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Jimmy Westlake

Jimmy Westlake's Celestial News column appears Tuesdays in the Steamboat Today.

Throughout the years, I've attempted to introduce you to as many of the 88 constellations visible from Colorado as I could through this column. While scanning the late-spring sky for a subject for this week, I realized that I've never told you about the large, bright constellation that sits between Centaurus and Scorpius, perfectly placed for June observing. It's high time I introduced you to Lupus, the Wolf (not to be confused with Lepus, the Rabbit).

The origin of this far southern constellation can be traced back at least 2,200 years, to the time of the ancient Greek civilization. Back then, it was known as Therion (the Beast) and was considered to be an integral part of the neighboring constellation Centaurus, the Centaur, who has the beast skewered on his spear. It was one of Ptolemy's original 48 constellations, published in the first century AD. That's when it gained its identity as a wolf rather than a generic "beast." The name Lupus is, in fact, the Latin word for wolf.

The constellation of the Wolf, mimicking real life, seems to get very little respect, in spite of the fact that it contains many bright stars of second and third magnitude. Perhaps this is because of its unfortunate position in the sky, sandwiched between the magnificent constellations of Centaurus, to the west, and Scorpius, to the east. It lies so far to the south that some of its stars never rise above our horizon, but that hasn't always been the case. The incessant wobbling of the Earth on its axis in a 26,000-year cycle has carried this part of the sky southward and partially out of view since the time of the ancient Greeks. It will return in all its glory in a few millennia.

To see the stars of Lupus, you'll need a clear view of the sky down to the southern horizon. Facing south at about 10 p.m. in mid-June, find the bright orange star Antares flashing in the southeastern sky and the bright blue star Spica twinkling in the southwestern sky. The stars of Centaurus and Lupus fill the sky along the southern horizon between Antares and Spica. The outline of Lupus more closely resembles a squashed hourglass than it does a wolf, but its bright stars make the pattern easy to find. If your sky is dark and clear and your view to the south is unobstructed, you might spot Lupus' brightest star, Kakkab, only two degrees above the horizon line. Kakkab is an Arabic name that means "Star of Fortune." From the mid-northern latitude of Colorado, one is fortunate, indeed, to catch a glimpse of this star.

Professor Jimmy Westlake teaches astronomy and physics at Colorado Mountain College's Alpine Campus. He is an avid astronomer whose photographs and articles have been published around the world. His "Celestial News" column appears weekly in the Steamboat Pilot & Today and his "Cosmic Moment" radio spots can be heard on local radio station KFMU.