What to see in the winter sky

December, January and February

The longest nights of the year, and the brightest stars in them.

Everything below is highest in the evening in these months. South of the equator the months are the same, but they fall in the opposite season.

With your own eyes

SiriusstarNaked eyeThe Pleiades (Seven Sisters)open star clusterNaked eyeThe Beehive Cluster (Praesepe)open star clusterNaked eyeThe Orion Nebulaemission nebulaNaked eye

With a small telescope

The Crab Nebulasupernova remnant150 mm telescope

And the planets?

Planets do not keep to seasons — they wander, which is what the word means. Each one has its own page with a month-by-month table saying when to look for it.