April 10, 2026: Leo stands high in the southern sky while faint Cancer and the Beehive Cluster appear nearby. Below them, Hydra the Snake stretches eastward toward Spica, marked by the solitary glow of Alphard.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:18 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:26 p.m. CDT. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Venus as an Evening Star
Spring Evening Sky
As the spring season takes hold, the bright stars of winter are farther westward each night. After sunset, brilliant Venus dominates the west-northwest, while bright Jupiter is high in the southwestern sky. Farther eastward, the sky is sparse of bright stars.
Step outside two hours after sunset. The Sickle of Leo is high in the south. The shape resembles a backwards question mark with the blue-white star Regulus at the bottom. Cancer’s faint stars, with the Beehive star cluster, are to the right. Until the moon returns to the evening sky, the cluster can be seen as a small cloud with peripheral vision when looking toward Leo without optical aid. A binocular reveals stars.
The famous but faint constellation Hydra the Snake, the longest constellation, originates under Cancer. The head’s faint stars outline a distorted oval shape. The constellation then undulates eastward to blue-white Spica, which is 20° above the southeast horizon. The yellow-orange star Alphard, interpreted as “solitary one,” is over 20° to Regulus’ lower right and slightly fainter. It stands nearly alone against the noticeably fainter starfield.
Farther eastward, near Spica, the constellations Crater and Corvus ride on Hydra’s back while the Snake’s stars remain faint.
On these moonless evenings, two hours after sunset, look for the Snake’s head and bright star Alphard near Leo and Cancer.
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