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EARTH, the moon and the other planets in our solar system orbit the sun in roughly the same plane in space. This is because the solar system was made from a spinning cloud of dust that flattened into a disc shape because of its rotational movement. When the planets and moons formed, they remained in this plane, and our flat solar system was born.

What this means for stargazing is that the planets, sun and moon all trace a similar path across the sky. The imaginary line that the sun traces over the course of a year is called the ecliptic.

The ecliptic is also where the zodiacal constellations are found in the night sky. This can be handy because, every so often, planets or the moon will sweep past different constellations, acting as guides to finding them. In May, we can use the moon to point us to two constellations, Leo and Virgo.

On 18 May, the moon will be in its first quarter phase, when it is halfway between a new and a full moon. Wherever you are in the world on this night, it will appear near the constellation of Leo. Just look for the moon when the sun has set and you should be able to find the constellation.

In the northern hemisphere, the moon will appear to be below the Sickle, an asterism (a small pattern or group of stars) that resembles a backwards question mark. In the southern hemisphere, it will look like an upside-down question mark. The Sickle represents the mane of Leo the lion, killed by Heracles in Greek mythology.

By the following night, the moon will be firmly within the constellation of Leo, next to the bright star Regulus that marks the bottom of the Sickle. By 20 May, it will be next to the 鈥渂ack鈥� of the lion 鈥� if the Sickle makes up the lion鈥檚 mane 鈥� sitting near the star Denebola.

After this, the moon will leave Leo and appear in Virgo, its nearby companion. On 22 and 23 May, the moon will be next to the star Spica, the brightest in Virgo. It will be approaching its full moon phase and getting brighter, so its glare will mean you won鈥檛 be able to see many stars nearby. However, Spica should be bright enough to still make out.

For the following two days (24/25 May), the moon will travel through Libra. As this is a faint constellation, the moon鈥檚 glare will probably make it difficult to see any of Libra鈥檚 stars.

By 26 May, the moon will be full and will have passed through Libra and be next to Antares, the brightest star in Scorpius and 15th brightest in the night sky. If you can鈥檛 find Antares, use a finger to block out the moonlight and look for the brightest star nearby.

Scorpius is named after the scorpion that, according to Greek mythology, was sent to sting Orion the hunter and prevent him from fulfilling his boast that he would kill every animal on Earth. In the sky, it looks like the constellation is chasing Orion.

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