How to Find the Lynx Constellation

The constellation Lynx appears in the northern sky in the spring. It can be seen best in the month of March. This collection of stars is visible between 90 degrees N and 35 degrees S latitudes.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Star map
• Binoculars

1. Find the Lynx constellation on your star map. You should get a picture in your mind of the general shape of the constellation before look into the night sky. Note the constellations that are nearby and how bright the stars of Lynx and its neighbors are. The brightest star in the Lynx constellation has a magnitude of 3.1.

2. Find Polaris. Look in the direction of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major). Lynx is just behind (further towards the horizon) Ursa Major and before The Giraffe. Look for the brightest star in this region and then pick out a few of the other stars that are a part of the Lynx.

3. Take your binoculars and scan the region around the bright star to find the other stars that form the Lynx.

Tips & Warnings

• Common coordinates for finding stars in the night sky are Declination and Right Ascension.
• Find the direction North in the night sky without a compass. It is the direction pointed to by a line drawn from your point in the sky to the North Star. The two stars that form the far end of the cup on the Big Dipper point to the North Star (Polaris).