Winter Hexagon

The Winter Hexagon (also called the Winter Circle) is an asterism, a star pattern that is not one of the 88 official constellations, made of six stars in Canis Major, Auriga, Orion, Canis Minor, Taurus and Gemini. Its brightest star is Sirius (magnitude −1.46), and it is best seen in the evening in February.

Free to use with credit: Atlas of the Sky (constellationmap.org), CC BY 4.0 · More

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<a href="https://constellationmap.org/asterisms/winter-hexagon/"><img src="https://constellationmap.org/img/asterisms/winter-hexagon-star-map.png" alt="Winter Hexagon star map: the six stars Sirius, Capella, Rigel, Procyon, Aldebaran and Pollux connected by lines and labeled, with the surrounding constellations" width="800" height="800" loading="lazy"></a>
<br><small><a href="https://constellationmap.org/asterisms/winter-hexagon/">Winter Hexagon</a> · Atlas of the Sky (constellationmap.org), <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a></small>

How to use it

Six of the brightest stars of the sky form a huge ring around Betelgeuse; it fills most of the southern sky on January evenings in the north.

How to find the Winter Hexagon

From 40° N (the USA, southern Europe, Japan) it is highest in the south, about 62° above the horizon, in February evenings. From 35° S (Australia, South Africa, Argentina) it reaches about 43° in the north.

Stars of the Winter Hexagon

Star	Designation	Magnitude	Distance	Constellation
Sirius	α Canis Majoris	−1.46	9 ly	Canis Major
Capella	α Aurigae	0.08	42 ly	Auriga
Rigel	β Orionis	0.12	860 ly	Orion
Procyon	α Canis Minoris	0.38	11 ly	Canis Minor
Aldebaran	α Tauri	0.85	67 ly	Taurus
Pollux	β Geminorum	1.14	34 ly	Gemini

Questions about the Winter Hexagon

Is the Winter Hexagon a constellation?

No. The Winter Hexagon is an asterism: its stars belong to Canis Major, Auriga, Orion, Canis Minor, Taurus and Gemini, six of the 88 constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union.

What is the brightest star of the Winter Hexagon?

Sirius, with an apparent magnitude of −1.46, about 9 light-years away.

When can I see the Winter Hexagon?

It is highest in the evening sky in February.