The familiar constellation sits high in the sky through the winter.
Throughout 2023,there are tons of things to see in the night sky . Many of them should be spectacular but are short events like the ring of fire occultation or thePerseid shooting star shower . There is something to see every nighttime of the class , though , even when there are n’t eye - grab events taking station .
Sometimes it ’s gracious to see something familiar that does n’t involve a trip-up to dark sky out of town on a specific night . Orion , one of the most recognizable configuration , is one such sight sitting high up in the sky correctly now .
The winter constellation is easily spotted by its bright belt of three stars . With darkness fall so early on in January , you ’ll be able-bodied to see Orion early in the even if you reckon up into the southeastern sky . It ’s check by those three maven across its belt and the hopeful red star Betelgeuse , which forms Orion ’s right-hand shoulder .
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As NASA’smonthly What ’s Up videonotes , there are a few other constellations to see if you ’re looking for Orion ahead of time in the evening . In the southeast , you could see Canis Major , Canis Minor , and Taurus the Bull sitting in Orion ’s celestial locality . you could also see , further to the east , the bright headliner Castor and Pollux , which are part of the winter hexagon asterism that stretches across the sky throughout the wintertime months .
Orion is n’t hard to retrieve , but it is a beautiful constellation that ’s a conversant evening spouse during the frigid months of the twelvemonth .
Ready to go stargazing?
Here are allthe best stargazing eventsthat you’re able to get out and see this year or you could stay in astream the northern lightsfrom home . If you ’re just getting started , check out ourguide to astronomy for beginnersoreasy stargazing road trips from big US city .
Screengrab via NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory YouTube
