, Sextans, and Virgo
Objects of Interest in Hydra
Two of Hydra’s most interesting deep-sky objects are Messier 48 (M48) and the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (M83).
M48 is a large open cluster about 1,500 light-years away. With an apparent magnitude of about 5.5, it can be glimpsed without optical aid under sufficiently dark skies and is an easy target for binoculars, which reveal a broad scattering of stars.
The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (M83) is a spectacular barred spiral galaxy roughly 15 million light-years away. It is viewed almost face-on, allowing its spiral structure and active star-forming regions to be seen particularly well in astronomical images. For northern observers it lies quite low in the southern sky, so the quality of the view depends strongly on latitude and atmospheric conditions.
Leo Constellation
Leo is associated with the Nemean Lion slain by Heracles and is one of the most recognizable constellations of spring. Its distinctive Sickle asterism outlines the Lion’s head and mane, while bright Regulus marks the lower end of the pattern.
Quick Leo Facts
- Constellation: Leo
- Visible between latitudes: +90° and -65°
- Best seen: At 21:00 (9 PM local time) during April
- Brightest star: Regulus (Alpha Leonis)
- Size: 12th largest constellation
- Area: 947 square degrees
- Neighboring constellations: Ursa Major, Leo Minor, Lynx, Cancer, Hydra, Sextans, Crater, Virgo, and Coma Berenices
Objects of Interest in Leo
Leo contains five Messier galaxies: M65, M66, M95, M96, and M105. Several are within reach of modest amateur telescopes under dark skies, although larger apertures reveal considerably more detail.
M65 and M66 form part of the famous Leo Triplet together with NGC 3628. The latter is seen nearly edge-on and has a prominent dark dust lane running through its disk. Gravitational interaction among the galaxies has also produced a huge tidal tail extending from NGC 3628.
Messier 96 lies about 30 million light-years away and is the brightest member of the M96 Group, also known as the Leo I Group. Its asymmetric spiral structure is thought to have been influenced by gravitational interactions with neighboring galaxies.
Virgo Constellation
Virgo is the second-largest constellation in the sky after Hydra and dominates a particularly galaxy-rich part of the spring sky. Its brightest star is Spica, which can be found by continuing the familiar curve from the Big Dipper’s handle through Arcturus — “arc to Arcturus, then speed on to Spica.”
Quick Virgo Facts
- Constellation: Virgo
- Visible between latitudes: +80° and -80°
- Best seen: At 21:00 (9 PM local time) during May
- Brightest star: Spica (Alpha Virginis)
- Size: 2nd largest constellation, after Hydra
- Area: 1,294 square degrees
- Neighboring constellations: Boötes, Coma Berenices, Leo, Crater, Corvus, Hydra, Libra, and Serpens Caput
Objects of Interest in Virgo
Virgo contains 11 Messier objects: M49, M58, M59, M60, M61, M84, M86, M87, M89, M90, and M104. Many of these galaxies belong to the enormous concentration of galaxies in the direction of the Virgo Cluster, which extends into neighboring Coma Berenices.
For amateur astronomers, this region provides an extraordinary opportunity to move from one galaxy to another under a dark spring sky. M84 and M86 also form the beginning of Markarian’s Chain, a striking apparent chain of galaxies running through the heart of the Virgo Cluster.
Another famous object is the Sombrero Galaxy (M104), a spiral galaxy seen nearly edge-on about 28 million light-years away. Its brilliant central bulge and prominent dark dust lane give the galaxy its distinctive hat-like appearance. With an apparent magnitude around 8, M104 is within reach of small telescopes under favorable conditions.