The stars in tonight’s sky form many familiar patterns that make their host constellations easy to identify. For observers in the northern hemisphere, the most prominent stars in the sky tonight are the Orion luminaries Rigel and Betelgeuse, Capella in Auriga, Aldebaran in Taurus, Procyon in Canis Minor, and Pollux and Castor in Gemini.
The brightest stars visible from the southern hemisphere in the evening are Fomalhaut in the constellation Piscis Austrinus, Achernar in Eridanus, Sirius in Canis Major, Canopus in Carina, Rigil Kentaurus and Hadar in Centaurus, and the bright stars of the Southern Cross.
The stars visible tonight depend on the observer’s location and the time of night. The star maps below show the first and second magnitude stars visible in the night sky around 10 pm in the mid-northern, equatorial, and mid-southern latitudes.
Northern hemisphere
Observers in the northern hemisphere can see six first-magnitude stars rising in the eastern sky in the evening. Five of them – Capella, Aldebaran, Rigel, Procyon, and Pollux – form the Winter Circle (Winter Hexagon) with Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. Sirius rises just after 10 pm at this time of the year. It forms the Winter Triangle with Procyon and Betelgeuse.
The stars of the Summer Triangle – Vega in the constellation Lyra, Altair in Aquila, and Deneb in Cygnus – set early in the western and northwestern sky, while Fomalhaut in Piscis Austrinus sets in the southwest.
The most prominent asterisms high overhead are Cassiopeia’s W and the Segment of Perseus. Neither asterism contains any first-magnitude stars, but both are easily visible even from light-polluted areas.
Stars visible tonight in the northern hemisphere, image: Stellarium
Northern sky
The stars of the Big Dipper dominate the northern sky in the evening. Formed by six second-magnitude stars – Alkaid, Mizar, Alioth, Phecda, Merak, and Dubhe – with the fainter Megrez, the Big Dipper is one of the best-known asterisms in the sky. It can be used to find several bright deep sky objects in Ursa Major. These include Messier 81 and Messier 82 (Bode’s Galaxy and the Cigar Galaxy), Messier 101 (the Pinwheel Galaxy), Messier 97 (the Owl Nebula), and the barred spiral galaxies Messier 108 and Messier 109.
The seven Ursa Minor stars that form the Little Dipper are not as easy to make out. Polaris, the North Star, marks the Little Dipper’s tail. It can be found by extending a line from Merak through Dubhe in the Big Dipper.
Kochab and Pherkad, the outer stars of the Little Dipper’s bowl, are fairly bright and appear parallel to Mizar and Alioth in the Big Dipper’s handle.
Stars in the northern sky tonight, image: Stellarium
The Big and Little Dippers can be used to find the fainter stars of the Dragon’s tail, which appear in the area between the two asterisms. Eltanin, the only second-magnitude star in Draco, appears in the Dragon’s head. It can be found on the imaginary line extended through the beam of the Northern Cross in Cygnus (the Swan). The orange giant star marks one of the Dragon’s eyes.
Alderamin, the brightest star in Cepheus (the King), appears high in the northwestern sky. It appears at the base of an asterism that looks like a stick house. The giant star can be found along the imaginary line extended from the rightmost stars of Cassiopeia’s W (Schedar and Caph).
Eastern sky
The eastern sky hosts some of the brightest stars in the sky. Procyon, the luminary of Canis Minor (the Smaller Dog) and the eighth brightest star in the sky, appears close to the horizon. Pollux and Castor, the brightest stars in Gemini, appear to the upper left. Alhena, the third brightest star in Gemini, appears almost directly above Procyon.
Procyon and Pollux form the Winter Hexagon with Capella in Auriga (the Charioteer), Aldebaran in Taurus (the Bull), Rigel in Orion (the Hunter), and Sirius in Canis Major (the Great Dog). Sirius rises later in the evening.
