Courtesy of EarthSky
A Clear Voice for Science
www.EarthSky.org
Sure, we have said it before, but we will say it again, because it is one of the neatest tricks in all the heavens. That is … Orion’s Belt points to Sirius. Sirius is the brightest star in the sky. It is up before dawn now, but will be shifting into the evening sky as the months pass.
You can find Orion. Trust me. If you go outside and look southward before dawn now, you will notice Orion’s Belt, which consists of a short, straight row of medium-bright stars. Just draw a line through Orion’s Belt, and extend that line toward the horizon. You will easily spot Sirius, the sky’s brightest star.
Sirius is in the constellation Canis Major the Greater Dog. It has often called the Dog Star.
Up before dawn?
See the zodiacal light, otherwise known as false dawn
Written by Deborah Byrd
Astronomy Picture of the Day from NASA/JPL
U.S. Naval Observator Astronomical Information center
The York County Astronomical Society