The time is right to look at the best constellations of winter. The constellation Orion, the hunter, hangs in the southern sky.

If you are looking an hour after sunset, Venus still appears visible in the southwestern sky.

Look to the south and you’ll see the bright star Sirius. Sirius is on of the brightest stars in the winter sky and is in the small constellation Canis Minor. Sirius is bright, but no comparison to the brighter Venus.

Canis Minor is lower left of the constellation Orion.

Look high in the sky and you’ll see the star cluster Pleiades, a tightly packed collection of stars in the zodiacal constellation Taurus. On Saturday night the first quarter moon passes through Taurus.

Above Taurus there is the bright star Capella, in the constellation Auriga, the charioteer. Capella has no rivals in that area of the sky and it passes in close proximity to our zenith. Capella isn’t just one star. Astronomers report Capella is four stars in close proximity.