Now that it is officially winter, we should have a look at the constellations (at least the major ones) that dominate the winter night sky. I will only focus on a handful of constellations, those which lie along or near the meridian (an imaginary line crossing the night sky overhead from due south to due north) at approximately midnight. This is not to say that these constellations will not be visible before or after midnight, I am just using the meridian as a reference point.
Having risen in the eastern sky around 7 p.m., the constellation of Orion - the Hunter lies along the meridian, about halfway up the southern sky, around midnight at this time of the year. Like all the other constellations I will talk about over the course of the winter months, Orion will move slowly across the sky from east to west throughout the night, finally disappearing below the western horizon between 6 - 7 a.m. As the winter months advance, Orion will rise earlier and earlier each evening (and, consequently, set earlier), until, by the time of the Vernal Equinox in March (the start of spring), it will set between 9 - 10 p.m.
In Greek mythology, Orion was said to have been the son of Poseidon, God of the Sea. Another version has him as Poseidon’s grandson by Poseidon’s son Hyrieus, King of Boeotia. Regardless of his actual father, Orion was huge in stature, handsome, and able to water on water. In time, he became a reknown and fearsome hunter. Orion was blinded by King Oenopion, King of Chios, for violating his daughter, Merope (who eventually became one of the “seven sisters” stars in the Pleiades star cluster). With the aid of the Greek god of metalworking and fire, Hepaestus, Orion’s eyesight was restored. After that, Orion became the constant hunting companion to Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt.
Although there are several versions of how Orion died, the two prominent ones involve firstly, a giant scorpion, and secondly, Artemis. Gaia (Mother Earth) sent a huge scorpion to kill Orion after he boasted that he would hunt every kind of animal on the earth. After their fatal battle, both Orion and the scorpion were placed in the night sky, albeit on opposite sides of the sky. In the second version, Artemis, challenged by her brother, Apollo (who resented Orion’s closeness to his sister) mistakenly shoots Orion with an arrow as he swims in the ocean. In her sorrow, Artemis placed Orion in the night sky for all the world to see.
The constellation of Orion, like its namesake, is very large, and dominates the winter night sky when it is up. Look for the distinctive three stars (in a row) that form Orion’s belt, with his jewelled sword (the Orion Nebula; visible in binoculars) hanging beneath the middle star. Also look for the bright, orange star, Betelgeuse, to the upper left of his belt, and the bright, blue star, Rigel, to the belt’s lower right. Off to the lower left of Orion, you will spot Sirius - the Dog Star, the brightest star in the northern night sky, and one of the two hunting dogs that accompany Orion as he hunts the ethereal vastness of the night sky.
As with last week, Venus is visible (a little more than a hand’s width at arm’s length) in the dusk of the SW sky around 5 p.m. before setting around 7 p.m. Look for the slim, crescent Moon below Venus in the SW sky on the evening of Dec. 28, just after sunset. Both Jupiter and Saturn are now too close to the setting sun to be seen. Jupiter is heading for a solar conjunction on the 28th. Mars is still visible in the eastern, pre-dawn sky, rising shortly before 5 a.m., before fading from sight with the approaching light of dawn around 7 a.m. Mercury is too close to the Sun to be seen.
Until next time, happy holidays, and clear skies.
Glenn K. Roberts lives in Stratford, P.E.I., and has been an avid amateur astronomer since he was a small child. He welcomes comments from readers, and anyone who would like to do so is encouraged to email him at [email protected].
Events:
- Dec. 26 - New Moon; Moon at perihelion (closest to Earth)
- Dec. 27 - Jupiter in conjunction with Sun
- Dec. 28 - Venus above crescent Moon; SW after sunset.
More ATLANTIC SKIES
Look up - you might see Geminid meteors or Near Earth Objects
