Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

Ephemeris for Monday, May 6th.  The sun rises at 6:25.  It’ll be up for 14 hours and 28 minutes, setting at 8:53.   The moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 5:03 tomorrow morning.

Leo the lion’s image as displayed by Stellarium for May 6, at 10 p.m. due south.

The constellation of Leo the lion is seen in the south at 10:30 p.m.   Regulus lies at the bottom of a backwards question mark of stars that are his head and mane.  This backwards question mark is also known as the asterism or informal constellation of the Sickle.  To the left of the Sickle is a triangle of stars that are his haunches.  As the lion is the king of beasts it is fitting that its brightest star Regulus means “Little King Star”.  It was thought in ancient Egypt that the heat of summer, when the sun was in Leo drove the lions to drink the waters of the Nile.  The lion was also the symbol of the Israelite tribe of Judah, from Jacob’s prophesy in Genesis, and as such may have played a part in the origin of the Star of Bethlehem.

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