The Stars of February

Returning this evening from a board meeting of the Gunnison Valley Observatory, I couldn't help but notice that it's the first truly clear night in quite a while.  I was quickly reminded of how clear and dark winter nights in Gunnison can be - perfect for stargazing (if you don't mind the cold).

The current star (excuse the pun) of the night sky is the constellation of Orion, the hunter.  At 9 PM Orion is seen very high in the sky when facing south.  You can identify Orion by the three stars in a line that form Orion's belt.  Above and slightly left of the belt is the bright star Betelgeuse ("beetlejuice") that represents Orion's right shoulder (the word betelgeuse is Greek for "armpit of the giant").  Below and slightly right of Orion's belt is the bright blue star Rigel, which represents Orion's knee.  Look carefully from a dark location and you might find Orion's sword, hanging from his belt, his right arm raised above his head, and even the curved arc of stars forming the shield in his left hand.  Orion is one of my favorite constellations because it's one of the few constellations that actually looks a bit like what it's supposed to represent.

Identifying Orion and using Orion's belt to find the star Sirius

Another reason I like Orion is that it's a very useful constellation for locating other stars and constellations in the sky.  Following the line of Orion's belt down and to the left brings you to the brightest star in the northern hemisphere sky, Sirius.  Follow the belt up and to the right and you'll encounter the sideways "v" of Taurus, the bull.  Look for the red eye of the bull, the star Aldebaran.  Continue in the same direction and you'll find the little cluster of stars called the Pleiades.  Some people describe the Pleiades as a tiny dipper, but if you own a Subaru, you'll recognize this as the pattern that adorns the Subaru symbol - Subaru is the Japanese name for the Pleiades.

Star chart showing the constellations as they appear around 9PM in February.

Not to willing to let Orion steal the show, turn around and face north and you'll find the iconic Big Dipper standing on its tail and dominating the northern sky.  Jupiter also continues to be a prominent member of the night sky, outshining everything else from its position above Orion's head.