Sure, we’ve said it before. But we’ll say it again, because it’s one of the neatest tricks in all the heavens. That is … Orion’s Belt points to Sirius. Sirius is the brightest star in the sky. It’s up before dawn now but will be shifting into the evening sky as the months pass.
Orion is found in the predawn morning sky every September, but the planet Jupiter’s presence to the north of the Hunter is special to September of 2012. Also, the presence of the waning crescent moon to the north of Orion also happens tomorrow on September 10, 2012. The phases of the moon recur on or near the same calendar dates in cycles of 19 years, so look for similarly-sized waning crescent moon to return to this place in the starry sky on September 10, 2031.
By the way, if you draw an imaginary line from Jupiter and past the moon, you’ll see the brightest planet of all – Venus – in the eastern sky. Sirius beams as third-brightest star-like object in the heavens, after the planets Venus and Jupiter.
Yes, you can find Orion. Trust me. If you go outside and look south to southeast before dawn now, you’ll notice Orion’s Belt, which consists of a short, straight row of medium-bright stars. Just draw a line through Orion’s Belt and extend that line toward the horizon. You’ll easily spot Sirius, the sky’s brightest star.
Sirius is in the constellation Canis Major the Greater Dog. It’s often called the Dog Star.