Today:
Very high in the southeast on the next clear evening, as darkness becomes complete after 10 o’clock, a bright, pale orange beacon can easily be found, the red-giant star Arcturus. This star’s evolution to a red giant means it has exhausted its core hydrogen supply, leading to expansion and cooling. It is early in this process, making its color more yellow-ish orange. Arcturus is the brightest star we see through the Summer and early Fall.
Saturday:
Stretched through the east and southeast near 10 o’clock, the brilliant stars Arcturus, two-thirds of the way up in the southeast, and Vega, well to its lower left, and one third of the way above the eastern horizon, help you to locate a faint semi-circle of stars between them, the Northern Crown, closer to Arcturus.
Sunday:
While the King and the Queen, Cepheus and Cassiopeia languish near the northern horizon, Draco, the Dragon has slithered higher into the northeast. Though his stars aren’t overly bright, look for his tail starting between the Big and Little Dippers, then curving around the Little Dipper to the right and down, becoming the Dragon’s body, curving back to the right with his neck, topped off by his head.