In general, stars are often associated with positive messages and metaphors, and often represent purity, good luck, and ambitions. In dreams, a shooting star is a sign of self-fulfillment and advancement in life. Stars can also symbolize new beginnings — even those that are still on their way.

The stars became more popular after the Civil War, as they were believed to be patriotic and they also represented barn builders. The original stars were believed to manifest good fortune. According to Pioneer Thinking, the original settlers “painted colorful geometric patterns on their barns.

According to Wide Open Country, German settlers originally painted these hex stars on their barns to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck. You can buy these barn stars just about anywhere now and the farmhouse decorating style has brought them into homes.

Stars are a large part of our history and current culture. They have become a sacred and spiritual symbol for many religions all over the world. Stars have been symbolic of divine guidance and protection. The star of Bethlehem representing the guidance of god whilst the star of David is a powerful protection symbol.

| The three medium-bright stars in a straight row represent Orion’s Belt. A curved line of stars extending from the Belt represents Orion’s Sword. The Orion Nebula lies about midway down in the Sword of Orion.

Taurus

Wherever you are in the northern hemisphere, the North Star will be the same angle above the horizon as your latitude. Orion’s belt, the only three bright stars that form a short straight line in the whole night sky rise very close to due east and set very close to due west.

Spotting the belt is actually one of the easiest ways to find the constellation Orion itself, which is among the brightest and most prominent in the winter sky. The three stars that traditionally make up the belt are, from west to east: Mintaka, Alnilam and Alnitak.

Finding south using Orion In the northern hemisphere, we can also use the constellation of Orion to help us navigate. The three bright stars that make up the belt run in a line roughly from east to west. The sword that hangs from the belt points towards the south.

Sirius

Two of the most recognizable star patterns in the night sky are the belt of Orion and the Big Dipper. These two “asterisms” are in separate constellations.

No, the brightest star in the night sky is not the North Star. It’s Sirius, a bright, blue star that this weekend becomes briefly visible in the predawn sky for those of us in the northern hemisphere.

Polaris, is a yellow white trinary star system located about 433 light years from Earth. That means the light we see today left Polaris in 1586. The short answer is that it cannot be dead [meaning cold and emitting no energy] but it could have become a nova or possibly a supernova.

Actually, Venus shines as bright as this for much of this month. Unlike Mercury, which shines at its peak brilliance when it is near full phase, Venus appears to shine most brilliantly when it is a crescent phase. This is because when Venus appears full to us, it is far from Earth and its disk appears relatively small.