Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

Ephemeris for Tuesday, April 9th.  The sun will rise at 7:08.  It’ll be up for 13 hours and 11 minutes, setting at 8:20.   The moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 7:01 tomorrow morning.

In the southwest to southeastern sky at 11 p.m. can be found the constellation of Hydra the water snake.  Unlike the monster of the same name this Hydra has but one head, which is its most distinctive part.  After 10  p.m. look to the south to southwest.  The head of Hydra is located below a line from the constellation Leo the Lion in the south and Gemini high in the west southwest.  Hydra’s head is a small but distinctive group of 6 stars that make a drooping loop to the right.  The rest of Hydra wends its way just above the southern horizon ending under Virgo below the star Spica and ends near Saturn.  To astronomers constellations have distinct boundaries like congressional districts, and Hydra is one long Gerrymander*.

Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.  They may be different for your location.

Addendum

* Gerrymander – A method of drawing Congressional Districts of supposed equal population so that it benefits the party in power at the time.  Names after Governor Gerry of Massachusetts in 1812 when one of the districts he drew looked like a salamander.  I checked Wikipedia and we ain’t the only ones.   Actually Hydra is quite linear, being a  snake.  It is the longest constellation.  Actually Eridanus and Draco are more crooked.

Hydra the water snake seen at 11 p.m. on April 9, 2013. Created using Stellarium.

Below are the official boundaries of Hydra and the nearby constellations.

Hydra boundaries according to the International Astronomical Union. Created using Cartes du Ciel.