Red, White and Blue before dawn.

Hello again, fellow SkyWatchers:

For the early risers, there are some special treats in the East before dawn. At around 5 or 5:30 am you will find Orion lying on his side in the East. (Click on the image to see a larger version of the sky chart.) Most people recognize him by the three bright stars in a straight, even row making up Orion's belt. The three stars in the belt make a line that points down toward the horizon at white Sirius in Canis Major (the big dog), the brightest star in our night sky. The bright red star to the left of the belt is Betelgeuse (Orion's right shoulder) and the bright blue star to the right of the belt is Rigel (Orion's left knee). Directly above Betelgeuse you will find another bright, red star. This is Aldebaran, the right eye of Taurus the bull. The three stars in Orion's belt point almost directly at it in the direction opposite of Sirius. Then, to the left of Betelgeuse and Aldebaran, and making an equilateral triangle with them, the other bright red object is not a star at all. It is Mars, the red planet.

Look down and to the left of the triangle of red stars and you will find an extremely bright, white object. This is Venus, Earth's twin sister. Below, and to the right of Venus, the bright star near the horizon (and left of Sirius) is Procyon in Canis Minor (the little dog). The two fairly bright stars just to the left and above Venus are Castor (the higher one) and Pollux, the heads of the twins in Gemini.

If you don't wait too long, and have a low enough visual horizon, you can turn the other way and look West. The very bright object about to set in the west is Jupiter.

So, get the sleep out of your eyes and get outside early. And as always, try looking up!