Speaking of Orion...

Last evening's post was about Sirius, the dog star in Canis Major, which is Orion's dog.  I would like you to meet Orion the hunter, if you are not already familiar with him.  The constellation of Orion is probably the second most well known constellation after Ursa Major, the Great Bear, which we recognize as the "Big Dipper."  In Orion, there are four brilliant stars, the two at the upper left are his shoulders, and the two on the lower right are his knees.  But the most salient feature are the three stars of Orion's belt, and then extending down from that at an angle is Orion's sword.  It is magnificent to see him rising in the east starting in December, and he will be with us until March.