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face. In skylore, Orion is said to be holding up a great shield . . . fending off the charging Bull. Can you imagine this by looking at the chart at right? It's easy to imagine when you look at the real sky on a late summer morning.
• The return of Orion and Taurus to the predawn sky happens in late July or early August every year. However, the positions of the planets are special to this year. In late July and early August 2012, the two brightest planets - Venus and Jupiter, respectively - shine right in front of Taurus the Bull. Jupiter resides near the star Aldebaran, temporarily giving the Bull another eye. Venus, the sky's brightest planet, shines close to Zeta Tauri, the rather faint third-magnitude star that marks the tip of the Bull's southern horn. At this time next

Next year - in late July 2013 - Orion and Taurus will return to the morning sky but no planets will be in front of the constellation Taurus the Bull.

year, Orion and Taurus will again return to the predawn sky, though no planets will highlight Taurus the Bull.
• Bottom line: In the wee hours before daybreak, be on the watch for two bright planets - Venus and Jupiter - in the east before dawn. To the right of the planets, you'll find Orion the Hunter: Ghost of the summer dawn.
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