Tour April's Sky! | March 26th, 2010

Spring has arrived for northern stargazers, and sky critters are on the march!

The Big Bear is now on the prowl high in the northeast. Equally high to its right is Leo, the Lion. And slithering up equally high in the southeast is long, winding Hydra, the Sea Serpent.

High above, the red planet Mars joins Castor and Pollux, the familiar twins of Gemini. Over in the southwest, Orion is making a last stand for the season. Soon we'll be bidding him and his dogs adieu.

If you've always wanted to spot Mercury, here's your chance. The fleet-footed planet will be paired with dazzling Venus during the first half of April.

To keep track of these celestial comings and goings, all you need to do is download April's audio sky tour. It's an 6-megabyte MP3 file that runs nearly 7 minutes long.