Need star gazer's help

I need help identifying a star. Im not able to find a star map that is user friendly. This star is to the east and is under Orion's belt. It seems to be the brightest star to the east about 30 degrees above to horizon. Can anyone help, or know of a star map that is user friendly?

I should have included that I live on the west coast in Escondido CA, near San Diego.

reply to post by Alchemst7


The most user-friendly software you will find is Stellarium,download it.
(from my location,Recife,Brazil,it can be either "Rigel" or "Betelgueuse",take a look at Stellarium,its free)

Stellarium is a good program and is fairly user friendly.
And its FREE.

Sirius and Rigel are both under Orions belt, I will see if i can find a pic for you to help out.


edit:
Here you go which one is it. Sorry its big, you might have to scroll, I tried to resize but the text was too small to read.

reply to post by youdidntseeme


Thats the star Sirius!!! It was twinkling brighter that ever tonight. I got home and rushed to my telescope and had 3 strong spectrums of light emitting from it. red blue and green. Thanks Im downloading now!!

reply to post by Alchemst7


Yea Sirius does have some strange colors sometimes. Alot of UFO sightings are actually people mistaking Sirius for something else because it doesnt act like the rest of the stars in the sky.

I live in Rancho Bernardo, San Diego.... I do not have the answer you are looking for, but I as well have noticed the star you are referring to.... BTW... Does it seem to change colors when you are looking at it?? Red and Blue?
If so would ya let me know?

reply to post by Alchemst7


Check out "The Sirius Mystery" by Robert Temple. It explains alot of interesting aspects about Sirius and the possible connections it has with Earth and ancient civilisations. Also the Dogon tribe's holy knowledge of the star system passed down for thousands of years by so called ancient astronauts from Sirius. Interesting stuff. It also mentions Freemasonry and their interest in Sirius as the "Great White Lodge". Aleister Crowley's secret society "Argenteum Astram" (Silver Star) is also loosely related the the whole Sirius B obsession.

Duh... When I first read this post I immediately responded, then I went back to read the comments... I thought it looked like it was turning colors... Good to know why now...

Originally posted by Twinsdelight
Duh... When I first read this post I immediately responded, then I went back to read the comments... I thought it looked like it was turning colors... Good to know why now...

No worries my friend,
Coming from the home town of Cole Hamels how could I hold it against you?
I actually visited Rancho Bernardo HS a few years back to do a marching band clinic (yea im a geek)

I cant see the sky here right now as we are expected a few inches of snow any minute now, but i always enjoy checking out Sirius, because of those changes.

I always wondered what star that was, that twinkled red and blue. I have my telescope, but I just got it so it's a little challenging focusing in on it. But once you do it's awesome. I also do think Sirius is interesting, with all of the theories that float around.

reply to post by Twinsdelight


For a while there I thought it was a plane but noticted it hasn't moved. When i focused it in on my telescope
It was doing the same red and green. As the star got higher in the sky, it stoped and looked like an average star. Hey where almost neighbors.