HERE we are then, 2017 - Happy New Year everyone! And while Venus is still shining brightly in the west after sunset, this is also a great time to see one of the most famous constellations in the sky - Orion, The Hunter.

Orion is very easy to find. Just look to the east at around 6.30pm and you'll immediately spot a short line of three blue stars, all about as bright as each other. This is the famous Orion's Belt and as you look more closely you'll see a bright red star to its upper left and a bright blue-white star to its lower right. These are Betelgeuse and Rigel respectively, the two brightest stars in the constellation.

The western most star in Orion’s Belt is known officially as Delta Orionis. Since it has been observed for centuries by sky watchers around the world, it also goes by many other names in various cultures, such as Mintaka. Modern astronomers know that Delta Orionis is not simply one single star, but rather it is a complex multiple star system.

Once Orion is a little higher in the sky you'll see it has a roughly hourglass shape, with the Belt pinching it in at the centre. And you can use the Belt to help you find Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. Just follow the line of the belt down towards the horizon and it will point you straight to Sirius, which will be sparkling and twinkling like crazy above the treetops by mid-evening.

Stuart Atkinson

Eddington Astronomical Society of Kendal