Tonight Tonight

The return of Sirius

signals seasonal
change
Posted by Editors of EarthSky August 26, 2023

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Here’s an early morning sight you won’t want to miss. The

return of Sirius and the winter constellations to the
morning sky heralds a change of season. Chart via John
Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

In late August and early September, look for

two hints of the changing season in the
predawn sky: Orion the Hunter and Sirius the
Dog Star. Recognizable for the short straight
line of three stars that make up his belt, Orion
rises before dawn at this time of year. And the
sky’s brightest star, Sirius – also known as the
Dog Star, as it’s part of the constellation Canis
Major, the Greater Dog – follows Orion into the
sky as the predawn darkness gives way to
dawn.

Have you noticed a very bright, madly twinkling

star in this part of the early morning sky? Many
do – around the world – at this time of year.
That star is Sirius. It’s so bright that, when it’s
low in the sky, it shines with glints of red and
ashes of blue. That’s the e ect of our thick
atmosphere causing its light to waver, or
twinkle.

You won’t see Orion and Sirius in the evening

sky until northern winter (or southern
summer). But presently, the Hunter and the
Dog Star lord over the sky at dawn.

Stars and constellations pass

behind the sun
Orion was low in the west after sunset around
March and April. By June of each year, the
Hunter lies behind the sun as seen from Earth.
Orion only returned to visibility in Earth’s sky
about a month ago. When a constellation
becomes visible again, after being behind the
sun, it always appears in the east before
sunrise.

That’s because – as Earth moves around the

sun – all stars rise two hours earlier with each
passing month. So Orion is now higher at dawn
than it was a month ago.

As seen from the Northern Hemisphere, Orion

precedes Sirius into the sky. After Orion rst
appears at dawn, you can count on Sirius to
appear in the morning sky a few weeks later.
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Nikunj Rawal in Gir National Park, India, captured this

photo of Orion on November 21, 2020. Note the brightest
star at the bottom, Sirius. Thank you, Nikunj!

The heliacal rising of Sirius

Now will be a good time to look for the heliacal
rising of Sirius. In other words, what is the rst
date that you can see Sirius, with the unaided
eye, in your morning sky? It depends on your
latitude.

Below are a couple of graphs showing when

you can expect to rst see Sirius in your
eastern predawn sky. They are designed for
average eyesight, average weather, and from
near sea level.

The heliacal rising of Sirius from latitudes 70 degrees to

-20 degrees. Philadelphia, for example, is at 40 degrees
north latitude, so it will see Sirius reappear in the morning
 sky around August 17. Based upon calculations by
culturedi . Graph via Don Machholz.

The heliacal rising of Sirius from latitudes 60 degrees to 10

degrees. Based upon calculations by culturedi . Graph via
Don Machholz.

The return of Sirius and the

colors of the stars
With Sirius and the stars of Orion low in your
sky, you might notice that their light shimmers
in various colors. But it’s not the stars that are
changing; this is the prismatic e ect of Earth’s
atmosphere. As seen through a greater-than-
usual thickness of atmosphere in the direction
of the horizon, the mostly white light of Sirius
can be broken up into striking colors on a
summer morning.

But stars can be intrinsically colourful, too. Be

sure to notice the reddish color of Betelgeuse
when you watch Orion rise in these late
summer months.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Daniel Friedman

captured this beautiful shot from Montauk, NY, on
December 13, 2020. Note how bright Sirius is on the left,
and how its colour contrasts with the star Betelgeuse in
 the top left corner. Daniel wrote: ‘Out on the beach late
with no one around for miles. Never captured a bolt like
this and have been chasing meteor showers for years and
years.’ Thank you, Daniel!

Bottom line: A sign of the changing season is

the return of Sirius before sunup. Be the rst
from your latitude to see Sirius in the morning
sky.

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Posted August 26, 2023 in Tonight

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