Orion the Hunter is one of the more recognizable constellations we can see in the winter and spring. You can see it rising over the hills to our south right at sunset. If you live at the foot of Sugarloaf (near Harvey Meadows, for example), you might only be able to see Orion rising over the mountain after midnight.

There is a diagram in the linked article that will show you how to find Orion. The diagram also shows you how to find Sirius ("the Dog Star"), which is the brightest star in our night sky. You can find it easily because you will see it as a bright star below and to the left of orion.

Sirius is one of our closest neighbor stars at only 8.6 light years away. But it has a secret you might not know about. Sirius is a binary star. That means Sirius is actually two stars that orbit each other within the same solar system.

Sirius A is about twice the size of our sun, and 25 times brighter. Sirius B is a white dwarf star. It is very small, about the same size as the earth, but is one of the most massive white dwarf stars we know of. That means it burns very hot and very bright.