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High in the northeast, Orion and its companion constellations
dominate the summer skies. Orion is easily recognizable by its 'Belt'
of three bright stars, almost in a straight line. Astonishingly, these
three stars are each about 100 000 times more luminous than our Sun,
but around 1000 light years distant (a light year -the distance light
travels in a year- is about 10 trillion kilometres). The two brightest
stars in Orion are Rigel (770 light years and 40 000 times more
luminous) and Betelgeuse (reddish, 430 light years and 6000 times more
luminous). Left and down from Orion is the constellation of Taurus
(with Hyades and Pleiades clusters, at distances of 150 and 440 light
years respectively); to the right and up from Orion is the brightest
star in the night sky Sirius (only 9 light years and 20 times more
luminous than our Sun) in the constellation of Canis Major.
Beneath Orion is the bright reddish planet Mars, currently close to
the Earth.
The Moon is in the evening sky January 9-23.
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