Stargazing: Orion's return signals seasonal change
Share with others:
As Earth revolves around the sun, the sun appears to shift its position gradually from day to day, tracing out a path against the background of more distant stars. This seasonal cycle tells us where in the year we are. Although we can't see the stars in sunlight, the changes we see in the sky after sunset and before sunrise remind us that the sun's position among the stars is shifting.
After months of hiding in the glare of the sun, Orion, the mighty hunter of antiquity, has returned to the morning sky. Orion's reappearance reminds us of the cycle of changing seasons and the cold weather that's just a few short months away.
Start your search for Orion 20 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon at 5 a.m. by locating the three bright stars in the Hunter's belt. They will be pointing straight up to Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus. Betelgeuse will be to the left of the belt and Rigel to the belt's right.
First Published August 16, 2010 12:00 am
