Winter galaxies

This star map covers a region visible in the eastern sky on early February evenings north of the equator. It features Cancer the Crab, the northern part of Leo the Lion, Leo Minor the Lion Cub, and the southern portion of Ursa Major the Great Bear. Apart from Cancer's two open star clusters cataloged by Charles Messier, this deep-sky region features galaxies — including some great ones.

Unfortunately, Cancer is a faint constellation. If your sky is even moderately light-polluted, finding it may be a chore. The easiest way is to draw a line from Castor and Pollux, the brightest stars of Gemini, to Regulus, the brightest star of Leo. Cancer lies at the mid-point of this line.