ORION RETURNS

ORION RETURNS! Everyone’s favorite constellation is Orion the Hunter. Orion cuts a dramatic figure in the heavens, easily spotted by the three stars of Orion’s Belt, frozen in his timeless celestial battle with Taurus the Bull. Though best seen in the cold months, Orion is invisible during the summer, between the months of May through July, hidden behind the bright… Continue reading

Planets of 2018

Most of the time, this newsletter provides information for observing the classical planets. For whatever reason, these planets are largely unknown in our generation. There is a misconception that the planets can only be seen through a telescope and are invisible with the unaided eye. This is completely untrue. The fact is, the planets are among the brightest “stars” that… Continue reading

The Design of the Sky – Orion’s Belt

The Design of the Sky – Orion’s Belt (Originally published in the Classical Astronomy Update newsletter) In speaking of the constellations, you hear people say all the time, “I don’t know how anyone is supposed to see those pictures in the stars. I don’t see anything like that.” It is true that a lot of the so-called constellations require quite… Continue reading

Evening Constellations of September

  SEPTEMBER CONSTELLATIONS: The evenings of September are the best times to learn the stars of the Summer Triangle. This pattern is formed of the bright first magnitude stars Deneb, Vega and Altair, and is conspicuously visible high overhead this month in the hours after sunset. Once you identify these bright stars, try to pick out the constellations. You should… Continue reading

Planets and Constellations in May

  If you learned to spot Jupiter and Venus from this recent graphic (http://on.fb.me/1AZQoWk), now you’re ready to find these blazingly bright planets among the constellations! Throughout the month of May, Jupiter and Venus will be lined up between the constellations Gemini and Leo. Look for them in the western sky about an hour after sunset. These constellations are especially… Continue reading

The Lion is Higher Than Orion

  Spring is a great season to start learning the constellations. You can still see the constellations of winter, as they incline toward the west, soon to disappear into the sunset. In the current month, Venus is passing through Taurus, near the famous constellation Orion. The blazing evening star Venus is currently in Taurus, making these constellation easy to find.… Continue reading

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