In the cold January skies, a prominent ‘asterism’ is formed by six stars from separate constellations
Not all patterns of stars are referred to as constellations. In strict terms, constellations are the sections of the sky that encompass recognizable patterns, such as Taurus (the bull) or Orion (the hunter).
The patterns themselves are called asterisms, but not all asterisms are related to constellations. During the winter season in the northern hemisphere, a particularly prominent asterism is the Winter Hexagon or Winter Circle. It consists of bright stars from six distinct constellations, which are highlighted in yellow on the chart.
To navigate the Winter Hexagon easily, you can start with the familiar constellation of Orion and move counterclockwise. Start by going upward from Rigel to Aldebaran in Taurus. Arc over to Capella in Auriga, the charioteer. Continue around the circle by descending to Pollux in Gemini, the twins. The lower half of the shape is marked by Orion’s hunting dogs: the first one is Procyon in Canis Minor, the lesser dog, and then continue down to Sirius – the brightest star in the night sky – in Canis Major, the greater dog. Finally, head back up to Rigel.
The chart depicts the view from London, facing south at 8 pm GMT on January 29. From the southern hemisphere, the shape is inverted, and in the northern sky.