Pam Eastlick

For Pacific Daily News USA TODAY NETWORK

Greetings everyone! Although we’re a week away from the vernal equinox, the first day of spring, when, in theory, day and night are of equal length, that day is actually this week on Tuesday when the sun rises at 6:31 a.m. and sets at 6:31 p.m. We’ll talk more about the equinox next week.

We’re headed for that magic time of year when you can see eight of the ten brightest stars and 15 of the 20 brightest stars all at the same time. That’s only possible in the equatorial tropics and I call it the "Magic Half Hour." You can’t see it yet since the moon is getting brighter in our evening sky, but it’s a good time to find some of those bright stars and learn where they are.

The best way to do that this week is to take a blanket outside, lie down with your feet facing south and look straight up. Slightly to the right of straight up, you’ll see a very famous constellation, Orion the Hunter. Six of those very bright stars surround Orion and they’re known as the Winter Hexagon.

The first star on your trip is Orion’s right leg. That’s Rigel, the seventh brightest star in our skies. But in terms of actual magnitude, Rigel is by far, the brightest of the 20 brightest stars in Earth’s skies. The fact that it’s almost 900 light years away explains why it’s only number seven when seen from Earth.

Look to the left of Rigel and slightly lower and you’ll spot the second star of the Winter Hexagon. That’s Sirius, the brightest star in Earth’s skies. Sirius is much dimmer than Rigel, but at only 9 light years away, it’s 100 times closer than Rigel.

To find your third Winter Hexagon star, measure two fist-widths to the left of Sirius and a fist-width closer to straight up. That’s Procyon, the eighth brightest star. Procyon isn’t very bright as stars go (although it is brighter than the sun) but it’s only 11 light years away.

Measure two fist-widths up from Procyon, look to the left and you’ll find Pollux, the 17th brightest star and the fourth star of the Winter Hexagon. Pollux is brighter than Procyon, but it’s 36 light years away. The star just above Pollux is Castor and they’re the brightest stars in the constellation Gemini the Twins which stretches across straight up toward Orion the Hunter.

You may have to arch your back a little bit to see the fifth member of the Hexagon. It’s a little over three fist-widths down toward the northwestern horizon from straight up. That’s Capella, the fifth Hexagon star and the sixth brightest star in Earth’s skies. Capella is also fairly close, only 46 light years away.

Now find Orion’s shoulders and measure a fist-width to the right and a fist-width up. That’s the last star of the Hexagon. It’s Aldebaran, the bright red eye of Taurus the Bull. Aldebaran is the 13th brightest star in your personal sky and it’s 68 light years away. Capella and Aldebaran are almost exactly the same brightness in terms of actual magnitude, but Aldebaran looks dimmer to you because it’s farther away. Make the trip back to Rigel and you’ve found all the stars of the Winter Hexagon. Guam’s early spring skies may not host the Magic Half Hour, but we always have some of the best stargazing in the world. Enjoy!

Learn:What is the 'magic half hour'

Learn:Find out how to measure the night sky with your fists

Pam Eastlick is the Star Lady.