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Explore the constellations of winter

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In the cold winter night sky, there are many stars shining.

Explore the constellations of winter

The night sky in winter

December 20 at 24:00

20 January at 22:00

February 20 at 20:00

The bold font in the figure is from top to bottom: Five Cars 2, North River 2, North River 3, Pleiades (Pleiades Cluster), Bilju 5, Betelgeuse 4, Nanhe 3, Winter Diamonds (Winter Hexagon), Winter Triangle, Betelgeuse VII, Sirius

In the cold air, seven first-class stars were still twinkling. Winter is a good season for memory constellations!

Orion

Orion is known as the King of the Constellations, consisting of two first-magnitude stars and five second-magnitude stars, and its arrangement is considered a masterpiece of God, and it is impossible to imagine that it was formed by chance. The red star on its right shoulder, Betelgeuse IV, and the white star on its left foot, Betelgeuse, are located in the upper left and lower right corners, respectively, and the three stars evenly distributed between Betelgeuse IV and Betelgeuse cross the celestial equator, and there are also two second-class stars twinkling on the left shoulder and right foot of Orion.

And through the constellation of Orion, you can find other winter constellations one by one.

Canis Major

If you extend the three stars on Orion's belt to the lower left, you will find a dazzlingly bright first-class star. In fact, this star is 10 times brighter than the average first-class star, and this blue-white star with an apparent magnitude of -1.4 is Sirius. This star is the tip of a hound's nose, and that is the Hound carried by Orion, Canis Major.

Explore the constellations of winter

Orion and Canis Major Canis Minor

Canis Minor

If you extend to the left along the stars on the shoulders of Orion, you can also find a white first-class star. Although it is not as bright as Sirius, it is also a very bright star, which is the South River Three in the constellation Canis Minor. The Shoulders of Orion, Betelgeuse, Sirius majoris, and Canis Minor, and The South River III in Canis Minor, form the famous Winter Triangle.

Taurus

Extending up to the top right along the three stars on Orion's belt, you can find a first-class star shining red. This is Idaurus in Taurus, and Sirius and Plurita are symmetrical to each other with Orion as the center.

Bildauro is located at the eye of Taurus. The cow had red eyes and stared at Orion. At the shoulder of Taurus is the famous "Pleiades" Pleiades cluster.

Explore the constellations of winter

Taurus Gemini Auriga

Gemini

If you connect the first-class stars of Orion from Betelgeuse vii to Betelgeuse IV, and then extend all the way to the upper left, you will find the first and second magnitude stars juxtaposed. Two almost equally bright stars side by side are also quite rare in the night sky, and are often likened in Japan to the eyes of animals such as dogs, crabs, and flounder.

The one with these two stars as the head is Gemini. It represents two very well-connected brothers, Casto and Pollax. The stars on their respective heads are named after the two brothers.

Gooza

Above the Bullhorn Star in Taurus, there is also a first-class star. This yellow star is the five-car two, which is the first class star of the constellation of Auriga. The body of Auriga is made up of a pentagon of five stars connected, shaped a bit like a chess piece of shogi.

Winter hexagon

Connect these first-class stars introduced earlier: Sirius, Nanhe III, Beihe III, Wuche II, Biju V, and Betelgeuse VII, and form a bright hexagon. Winter hexagons are known as winter diamonds and are very beautifully arranged.

Aries

To the right of the winter stars, on the west side of taurus, is the first constellation of astrology, Aries. The 2nd and 3rd magnitude stars are arranged together, and that is the horn. Between the autumn and winter constellations, there are constellations that are not much involved in the interpretation of the constellations.

Note 1: This content is a re-edit of the content published on the website "Yamasaki Planning" in April 2010.

Editor-in-charge: Wang Yuyang

Pastoral New Media Editorial Department

"Astronomical Wet Engraving" produced by Shepherd

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Explore the constellations of winter

Transit of the International Space Station

Image Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

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