Stargaze For The Constellation Orion Before It Disappears From The Illinois Horizon

The Orion's Belt Constellation will only be visible from the Land of Lincoln for a short time longer. Get outside tonight and see if you can spot this well-known star pattern. Scroll on for more details.

Stargazing is an old pastime that allowed our ancestors to make up stories from the shapes and images they saw in the stars. Nowadays, people marvel at the same constellations that people were talking about centuries ago.

Though there are many popular ones, one of the most well-known is the Orion's Belt Constellation. Represented by a rectangle of stars with a trio of stars at the bottom, the Warrior Orion also has a triangle head as well as arms and legs.

You can also make out a sword. Orion sits low in the western sky and is situated near Venus, which is the second brightest object in the night sky. The brightest is the moon.

This constellation is projected to disappear from our horizon around the beginning of May, so there isn't much time left to view it.

The constellation will return in November. The reason for its disappearance has to do with our orbit around the sun.

There is plenty of other celestial phenomenon and constellations to view in the meantime. Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, as well as Polaris, will still be visible.

The summer and fall months bring on eclipses, meteor showers, the harvest moon, and many more exciting reasons to keep your eyes on the night sky.

Finding this star pattern is as easy as spotting the three stars that are lined up next to one another. How do you find the Orion's Belt constellation? Share your tips and tricks with us below in the comments.

For more like this, check out these eight attractions in Illinois that will teach you more about space.