Two cosmic dogs rule the winter sky — here's how to spot them this week

A purple and orange night sky with a few twinkling white stars overlooks distant city lights with a river and two dark banks in the foreground.

During the winter season, two celestial dogs — the constellations Canis Major and Canis Minor — are on display in our evening sky.

If we begin to stargaze this week at around 6 p.m. local standard time, just as darkness has fallen, look for a 2nd-magnitude star rising about 30 degrees to the south of that point on the horizon marking due east. Your clenched fist held at arm's length measures approximately 10 degrees, so going roughly "three fists" to the right of east will bring you to this star known as Murzam. An imaginary line drawn through the stars Bellatrix in Orion and Alnitak (the lowest star in Orion's Belt), extended about twice its own length, also leads to Murzam.