Not all star patterns are called constellations. Strictly speaking, constellations are the areas of the sky that contain familiar patterns – such as Taurus, the bull, or Orion, the hunter.
The patterns themselves are called asterisms, but not all asterisms are related to constellations. In the winter of the northern hemisphere, a particularly prominent asterism is known as the Winter Hexagon or Winter Circle. It contains bright stars from six separate constellations, marked in yellow on the map.
Perhaps the easiest way to work your way around the winter hexagon is to start with the familiar constellation Orion and move counter-clockwise. The first move is upward from Rigel to Aldebaran in Taurus. From there, bow over to Capella in Auriga, the chariot. Continue round the circle by descending to Pollux in Gemini, the twins. The lower half of the shape is marked by Orion’s hounds: Procyon in Canis Minor, the lesser dog, is the first one, and then continues to Sirius – the brightest star in the night sky – in Canis Major, the greater dog. From there, head back to Rigel again.
The chart shows the view from London, looking south at 20:00 GMT on January 29. From the southern hemisphere, the shape is upside down and in the northern sky.
