Winter in the northern hemisphere is dominated by the great constellation of Orion, the hunter.
One of the original 48 constellations defined by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, it is now one of 88 recognised by the International Astronomical Union. Named after the great hunter from Greek mythology, Orion is said to have been placed in the stars by Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, after a scorpion stung his foot and killed him. In another version of the story, Artemis killed Orion either by mistake or to defend one of her companions from Orion’s forceful advances.
The chart shows the view looking south-east from London at 2000 GMT on Monday, but it will be almost identical all week. Many people look for Orion’s belt on the cold, frosty nights of the northern winter. This asterism is composed of three stars, Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka, and extending a line through them down towards the horizon brings us to Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. Extending the line in the opposite direction takes us into the constellation of Taurus, the bull.
Orion is also clearly visible from the southern hemisphere if you look north in the late evening.
