Not a long note today, just a quick “drive-by” to mention that it’s clearing up and the skies are looking lovely! Of course it’ll only last a day or two, but the night skies of spring are definitely here!

One of the things I always go out and look for about this time of year (later in the evening) is the constellation Bootes, which around 9:30 or so has cleared the eastern horizon. And, of course, the Big Dipper and Leo are high in the sky. For me (having grown up in the Northern Hemisphere) these are the harbingers of warmer weather, summer events, and a whole new look to the night time sky. For folks in the southern hemisphere, Leo and Bootes signal the arrival of autumn. Stargazers divided by a common sky…