Here is a sight many skywatchers wait for, patiently, each summertime. It’s the constellation Orion the Hunter, rising out of the dawn.
Matthew Chin in Hong Kong caught this photo of the constellations Orion, Auriga and Taurus yesterday (July 26, 2014). Hong Kong is at about 22 degrees N. latitude, pretty far south. So your own view of Orion might be a little later than this. Set an alarm and check it out in the coming days and weeks. Just look east (southeast if you’re in the N. Hemisphere) for Orion’s three “Belt” stars – Mintaka, Alnitak and Alnilam – ascending above the horizon as dawn begins to light the sky.
Beautiful sight, and there at the same time every summer. Watch for Orion before dawn, and give yourself a seasonal marker you’ll come to love as much as autumn leaves … or the first flowers of spring.
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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