Orion returns

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.

Thank you, Matthew!

Read more: Orion the Hunter, ghost of the summer dawn