Stars in the eastern sky tonight, image: Stellarium
Orion is one of the brightest constellations in the sky. It is home to the first-magnitude supergiants Rigel and Betelgeuse, the seventh and 10th brightest stars in the sky, and to the second-magnitude Bellatrix, Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka, and Saiph. These seven stars outline the familiar hourglass figure of Orion. The three stars of Orion’s Belt point toward Aldebaran in one direction and toward Sirius in the other.
Aldebaran appears in the same line of sight as the Hyades, a bright, V-shaped open cluster that represents the Bull’s head. The giant star is not a member of the cluster. It marks one of the Bull’s eyes.
Elnath, the star that marks the Bull’s northern horn, is part of Auriga’s hexagon. The fainter Tianguan at the southern horn is a guide to the famous Crab Nebula (Messier 1), the bright remnant of a historic supernova.
Auriga’s hexagon appears high above the eastern horizon in the evening. It is formed by Capella, the sixth brightest star in the sky, with Elnath, Menkalinan, Almaaz, Mahasim, and Hassaleh. The asterism can be used to find the bright open clusters Messier 36, Messier 37 and Messier 38.
Western sky
The brightest stars setting in the west are Fomalhaut, Deneb, Vega, and Altair. Altair, the brightest star in the constellation Aquila and the 12th brightest star in the sky, appears low above the western horizon, while its Summer Triangle neighbours Deneb and Vega, appear in the northwest.
Deneb marks the top of the Northern Cross, an asterism also formed by Aljanah, Sadr, Fawaris and Albireo. The asterism sits on the western horizon in the evening. Deneb also marks the Swan’s tail in the constellation figure of Cygnus. Sadr marks the chest, Aljanah and Fawaris the wings, and Albireo the beak.
Stars in the western sky tonight, image: Stellarium
Fomalhaut, the 18th brightest star in the sky, marks the mouth of the Southern Fish (Piscis Austrinus). It can be found by extending a line from the rightmost stars of the Great Square of Pegasus across the sky.
The stars of Pegasus appear high above the horizon around 10 pm. The supergiant Enif, the constellation’s brightest star, marks the Winged Horse’s nose. The Great Square asterism outlines the main body of Pegasus. It is formed by Alpheratz in the constellation Andromeda with Scheat, Markab and Algenib in Pegasus.
The faint constellation Aquarius may be spotted between Pegasus and Fomalhaut on a clear night.
Southern sky
There are no exceptionally bright stars above the southern horizon in the evening. The first-magnitude Rigel and Fomalhaut appear in the southeast and southwest, and the relatively faint constellations Eridanus, Cetus, Pisces, and Sculptor occupy the region in between.
Diphda, the brightest star in Cetus (the Sea Monster), is the only second-magnitude star above the southern horizon. It is part of the Sea Monster’s tail.
Menkar, the constellation’s second brightest star, appears in the head of Cetus and can be found using the V of the Hyades as a pointer. Both stars are giants. Diphda is an orange giant located 96.3 light-years away and Menkar is a red giant 249 light-years away.
Stars in the southern sky tonight, image: Stellarium
Equatorial latitudes
The brightest stars visible from locations near the equator in the evening are Sirius and Canopus, the brightest stars in the sky. Sirius is one of the stars of the Winter Circle, along with Rigel, Aldebaran, Capella, Procyon, and Pollux. These stars dominate the eastern and northeastern sky around 10 pm. The bright Betelgeuse forms the Winter Triangle, or the Great Southern Triangle, with Sirius and Procyon.
Two other first-magnitude stars can be spotted in the evening. Achernar appears high above the eastern horizon and Fomalhaut is high in the southwestern sky. The fainter stars of Eridanus, Cetus and Pisces appear high overhead.
Stars visible tonight in equatorial latitudes, image: Stellarium
Northern sky
The most prominent stars above the northern horizon are those belonging to the constellations Cassiopeia, Perseus, and Andromeda.
Schedar, Caph, Gamma Cassiopeiae, Ruchbah and Segin form Cassiopeia’s W, a bright asterism that appears like an “M” from equatorial and southern latitudes.
