The most arresting feature of the evening sky at this
time of year is the presence of many bright stars in the
east; these are the winter stars, some of the brightest
and most recognizable constellations. They are also
rising earlier every night; in the fall, you saw them
after midnight - but now, they are up as the sun sets,
and no one can miss them. We are going to miss the
summer and fall stars, though, bidding a fond farewell
as they set lower in the sunset. In particular, the
square of Pegasus is still notable, as is the "W" of
Cassiopeia in the north, in the middle of the milky
way's faint glow.
Turning back to the east, the parade of bright stars is
led by Taurus the bull, with a V-shaped star group and
the spectacular Pleiades cluster setting it apart.
Following in the north, bright Capella marks a
pentagonal chariot driver, with the twin stars of Gemini
just to his east. Almost straight east, the mighty
hunter Orion (one of the few constellations that
actually looks like a person) follows Taurus in
relentless pursuit. To the south, the brightest night
time star of all, Sirius, peeks over the horizon to
announce the arrival of the Orion's hunting dog, Canis
Major. You may notice his smaller brother, Canis Minor,
marked by the bright star Procyon about 20 degrees
northeast.
