APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.


The Winter Hexagon
Explanation: Some of the brightest stars form a large and easily found pattern in the winter sky of Earth 's northern hemisphere . Dubbed the Winter Hexagon , the stars involved can usually be identified even in the bright night skies of a big city . The six stars that compose the Winter Hexagon are Aldebaren , Capella , Castor , Procyon , Rigel , and Sirius . Rolling your cursor over the above image will identify them. The Winter Hexagon asterism engulfs several constellations including Orion and Canis Major .
| Date | November 6, 2002 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit & Copyright: Jerry Lodriguss |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |


