Winter Constellations
29Jan,2024

Winter Constellations

BY : Rhiannon Nevinczenko

A winter constellation is a constellation that is only visible (depending on your hemisphere) during winter months. For instance, Orion (pictured) is most visible for those in the Northern Hemisphere from January to April. Other winter constellations include Draco, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Taurus, Gemini, Andromeda, Perseus, Auriga, and Cassiopeia. This phenomenon occurs because we cannot see the whole sky all at once. For example, during the summer, Orion is in the Northern Hemisphere sky during daylight hours (hence its invisibility). The seasonal visibility is reversed for those in the Southern Hemisphere, where Orion (et al.) is visible during the summer months.
Image credit: Mouser via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

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