Wednesday, January 14, 2015

January 15


I awakened this morning just after 4 am and out of habit went to make a small pot of coffee to help get things going. Also out of habit, I glanced out the window over the sink, first to look at the outside temperature (28 degrees) and then to see if the sky was clear.

Just on the western horizon lay Orion, although this morning it sat on his right side, slowly moving toward the treeline. In truth, only the two bright stars that form his shoulders, Betelgeuse and Bellatrix plus the trio of the belt stars were really visible, but even so the familiar pattern was recognizable.

Given my viewing last evening at 5:30 and this morning’s at 4:00, I suppose the best time to view Orion in total would be midnight. The constellation would then be nearly at zenith, which is the optimal place for star gazing, as the light from the distant stars passes directly through the atmosphere. On horizon, the light is more filtered through the air, reflected and refracted ever so slightly that the twinkling is more pronounced. Midnight is best for Orion in January, but who wants to brave that hour in the cold?

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