Starwatch: spot Lacerta the lizard high in the northern sky

The view south-east high in the sky at about 8pm GMT in the UK. Illustration: Guardian Design

We began the month with the faint constellation of Cepheus, and end the month with the even fainter constellation of Lacerta, the Lizard.

Whereas Cepheus was one of the original 48 constellations defined by Ptolemy in the second century AD, Lacerta is comparatively modern, having been defined in 1687 by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius. Both constellations are now part of the International Astronomical Union’s 88 modern constellations.