Today:
Take a look below the feet of Orion, where a relative unknown constellation appears – Lepus, the Hare. At 9:15 PM, when Orion and the Hare are due south, look below Orion’s feet for the face of Lepus, looking to the left, with faint, tallish ears above him. Directly left of Lepus sparkles Sirius, the Dog Star. He appears to chase this hare across the southern skies.

Wednesday:
Orion continues to “stand tall”, high in the south at 9 o’clock this evening. Looking below his characteristic belt of three stars, you’ll find a star-like patch of light, suggesting a sword or scabbard. Rather than a star, this is the Great Orion Nebula – a glowing area of gases, and a nursery for new stars.

Thursday:
Mars is still near its maximum brightness as it makes its closest approach to the star Pollux, the lower of the Twin stars of Gemini. Our reddish planetary neighbor is nearly 9 times brighter than Castor as it slowly progresses to the right over the next four weeks. Mars is in retrograde motion, an optical illusion as the Earth moves much faster around the Sun, so it appears to move backwards compared to us.