This Mother's Day, May 11th, why not give your mother or the mother of your children a starry diamond.

   About an hour after local sunset go outside and face north and look nearly straight up for the stars making the Big Dipper pattern. During this month the handle of the Big Dipper hangs down.

   Pay particular attention to the curved handle of the Big Dipper. As this will be your guide to the uppermost and dimmest of the stars making up this celestial pattern, Cor Caroli in Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs. Once Cor Caroli is located turn around toward the south look down to the left from Cor Caroli for the reddish star Arcturus in Bootes the Herdsman, and then look lower to the right, toward the horizon, for the bluish-white star Spica in Virgo the Maiden.

   To locate the rest of the Diamond of Virgo look up to the right from Spica, and to the right from Arcturus and at that intersection is the star Denebola, the point of a small triangle marking the tail of Leo the Lion.
Click on the image to see the full-sized image of the Diamond of Virgo.