May 2025 Note​s

★  About 90 minutes after Sunset ★

Planets
Mars is halfway up in the West. It is not too bright so you could miss it. Look for a reddish star that does not twinkle.  
Jupiter will be low in the West when it first gets dark. Low in the Southwest is Sirius and is about the same brightness as Jupiter.
Venus is nice and bright, hanging low in the eastern morning sky—it is a pretty sight. 

Constellations
Facing North, the Big Dipper is high up at the Noon position in relations to Polaris or the North Star. The Dipper’s Bowl always faces towards the North Star so it is facing down (contents pouring out/downward). Follow the curve of the Dipper’s handle because it “arcs” to the very bright star Arcturus, which is higher in the East and is part of the constellation Bootes. The fairly bright star above the horizon in the northeast is Vega. 
Gemini, the Twins is “standing” upright due west. It‘s top stars, Castor and Pollux are parallel to the horizon and similar in magnitude. Their spacing is unique which makes them “easy” to identify.