The very bright constellation of Orion (The Hunter) rising in the east means that winter is here. The reddish bright star above Orion’s belt is Betelgeuse and it is 300 times the diameter of our Sun. Being reddish in color, means that it is an older, rapidly expanding star. It is 650 light years away. The constellation of Cassiopeia (The Seated Queen) can be found nearly overhead in the path of the Milky Way and it resembles a “W”.
The planet Jupiter, now extremely bright, can be easily viewed as it rises high in the east. It is now near opposition (same side of the Sun as Earth) and is as close to Earth as it will be for 12 years.
Moon Facts
Our moon is 2160 miles in diameter. The largest moon is Jupiter’s Ganymede at 3280 miles.
There are approximately 140 moons orbiting the planets (not counting the rings of Saturn).
