Winter Hexagon Over Stagecoach Colorado

Explanation: If you can find Orion, you might be able to find the Winter Hexagon. The Winter Hexagon involves some of the brightest stars visible, together forming a large and easily found pattern in the winter sky of Earth 's northern hemisphere . The stars involved can usually be identified even in the bright night skies of a big city , although here they appear over darker Stagecoach , Colorado , USA.. The six stars that compose the Winter Hexagon are Aldebaran , Capella , Castor (and Pollux ), Procyon , Rigel , and Sirius . Here, the band of our Milky Way Galaxy runs through the center of the Winter Hexagon , while the Pleiades open star cluster is visible just above. The Winter Hexagon asterism engulfs several constellations including much of the iconic steppingstone Orion .

Best Astronomy Images: APOD Editor to speak in Philadelphia and New York City this week