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sents an edgewise view into the flat disk of our own Milky Way galaxy. When Cassiopeia climbs above Polaris, the North Star, on these dark winter evenings, note that this hazy belt of stars that we call the Milky Way extends through the Northern Cross in the western sky and past Orion the Hunter in your eastern sky.
• This Milky Way is fainter than the glorious broad band of the Milky Way we see in a Northern Hemisphere summer or Southern Hemisphere winter. That's because in we are looking toward the star-rich center of the galaxy at the opposite side of the year. On

these December nights, we are looking toward the galaxy's outer edge, not the center.
• As the night marches onward, Cassiopeia - like the hour hand of a clock - circles around the North Star, though in a counter-clockwise direction.
• By dawn, you will find Cassiopeia has swept down in the northwest - to a point below the North Star. At that time, if you're at a southerly latitude, you might not be able to see Cassiopeia. The constellation might be below your

horizon. But if you're located at a latitude like those in the northern U.S., you will still see Cassiopeia sitting on or near your northern horizon.
• Look northward on these cold December evenings to see the Queen Cassiopeia sitting proudly on her throne, atop the northern terminus of the Milky Way!
• Bottom line: Watch for the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen on these December evenings. It is shaped like an M or W. You'll find Cassiopeia in the northeast at nightfall, sweeping higher in the north as evening progresses.