Starwatch: Orion's treats for the naked-eye star watcher

The mighty constellation of Orion the hunter is one of the greatest sights in the night sky. To those of us in the northern hemisphere, it is currently bolt upright in the south during the late evening. Orion’s right shoulder is marked by the red star of Betelgeuse, and his left foot is signified by the white star of Rigel.

Fainter stars, Bellatrix and Saiph, mark out the opposite shoulder and foot. The three stars of Orion’s belt, Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka, are easy to spot. The real prize for naked-eye starwatchers is located below this trio of stars.

Orion’s sword consists of a further three stars, considerably fainter than the belt. Find the darkest site you can and allow your eyes to get accustomed to the dark. The second star in the sword should appear fuzzy to you, and pinkish. That’s because it isn’t a star at all – it’s the Orion nebula, a star-forming cloud 1,300 light years away. Thousands of stars are forming there. From Sydney, Australia, look north and remember that everything described here will appear upside down.