A line extended from Schedar through Caph leads to Alderamin, the luminary of the fainter Cepheus, and one drawn from Gamma Cassiopeiae through Ruchbah points toward Mirfak, the brightest star in Perseus.
Stars in the northern sky tonight in equatorial latitudes, image: Stellarium
Mirfak is part of the Segment of Perseus, a curving line of stars that stretches in the region between Cassiopeia and Auriga (the Charioteer). The supergiant is the brightest star in the Alpha Persei Cluster, an open cluster visible to the unaided eye on a clear, dark night. The famous Double Cluster (a pair of bright open clusters) is visible in the area between Ruchbah and Mirfak in good conditions.
Mirfak extends the line formed by the brightest stars in the constellation Andromeda: Alpheratz, Mirach and Almach. Alpheratz is part of the Great Square of Pegasus, a bright, large asterism that represents Pegasus’ main body. Almach and Mirach form a triangle with Algol, a famous variable star that marks the head of the Gorgon Medusa in Perseus.
Eastern sky
The stars of the Winter Hexagon and Winter Triangle shine prominently in the northeastern and eastern sky in the evening. The Winter Hexagon is formed by the bright Capella in the constellation Auriga, Aldebaran in Taurus, Rigel in Orion, Sirius in Canis Major, Procyon in Canis Minor, and Pollux in Gemini. Pollux and Procyon rise just before 10 pm and the other four stars are already high above the horizon.
Betelgeuse at Orion’s shoulder forms the Winter Triangle with the luminaries of the two dog constellations, Sirius and Procyon. The three bright stars of Orion’s Belt – Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka – are conspicuous in the region between Rigel and Betelgeuse.
Pollux and Castor mark the heads of the celestial Twins, which appear upside down in the evening. Alhena, Gemini’s third brightest star, appears between Pollux and Betelgeuse.
Stars in the eastern sky tonight in equatorial latitudes, image: Stellarium
Sirius, the brightest star in Earth’s sky, lies on the imaginary line extended from Orion’s Belt to the southeast. The nearby Mirzam and a fainter triangle of stars – Adhara, Wezen and Aludra – complete the bright constellation figure of the Great Dog.
Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus, marks one of the Bull’s eyes. The Bull’s head is outlined by the V-shaped Hyades, one of the brightest and nearest open clusters to Earth. Elnath, the second brightest star in Taurus, marks the Bull’s northern horn. It is part of Auriga’s hexagon, a prominent star pattern formed by Capella, the Goat Star, and other bright stars in Auriga.
Western sky
The faint stars of Pisces, Aquarius, Capricornus, and Equuleus occupy much of the western sky. Fomalhaut, the only first-magnitude star in this region of the sky, appears high above the southwestern horizon. It is the brightest star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus (the Southern Fish) and the 18th brightest star in the sky.
The stars of Pegasus are prominent in the western and southwestern sky. Enif, the supergiant that marks the muzzle of Pegasus, appears closer to the horizon, while the stars of the Great Square of Pegasus appear higher in the sky. A line extended from Scheat through Markab across the sky points toward Fomalhaut at the mouth of the Southern Fish. One drawn from Alpheratz through the fainter Algenib leads towards Diphda in Cetus (the Sea Monster).
Stars in the western sky tonight in equatorial latitudes, image: Stellarium
Southern sky
Fomalhaut appears high in the southwestern sky. It is really a triple star system composed of three main sequence stars located approximately 25 light-years away.
Achernar, the brightest star in Eridanus and the ninth brightest star in the sky, appears directly south. The hot blue star has six times the Sun’s mass and 3,493 times its luminosity. Due to its high spin rate, it is flattened at the poles and has an equatorial bulge. Achernar marks the end of the celestial River, which stretches all the way to Orion on the celestial equator.
