March brings the zodiacal constellation Cancer, the crab, into an excellent viewing position for northern hemisphere observers.
According to Greek mythology, the giant crab was slain by the hero Heracles during his battle with the Hydra of Lerna. The goddess Hera, who wanted Heracles defeated, placed it in the stars as a thank you for trying.
The chart shows the view looking up into the southern sky from London at 22:00GMT this week. The constellation is faint, and will be a challenge from an urban environment, so try to find somewhere away from street lights and allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness.
And if you are in a dark location, you may also be able to see the star cluster that sits at the heart of the constellation. Known as the Beehive cluster, or Praesepe, the Latin word for manger, it is a former stellar nursery whose stars are dispersing into the wider galaxy.
After about 30 minutes, your eyes will have become sensitive enough to see the Beehive unaided as a weak smudge of light. Observers in the southern hemisphere should look for the constellation and cluster in the north to north-east around mid-evening.
