Although it sounds like the cozier, cold-weather version of the Battle of the Network Stars, the “Winter Circle of Stars” is actually something that takes place in the night sky, rather than in the fields of Pepperdine University in California. (OK, it’s technically just called the “Winter Circle” – or “Winter Hexagon” – but it’s made of stars.) This is what the Winter Circle is and how to see it for the next few nights.
What is the winter circle?
In short, it is a collection of the brightest stars that can be seen during the winter in the Northern Hemisphere (that is, the summer in the Southern Hemisphere). According to EarthSkythe Winter Circle is not a constellation, but rather a “asterism, ‘Or’ prominent group of stars forming a pattern so striking that it has a distinct name ‘.
As you may have guessed by its other name – the Winter Hexagon – the Winter Circle is not a perfect circle. So why the name? “From our locations in the Northern Hemisphere, these same bright stars can be seen before sunrise every late summer and early fall,” the team at EarthSky explains. “And they can be seen every winter in the evening. Hence the name Winter Circle. “
How to find the Winter Circle
As it turns out, tonight – as well as Monday and Tuesday nights – the crescent moon will be within the Winter Circle, making it easier to spot than usual. It becomes visible in the evening and usually lingers well past midnight.
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But if it’s too cold to go out for the next three nights, you can still see the winter circle for the rest of the season – you’ll only need to find it with constellations instead of the moon. Here’s how to do that, per EarthSky:
To find the Winter Hexagon or Circle, you must first find the easily identifiable constellation Orion. The three belt stars betray it. Then look at the bright bluish star at the bottom right. This star is Rigel, the southwest corner of the Winter Circle and the first of the six stars in the hexagon. Rigel is the brightest star in Orion and the seventh brightest star in the night sky.
Draw a line up through Orion’s Belt stars to find Aldebaran, the blushing eye in the constellation Taurus the Bull. Aldebaran is the second star in the hexagon and the brightest star in Taurus. Aldebaran is the fourteenth brightest star in the sky.
Continue up counterclockwise to find the next bright star, Capella. Capella, the third star on our journey and the northernmost point of the Winter Hexagon, is the sixth brightest star in the sky.
Either way, don’t forget to bundle!