Someone asked us this question: Orion seems to have moved and turned considerably in the last two weeks. Will Orion disappear before summer?
The westward shift of the sky throughout the night is due to Earth's spin under the stars. But the westward shift of the stars throughout the seasons is due to Earth's motion in orbit around the sun. Earth's motion in orbit causes our night sky to point out on an ever-shifting panorama of the galaxy. Credit: NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring
Everything you need to know: Vernal or spring equinox 2012
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The answer is that all the stars and constellations shift westward as the seasons pass, and they also move westward in the course of a single night. And Orion is no exception. Exactly when Orion will disappear from the evening sky – into the sunset – depends on your latitude. The farther south you are, the longer you can see Orion. But for the central U.S., Orion is lost in the sun’s glare by early to mid-May (depending on how carefully you look for it). And for all of us in the U.S., Orion is gone by the time of the summer solstice in June.
If you want to notice the westward shift of the constellations due to the passage of the seasons, be sure to watch at the same time every night. If you want to watch their westward shift throughout the night, just pull up a lawn chair and watch.
Either way, you can definitely notice Orion moving steadily westward.
The westward shift of the sky throughout the night is due to Earth’s spin under the stars. But the westward shift of the stars throughout the seasons is due to Earth’s motion in orbit around the sun. Earth’s motion in orbit causes our night sky to point out on an ever-shifting panorama of the galaxy.
Why does Orion go into the sun’s glare each year at this same time? Only because – each year, as we orbit continually around the sun – our motion in orbit brings the sun between us and Orion at this same time each year.
Great night here in the UK north of BIRMINGHAM , ORION is bright and moving westward , JUPITER below the very bright VENUS in the western sky . MARS is high now in the eastern sky , so orange and lovely .
Indeed, tonight Mars is perfect in the high east sky and in the west, Venus is super bright just above Jupiter. Outstanding!!!
Hi
Just above Venus and to the left, there is a cluster of stars visible to the naked eye. The main stars are in a tight pan pattern and through my binoculars there are lots of stars close together. Can someone tell me what it is?
The little cluster of stars to the upper left of Venus is the Pleiades in Taurus.
Kind Regards and happy sky watching! ;-)
Ed Christopher
Ed,
That’s the Pleiades star cluster. Keep watching , for Venus will have a conjunction will this cluster in early April.
Bruce
Just saw the most amazing shooting star in Preston UK!! Such a lovely clear night I thought I would take out my binoculars and there it was – magical! Mitch that cluster of stars that is shaped a bit like a pan is the Pleiades star cluster.
thanks Lydia
a fair amount of shooting stars visible tonight over the UK, all moving north to south :)
what were the orange starlike objects moving across the sky this evening @ 830 in ireland.
Planets?? Visible in Orion?? I don’t think so!
TWO OF THE BIGGEST BRIGHTEST STARS I HAVE EVER SEEN ABOVE COLWYN BAY TONIGHT 18-3-2012 WHAT ARE THEY?
if they are in the W, Venus and Jupiter. planets not stars.
In lower sc we are seeing now and for a few nights a very bright light a bit higher from the horizon than a lesser light we usually see all the time – in the western sky nearly 10 o’clock tonight. What could it be?
probably Venus over Jupiter.
I was just wondering what the two bright star’s are to the east, but im from Canada Ontario just curious.
in the E not W? at what time?
Planets?
Hey fellow stargazers,
We are out on my balcony tonight in Washington DC. Its a bit hazy, but theres one star/planet/i dont know thats VERY bright and flickering blue/red. Can anyone tell us what it is? We are so curious!
Thanks!
in which direction?
Seeing a weird light to the left of Orion here in Wisconsin. Seems to be flashing red, blue, white, green and purple. I’m not one to believe UFO’s but this weird.
probably Sirius, which twinkles different colors a lot.
Coast of South Jersey, 1am I see a very bright “star/plane”, but its FLASHING. I took a few pictures w/my phone.
I’ve seen starts that flicker. This really is flashing red and blue!! ****I’m not exaggerating… after crop & enlarge of photo, there’s 4 or 5 lights around a big center one. Other people must have seen this thing.
I was seeing the same exact thing!!!
fyi, satellites move visibly, steadily across the sky. and they don’t reappear at the same time every night or whatnot. if it’s stationary it’s likely a planet or star. if i knew which direction i may b able 2 tell u more.
WEST PALM BEACH, FL… Newbie just learning Astro info …FASCINATING! It amazes me to track Earths elliptic, brilliant! From my vantage point, Venus and Jupiter light up the western sky ….mars rises high in the east. Late in the night, Saturn begins to appear ….4 Planets in one night, WOW. Sun filter is on its way via FedEx… Can’t wait for this.
[...] the further north you are on Earth, the sooner he disappears. According to an EarthSky post about “The Westward Shift of Orion and All the Stars:” The farther south you are, the longer you can see Orion. But for the central U.S., Orion is lost in [...]