Trace the Big Dipper's handle of stars in a curve to Arcturus, a bright, reddish star above the eastern horizon. That's the famous "arc to Arcturus" star-hop. Rising in the east-northeast will be ...

and Arcturus, rising in the east. If you can't immediately find those two stars, finding the "Blaze Star" is most easily done by first locating the Big Dipper/Plough, one of the most recognizable ...

Instead of circulating in the disk of the Milky Way like the sun and most other stars, Arcturus is plunging down through the disk. It can always be found by extending the curve of the Big Dipper ...

T Coronae Borealis, the Blaze Star, is set to erupt after 80 years, becoming visible to the naked eye. Skywatchers may ...