How to Find Constellations in the Winter Sky

Introduction

Have you ever wanted to be able to find constellations in the night sky? Then, here are some helpful hints for finding many constellations easily seen in the winter!

The group of constellations covered in this tutorial is known as the Winter Circle, and is visible from late Fall through early Spring. With this set of directions, you should be able to find all of these with great ease! Happy stargazing!

Things You'll Need

• A clear night

Steps

1 Step One

Start by finding Orion (in the picture), usually identified by his belt of three stars and the four stars around them marking his shoulders. The four stars, starting with the left shoulder as you look at him and going clockwise, are Betelgeuse, Belatrix, Rigel, and Saiph.

2 Step Two

Look at the three belt stars. Draw an imaginary line through them and continue to the left. You will come to a bright blue star, Sirius. This star is the brightest one in the Northern Hemisphere, and is also called the Dog Star. It earned this name by being the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major, which looks like two triangles coming down from, and to the left of, Sirius.

3 Step Three

Look at the three belt stars again, and this time draw a line through them traveling to the right. You will see a bright red star called Aldebaran. This is the brightest star in Taurus, the Bull, which looks like a V, with a body and prancing legs to the right of the V.

4 Step Four

On Taurus' back, there is a small cluster of stars. If you look closely on a moonless night, there appear to be six stars, although there are really seven! This cluster is known as the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters.

5 Step Five

Go back to Orion. Start at Saiph (the lower left hand star), draw a line up through the middle star of the belt, continue on through Belatrix (the upper right hand star), and continue on to a bright star, Capella. Capella is the bright star in a pentagon known as Auriga, the Charioteer.

6 Step Six

Look at Orion. This time, start with Rigel (the lower right blue star), draw a line through the middle belt star, through Betelgeuse (the upper right red star), and continue on to two equally bright stars. These are Castor and Pollux, the bright stars in Gemini, the Twins. You can easily remember which star is which by remembering that Castor is the star closer to Capella. Two fainter stars help form a rectangle outlining the Twins.

7 Step Seven

The last constellation in this collection is called Canis Minor, the Little Dog. The brighter star of the two that make up this constellation is called Procyon. Canis Minor is below Gemini and above Canis Major.

Overall Tips & Warnings

• If you find yourself having trouble finding Orion to start, start by finding the North Star and turn your back to it. Orion is usually found in the southern sky (if you are in the Northern Hemisphere).