A sea horizon is best for seeing a green flash, but any distant, flat horizon will do. Look at the last moment before the sun sets.

Orion the Hunter is one of the sky’s most noticeable constellations. Sirius is the sky’s brightest star. As Earth revolves around the sun, they’re both about to disappear for awhile. Here’s how to star hop from Orion’s Belt to Sirius.

If you only ever learn one star mnemonic, make it this one!

With the moon waning, those in the Northern Hemisphere might glimpse the mysterious zodiacal light in the west after true darkness falls. Southern Hemisphere? Look east before dawn.

The ecliptic – sun and moon’s path, marked in green on our chart – cuts through the Winter Circle. So, every month the Circle is visible, the moon sweeps through these stars.

We’re talking about the amount of time needed for the body of the sun to sink below the horizon. It’s true. The sun actually sets faster around the time of an equinox.

The Summer Triangle’s 3 brilliant stars – Vega, Deneb and Altair – are up before dawn in March, before midnight in May and at dusk on the summer solstice.

From the Northern Hemisphere, look after true darkness falls for the elusive zodiacal light. It appears as a hazy pyramid of light extending up from the sunset point. Southern Hemisphere? Look before dawn!

Arcturus is one of the easiest stars to find. Late at night in February – earlier as the months pass – just locate the Big Dipper in your northern sky. Then follow the arc in the Dipper’s handle to find yellow-orange star Arcturus.

The 4 stars of the Great Square of Pegasus are easy to find. Ready? Let’s star-hop!

If you have a dark sky, you can see Lepus the Hare and Columba the Dove. They’re 2 faint constellations near the easy-to-find constellation Orion.

First, find the M- or W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia. The Double Cluster – 2 open star clusters – is nearby and beautiful in a dark sky.

The bright, southerly star Achernar marks the end of the River in the constellation Eridanus. Many at northerly latitudes make a game of trying to catch a glimpse of it.

Go outside, and look for the waxing gibbous moon tonight. Then notice the stars nearby. Tonight’s moon is within the Winter Circle stars.

Watch the celestial clock and its 2 great big hour hands – Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper – as they swing around the North Star every night!

Sirius is easy to find. It’s the sky’s brightest star. If you have binoculars and a dark location, look near it for the star cluster M41.