Early evening skies in January and February reveal the celestial G.
In January and February early evening skies, stargazers have come to watch for a grand arrangement—the stellar “G”—a tracing of eight sparkling stars in the form of, well, a celestial G.
Beginning at the upper right of the G is the red star Aldebaran, found to the upper right of the familiar winter constellation Orion. At the G’s peak shines Capella at the head of Auriga. Moving down the letter’s left side are Castor and Pollux, the twin stars of Gemini, and then swinging south is Procyon, the lesser Dog Star. The G bottoms at Sirius, the Dog Star—the brightest star in the night sky. At the right end of the G’s cross stroke lies Rigel on the lower right corner of Orion, then straight across to Betelgeuse marking Orion’s left shoulder.
This year we have an interloper—a very bright dot above the letter’s beginning point along the trace of the G. That dot is the Red Planet Mars. While the G is present every year at this time, Mars is only temporary. Next year, it will be nowhere to be found.
To see all this, simply face south, and look up on any clear moonless night from a location away from city lights. Can you trace the celestial G?
The story above first appeared in our January / February 2023 issue.
