The Orion Nebula is in the southeast at nightfall, to the lower right of Orion's Belt. It looks like a big, faint star. Instead of a single star, though, it's a giant complex of gas and dust that has given birth to thousands of stars.
Weekly Stargazing Tips
Provided by StarDate.org. Unless otherwise specified, viewing times are local time regardless of time zone, and are good for the entire Lower 48 states (and, generally, for Alaska and Hawaii).
January 14: Orion Nebula
January 15: Caroline's Cluster
A star cluster discovered by Caroline Herschel, one of the first women astronomers, is in view tonight in Canis Major, the big dog. It stands to the lower left of Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, and is visible through binoculars.
January 16: Evening Milky Way
Under dark skies, the Milky Way is in good view tonight. In early evening, it extends along the body of Cygnus, the swan, in the west-northwest; through M-shaped Cassiopeia, higher in the sky; then between Orion and the twins of Gemini, in the east-southeast.
January 17: Epsilon Eridani
Epsilon Eridani is the third-closest star system that's visible to the unaided eye, at a distance of just 10.5 light-years. It is well up in the south-southeast at nightfall, far to the right of the top right corner of Orion.
January 18: 40 Eridani
In "Star Trek," the star 40 Eridani is home to the planet Vulcan. Astronomers haven't found any planets orbiting the star, however. 40 Eridani is in the southeast at nightfall, far to the upper right of Orion's Belt. Under dark skies, it is visible to the eye alone.
January 19: Doomed Companion?
Betelgeuse, the bright shoulder of Orion, is a third of the way up in the east-southeast at nightfall, to the left of Orion's Belt. Astronomers have recently detected a possible companion star that appears to be a little bigger and heavier than the Sun.
January 20: Lambda Orionis
Orion is in the east and southeast at nightfall. Bright orange Betelgeuse marks its left shoulder. Lambda Orionis, to the upper right of Betelgeuse, looks fainter, but it consists of two monster stars, one of which may be 200,000 times brighter than the Sun.