Which stars did I see?

The bright star was probably Sirius. It’s the brightest star in the sky, and it’s in line with the belt. It might have had a bluish tint.

I don’t know about the other one.

Boy, I’m silly. I had even read Stars in Orion’s Belt but I had thought the star was actually in the constellation.

It was definitely Sirius.

The other very bright (and reddish) object could be Mars. “Bright Mars and Orion rise in the east around the same time at nightfall, and they shine at about the same height through the evening.” You can spont Orion, to the right of brilliant Mars by two or three fist-widths at arm’s length.

Directions will change depending on the time and date that you are looking up – due to the earth’s rotation and Mar’s revolution.

It is fun to buy a cheap star chart thst you can cart around w. you.

It could also be Aldebaran, the bright eye of Taurus the bull – to the westish of Orion It will be very noticeable but not as bright as either Sirius or Mars.

Star chart;

Ack, I meant south eastern. It wasn’t aldebaran… What’s the bright star off of Orion’s other shoulder?

I’m pretty sure that it wasn’t Mars; the star was a significant amount above Orion.

By other shoulder, do you mean his left while looking at him? That star is Betelgeuse, and the only other bright star off to the above left of that would prob. be Castor, of the Gemini Twins…Look for meteors in that direction tonight before and after midnight, , tomorrow night before and after midnight.

Here it is 11 degrees, too much even for me to spend time outdoors in a deck chair..Well, seen one meteor..seen ‘em all.

Andrew, I just went out and had a look…8:15 EST. You can’t miss orange Mars – way to Orion’s* left; Sirius either has not yet risen or is blocked by my woods and hill; the star that seems to fit your description is Procyon; the little dog (in Canis Minor.) Aldebaran is on a line following O’s belt to the right, w. the Pleiades next on the same line. It’s getting more overcast by the minute here…very cold too.

THE STAR SPLITTER; Rob’t Frost.
‘You know *Orion always comes up sideways.
Throwing a leg up over our fence of mountains,

Looking at your star chart it was Mars I saw the other night, I used Betelguese to sight the line; I also was looking SE around midnight, when Orion straightens out a bit and Mars looks a good deal higher in the sky.

Oh, goodie. Another convert. There are very few people that I would freeze my butt off for, Andrew. Watch Mars over the next week at the same time…you will see how it moves against the essentially unchanging star patterns. Also, tonight, a beautiful orange sliver moon that set about 8:00. Watch its phases change as it sets later and later.