Prominent in the sky almost straight overhead, is the constellation Orion. Orion is found easiest by finding the three small stars closely aligned together which make up the sword hanging form Orion's belt.

From East to West along the center of the sky, fully half of the signs of the Zodiac are visible on a clear night. Starting with the stars farthest to the East is Leo, followed closely by Cancer and Gemini. Gemini is immediately to the East and North of Orion, so if you can find Orion, you can work toward either horizon to find these, as well as Taurus, Aries and Pisces looking from the center of the sky toward the Western horizon.

The prominent constellation Ursa Major covers most of the Northwestern sky through the winter months. If you use Orion as your starting point again, follow a line leading toward 11 o'clock to the North. You will come upon the constellations brilliant stars.

THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

While there is a great deal of awe and mystery surrounding the Aurora Borealis, or Northern or Southern Lights, they are rarely visible in most of the Continental US, including LBL. The brilliant colors and movements in the aurora are caused by electrons within high-energy particles, driven by solar winds, that become trapped in the Earth's magnetic fields. As the electrons collide with oxygen and nitrogen molecules in our atmosphere, they rapidly break down and emit the brilliant shades of light. The color schemes range from almost white to lime and bright green, with shades of pale blues and even iridescent hues of purple and red.

The Northern Lights are only visible from 1-5% of the time during the year as far south as LBL. On a particularly clear night any time of the year, when the sun's solar activity is high and it generates strong solar winds, you may be able to catch a glimpse along the far Northern horizon of the brilliant light show. For a better chance of seeing them, follow the link below for some spectacular photos of the nighttime spectacle. (http://www.geo.mtu.edu/weather/aurora/images/aurora/jan.curtis/)

Land Between The Lakes provides some of the best locations for nighttime star-gazing in the region. Beginning in March, you can expand your astronomical knowledge with a stop at the Golden Pond Planetarium. There you can learn how to spot the constellations mentioned above and many more, and grow to enjoy the splendor and radiance of the night skies over LBL!