Stars in the southern sky tonight in equatorial latitudes, image: Stellarium
Fomalhaut and Achernar can be used to identify the brightest stars of the Southern Birds constellations Grus and Phoenix. Ankaa in Phoenix is an orange giant 82 light-years away and Alnair is a hot blue main sequence star 101 light-years away.
Canopus, the second brightest star in the sky, is the luminary of the constellation Carina (the Keel). It appears in the southeastern sky. It is an A-type bright giant star located 310 light-years away, shining with a luminosity of 10,700 Suns. No star closer to the Sun than Canopus is more luminous.
Southern hemisphere
The brightest stars high overhead in the evening are Achernar and Fomalhaut. The lucidae of the constellations Eridanus (the River) and Piscis Austrinus (the Southern Fish) are the ninth and 18th brightest stars in the sky.
Sirius and Canopus, the two brightest stars in the sky, appear in the eastern and southeastern sky, while Alpha Centauri, the third brightest star, appears low above the southern-southwestern horizon.
Other first-magnitude stars visible around 10 pm are Rigel in Orion, Aldebaran in Taurus, Hadar in Centaurus, and Acrux and Mimosa in Crux.
Stars visible tonight in the southern hemisphere, image: Stellarium
Northern sky
The most prominent stars in the northern sky in the evening are those in the constellations Pegasus and Andromeda. Alpheratz in Andromeda forms the Great Square of Pegasus with Scheat, Markab and Algenib in Pegasus. The bright, large asterism outlines the main body of the mythical horse. The supergiant Enif, the brightest star in Pegasus, marks the horse’s nose and appears high above the northwestern horizon.
Alpheratz, Mirach and Almach, the brightest stars in Andromeda, form a conspicuous line that makes the constellation easy to recognize. The stars appear almost equally bright to the unaided eye, but Almach is slightly fainter than the other two. Mirach, the middle of the three stars, can be used to find the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31) and the Triangulum Galaxy (Messier 33), the most distant objects visible to the unaided eye (in good conditions).
Hamal, the brightest star in Aries, is visible in the northeastern sky. The orange giant is part of a flat triangle also formed by the fainter Sheratan and Mesarthim. The stars appear near the elongated triangle formed by the brightest stars of the constellation Triangulum.
Stars in the northern sky tonight in the southern hemisphere, image: Stellarium
Eastern sky
The brightest star rising directly east is Rigel, the lucida of the constellation Orion. The blue supergiant shines at magnitude 0.13 from a distance of 848 light-years and is the seventh brightest star in the sky. It can be used to find the fainter stars of Lepus (the Hare).
Betelgeuse, Orion’s second brightest star, rises just after 10 pm but may be spotted earlier as the month progresses. The red supergiant is the 10th brightest star in the sky.
The stars of Orion’s Belt – Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka – appear between Rigel and the eastern horizon. A line drawn from Alnitak through Mintaka leads towards Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus and the 14th brightest star in the sky. The giant star marks one of the Bull’s eyes and appears in the same line of sight as the Hyades, a V-shaped open cluster that represents the Bull’s head. The V of the Hyades points in the direction of Menkar, the second brightest star in Cetus (the Sea Monster). Aldebaran and the Hyades lie in the northeastern sky.
Stars in the eastern sky tonight in the southern hemisphere, image: Stellarium
Sirius, the brightest star in the sky and one of our nearest neighbours, appears above the southern-southeastern horizon, along the line extended from Orion’s Belt in the opposite direction to Aldebaran. The Dog Star has about twice the Sun’s mass and lies only 8.60 light-years away.
Canopus, the second brightest star in the sky, appears high above the southeastern horizon. The bright giant is much more distant and intrinsically luminous than Sirius. It lies 310 light-years away and, with a mass 8 times that of the Sun, it is 10,700 times more luminous than our parent star.
Western sky
The brightest stars of Sagittarius dominate the western and southwestern sky. They form a prominent asterism called the Teapot, which sets in the west later in the evening.
