Winter Hexagon over Manla Reservoir
Explanation:
If you can find Orion, you might be able to find the Winter Hexagon.
The Winter Hexagon involves some of the
brightest stars visible,
together forming a large and easily found
pattern in the
winter sky of
Earth's
northern hemisphere.
The stars involved can usually be identified even in the
bright night skies of a
big city, although here they appeared recently in dark skies above the
Manla
Reservoir in
Tibet,
China.
The six stars that compose the
Winter Hexagon are
Aldebaran,
Capella,
Castor (and
Pollux),
Procyon,
Rigel, and
Sirius.
Here, the
band of our Milky Way Galaxy runs through the center of the
Winter Hexagon, while the
Pleiades open
star cluster is visible just above.
The
Winter
Hexagon
asterism
engulfs several
constellations including much of the
iconic steppingstone
Orion.
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Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
