Starwatch: Orion’s belt and Sirius lead way to Hydra’s head

Water snake constellation slithers across southern meridian until dawn

On northern winter nights, it is so easy to be beguiled by the gloriously bright constellations of Orion, the hunter, and Taurus, the bull, that one can overlook the fainter constellations.

So this week, find the three stars of Orion's belt, follow them down to Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, and then look eastward until you find the faint ring of stars that makes up the head of Hydra, the water snake. The chart shows the view looking south-east from London at 8pm GMT on Monday, but the view will be similar every night this week.