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season: winter
section: what the stars are showing
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- orion stands tall in the south, the brightest constellation of the year
- betelgeuse at his shoulder glows red, rigel at his knee burns blue-white
- sirius the dog star follows orion, the brightest star in the entire sky
- the winter triangle: betelgeuse, sirius, procyon, three stars from three constellations
- the pleiades are high overhead, seven sisters in a tight knot of light
- gemini the twins stand east of orion, castor and pollux side by side

the old name for sirius was "the scorcher." the romans believed it added its heat to the sun in summer. in winter it is just cold light, the most brilliant thing in a dark sky. the clearest nights are the coldest ones.

the pleiades told the greeks when to sail and when to stop. when they set with the sun, the seas closed for winter. every old farming culture watched them. the japanese called them subaru. the old english name was "the hen and her chicks."

orion was the great hunter in every tradition that watched him. the egyptians saw their god osiris. the lakota saw a hand reaching into the sky. he is the one constellation that everyone recognizes, and he belongs to winter.