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Environment & Science

WATCHING THE SKIES: Dec. 14-20 | Orion, the constellation of winter

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Watching the skies with Brad Klein

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Brad Klein reviews upcoming astronomical highlights with Bethlehem’s "Backyard Astronomy Guy," Marty McGuire.

This week, a look at Orion — the constellation most associated with the winter sky.

The most prominent stars in the constellation can be thought of as representing the hunter’s shoulders and knees, with three stars at center representing Orion’s belt or waist.

As with most constellations in the night sky, the stars that make up Orion are not near each other in space.

Orion Illustration
NASA
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STScI
The stars of the constellation Orion, known as ‘the hunter'.

“They're just lined up from our point of view here on Earth,” according to McGuire.

In three-dimensional space they are light years apart, separated by literally trillions of miles.

Find Orion in the southeastern sky after sunset. By midnight it will have risen high in the sky almost directly to the south.

Brad and Marty
Christine Dempsey
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WLVR
Brad Klein and Marty McGuire.