Astronomer Relish long Winter Nights

Northern Hemisphere night sky

Isn't it beautiful~

 Wintertime in the northern hemisphere means one thing to an astronomer: the long dark and invariably, cold nights are back. While most life forms have started hunkering down inside to avoid biting breezes, now’s the time the astronomers are bursting into life.

Orion the Hunter description

The winter night skies are bustling with glittering jewels just waiting to be found, and the constellation of Orion is a rich hunting ground for some of these cosmic treasures. Orion, the Hunter, is a magnificent sight to behold. The bright orange-tinted star Betelgeuse marks his shoulder, while the blue supergiant star Rigel marks one of his feet.

Orion Constellation

Yet it’s another object in Orion that astronomer often look for when observing during these frosty months- the Orion Nebula. It’s an enormous cloud of gas where stars are being born. With dark skies you can just about make it out with naked eye. A pair of binoculars will show it as misty patch, while a small telescope will begin to reveal swirls of glowing gas. It’s a sight I never tire of seeing.

So while some may sit in the warmth, enjoying the wonders of television, we astronomers know the real fun it had to be outside, in the cold, looking up at the magnificent display taking over the horizon.

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