Hunting the Hexagon

摘要

BETWEEN December and March, there is something special for stargazers in most of the world to watch out for. You will be able to see a pattern of stars, or asterism, made up of six bright stars. It is called the Winter Hexagon or Winter Circle in the northern hemisphere, or the Summer Hexagon or Summer Circle in the southern hemisphere.Each of these stars is the brightest in their constellation. The asterism can be seen from anywhere except the most southern parts of New Zealand, Chile and Argentina and further south. Depending on where you are in the world, its orientation with the horizon will change, but the pattern of the stars with respect to each other will stay the same.