The hot blue giant Kaus Australis, the constellation’s brightest star, lies 143 light-years away and forms the Archer’s bow with the fainter Kaus Media and Kaus Borealis. Nunki, the second brightest star in Sagittarius, is a more massive B-type star that lies at a greater distance (228 ly) and shines with a luminosity of 3,300 Suns. The star is part of the Teapot’s handle.
The stars that form the Scorpion’s tail and stinger set in the southwestern sky around 10 pm. The hot blue subgiant Shaula marks the stinger with its fainter neighbour Lesath. With a mass 10.4 times that of the Sun, the star is a supernova candidate. Lesath, another blue subgiant, is even more massive than Shaula and also expected to end its life as a supernova.
The bright blue Peacock, the luminary of the constellation Pavo (the Peacock), appears high in the southwest, and the supergiant Enif in Pegasus is the brightest star in the northwestern sky.
Stars in the western sky tonight in the southern hemisphere, image: Stellarium
Southern sky
The bright stars of the Southern Cross – Acrux, Mimosa, Gacrux, Imai, and Ginan – appear low above the southern horizon. The asterism appears upside-down, with Acrux, its brightest and southernmost star, the highest in the sky.
Three of the five stars of the Southern Cross – Acrux, Mimosa, and Imai – are hot, B-type stars much more massive and luminous than the Sun, while Gacrux and the fainter Ginan are giants of spectral types M and K. The blue stars lie over 300 light-years away and the red and orange giants are much closer to us. Gacrux, the star at the top of the Southern Cross, lies 88.6 light-years away and Ginan is 230 light-years away.
A line drawn through the axis of the Southern Cross (from Gacrux through Acrux) points in the general direction of the South Star (Polaris Australis), the nearest visible star to the south celestial pole.
Polaris Australis, also known by its Bayer designation Sigma Octantis, is only theoretically visible from most locations. It has an apparent magnitude of 5.47 and appears next to the triangular constellation figure of Octans.
Stars in the southern sky tonight in the southern hemisphere, image: Stellarium
The stars of the False Cross – Avior, Aspidiske, Alsephina, and Markeb – appear in the southeastern sky. Avior and Aspidiske belong to the constellation Carina, while Alsephina and Markeb are part of the neighbouring Vela.
Both the Southern Cross and the False Cross are bright and diamond-shaped, which is why observers sometimes mistake one for the other. The true Southern Cross is brighter and smaller than the False Cross, and it has the Southern Pointers Alpha and Beta Centauri pointing at it. A line drawn from Rigil Kentaurus (Alpha Centauri) through Hadar (Beta Centauri) leads to Gacrux, the star at the top of the Southern Cross.
Rigil Kentaurus and Hadar are the third and 11th brightest stars in the sky. Rigil Kentaurus is the brightest component of Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to the Sun. The faintest component of the system, the red dwarf Proxima Centauri, is the nearest individual star to the solar system. It lies only 4.2465 light-years away.
Rigil Kentaurus and Toliman, the brighter components in the system, are G- and K-type main sequence stars with similar masses and sizes to the Sun. The system marks the foot of Centaurus, one of the brightest constellations in the sky.
Hadar is also part of a triple star system, but one much more evolved than the components of Alpha Centauri. The Beta Centauri system consists of three hot, luminous B-type stars that lie approximately 390 light-years away. The two brighter components have masses 12.02 and 10.58 times that of the Sun and are both supernova candidates. They are only 14.1 million years old, but due to their high mass, both stars have already evolved into giants. The third component is still on the main sequence.
The orange giant or bright giant Atria forms a triangle with Beta and Gamma Trianguli Australis near the Southern Pointers. The triangle gives the constellation Triangulum Australe (the Southern Triangle) its name. It can be used to find the constellations Pavo (the Peacock), Ara (the Altar), Norma (the Carpenter’s Square), Apus (the Bird-of-Paradise), and Circinus (the Compass), the last of which appears in the region between Triangulum Australe and the feet of the Centaur.