February Boasts Six 'Brightest Stars'

Six of the 17 brightest stars in the night sky are visible during February, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac.  These six are:

• Betelgeuse and Rigel, two stars in the constellation Orion.  They are among the top ten brightest stars in the sky.
• Castor and Pollux are two bright stars in the constellation Gemini, the Twins.  The stars take their names from twin brothers in Roman and Greek mythology.
• Procyon is in the constellation Canis Minor.
• Sirius, the name of the brightest of all the stars, is a translation of the Greek word for “scorcher.”  The star is in the constellation Canis Major.

For help finding these and other treasures in the night sky, see The Old Farmer's Almanac printable Sky Map

For more on these six brightest and the constellations which house them, visit Tonight/Earth Sky.

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