has returned in the East to us,
as darkness gives way to morning light,
after hiding behind the Sun all spring.
He prepares quietly for the autumn hunt,
and then always moves south for winter.
Late July and early August are when Orion the Hunter appears in the East with the dawn. It is one of the constellations that even non-stargazers can find in the sky because of the very distinctive three “belt” stars (Mintaka, Alnitak, and Alnilam) which point upward. The 3 stars of his sword and the stars that form his bow are also quite clear.
Orion has been hiding from me as the stars pass behind the sun in the Northern Hemisphere’s spring and by June Orion is gone from my sky. But he faithfully, predictably returns now when I mark my midsummer.
From my Northern Hemisphere home, Orion appears in winter moving across the south during the evening hours. If I was in the Southern Hemisphere, the constellation would be almost overhead at year’s end.
