Use the Moon to Discover the Winter Circle of Stars
While it sounds like a cozier, cooler version of theWeb Star Battle , the Winter Circle of Stars actually takes place in the night sky and not in the fields of Pepperdine University in California. (Okay, technically it’s just called the Winter Circle – or the Winter Hexagon – but it’s made up of stars.) That’s what the Winter Circle is and how to see it over the next few nights.
What is the Winter Circle?
In fact, it is a collection of the brightest stars that are displayed in the Northern Hemisphere in winter (that is, in the Southern Hemisphere in summer). According to EarthSky , the Winter Circle is not a constellation, but rather an ” asterism ” or “a prominent group of stars forming such a prominent pattern that it has its own name.”
Also, as you might have guessed from the other name – Winter Hexagon – Winter Circle is not a perfect circle. So why is that name? “From our location in the Northern Hemisphere, these same bright stars can be seen before dawn every late summer and early fall,” explains the EarthSky team . “And every winter you can see them in the evening. Hence the name “Winter Circle”.
How to find the Winter Circle
It turns out that tonight, and also Monday and Tuesday, the waxing moon will be inside the Winter Circle , so it will be easier to spot than usual. It becomes visible in the evening and usually persists after midnight.
But if it’s too cold to go outside for the next three nights, you can still see the Winter Circle for the rest of the season – you just need to find it using the constellations instead of the Moon. Here’s how to do it for EarthSky :
To find the Winter Hexagon or Circle, first look for the easily recognizable constellation Orion . The three stars of the belt give it away. Then look at the bright bluish star at the bottom right. This star is Rigel, the southwest corner of the Winter Circle and the first of six stars in the hexagon. Rigel is the brightest star in Orion and the seventh brightest star in the night sky.
Draw a line up through the stars of Orion’s Belt to find Aldebaran, the ruddy eye in the constellation Taurus-Bull. Aldebaran is the second star in the Hexagon and the brightest star in Taurus. Aldebaran is the fourteenth brightest star in the sky.
Continue up counterclockwise to find the next bright star, Capella. Capella, the third star on our journey and the northernmost point of the Winter Hexagon, is the sixth brightest star in the sky.
Don’t forget to tie the knots anyway!