NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
Some bright stars of winter still linger after sunset
The bright yellow-white star Capella of Auriga (the Charioteer) sits low in the northwestern sky this month, a striking sight at magnitude +0.08 alongside easy-to-locate Gemini’s (the Twins) Castor and Pollux. Ursa Major’s ‘Big Dipper’ is the easiest asterism to find as soon as darkness falls, making it easy to use its pointer stars to find Polaris. Follow the pointers in the other direction and you’ll find bright-white star Regulus in Leo (the Lion), and trace your finger along the bowl and you’ll find yourself led to brilliant yellow-orange star Arcturus in the constellation of Boötes (the Herdsman). Nearby, just northeast of Arcturus, you’ll be greeted by the unmistakable semi-circle of the Northern Crown, Corona Borealis.