The Moon Crosses the Winter Hexagon Over the Next Few Nights. Here’s How to See It.
Watch the moon cross the sky, visiting with some of the night sky's brightest stars.
Over the next few days, winter's brightest stars will have a meeting in the night sky.
The winter hexagon, which is not a constellation but an asterism, will sit high in the sky, and the moon will cross through over the course of a few days. The hexagon—sometimes referred to as the winter circle—is comprised of six of the brightest stars in the winter sky, each the most luminous star in a separate constellation.
The winter hexagon is visible monthly through the—surprise!—winter, starting in December. The moon will reach one side of the hexagon on January 13 and will move deeper into the shape each night through January 16, when it will arrive at the other side of the asterism.
The lowest edge of the hexagon will have risen above the southeastern horizon after sunset, per Space.com. It will stretch from just above the horizon to overhead and will move throughout the night. You can get a sense of the scale of the asterism in the image above from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (Though, the actual diagram was not in reference to what the asterism will look like this month.)
The hexagon is edged with six easily identifiable stars, each part of a familiar constellation. Those constellations include Orion, Taurus, Auriga, Gemini, Canis Major, and Canis Minor. The six first magnitude stars in the winter hexagon are the recognizable blue of Sirius; Rigel, at the foot of Orion; bright Aldebaran; Capella, high in the sky; Pollux, one of Gemini's heads; and Procyon in Canis Minor. So, in addition to seeing the moon slide through the winter hexagon, the asterism can be your guide to seeing winter constellations.
You'll also be able to see bright Jupiter perched inside the hexagon during this stretch of days. There is a whole lot to see up there. The passage of the moon through the winter hexagon provides an alluring prompt to see what's happening overhead in the January sky.
Ready to go stargazing?
Here are all the best stargazing events that you can get out and see this month or you could stay in a stream the northern lights from home. If you're just getting started, check out our guide to astronomy for beginners or easy stargazing road trips from big US cities.