Winter Stars Whisper at Dawn

Although it’s only August, the winter sky has already begun to quietly appear at dawn. Around 4 a.m., the brightest constellation of winter—Orion—can be seen, along with the Winter Triangle, the Winter Hexagon, and the night sky’s brightest star, Sirius. In addition, two dazzling “bulb-like” lights—Venus and Jupiter—rise in the eastern sky as early as 3 a.m., while Mercury joins them around 4:30 a.m. Not only is this lively eastern sky a delight to the naked eye, but it can also be easily captured with just a smartphone.

iPhone 16

Mark the sky with FastStone Image Viewer