Two smaller constellations lie above Virgo. Coma Berenices honors a queen who gave her long hair to the gods to ensure her husband’s safe return from war. M64, a spiral galaxy, can be found tangled in Berenice’s Hair.
Canes Venatici represents the hunting dogs of the gods. The brightest star in Canes Venatici is Cor Caroli, the Heart of Charles, named for King Charles I of England. M51, in Canes Venatici, is known as the Whirlpool Galaxy. It is one of the most beautiful face-on spirals in the sky.
The annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower returns this month. On the night of May 6 to 7, expect to see up to 10 meteors per hour. Look for them shooting from the east after midnight.
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