Winter in the northern hemisphere is dominated by the great constellation of Orion, the hunter.
One of the original 48 constellations defined by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy is now one of 88 recognized by the International Astronomical Union. Named after the great hunter from Greek mythology, Orion is said to have been placed in the stars by Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, after a scorpion stung his foot and killed him. In another version of the story, Artemis killed Orion either by accident or to defend one of her companions against Orion’s powerful advance.
The chart shows the view looking south-east from London on Monday at 2000 GMT, but it will be almost identical all week. Many people look for Orion’s belt on the cold, icy nights of the northern winter. This asterism consists of three stars, Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka, and extending a line through it down to the horizon brings us to Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. Extending the line in the opposite direction takes us into the constellation of Taurus, the bull.
Orion is also clearly visible from the southern hemisphere if you look north late at night.
