I am clearly not above using sex in this blog.

So? PZ Myarrrrs has given us worm pr0n, squid pr0n, and might even regale us with pirate pr0n one of these days.

Okay, so he studies zebrafish and squid, which copulate; and you study stars, which don’t. You can still talk about sex if you want.

What’s under Orion’s belt? His Sword and then some:
Winter is the season of Orion, the hunter. You can find Orion by looking for the three closely set stars in his belt a little further south than overhead. Once you have seen these a couple of times you will be able to recognize them anywhere. As well as the belt, Orion includes shoulders (the two bright stars above his belt, to the north), two feet (the two bright stars further south) and a scabbard hanging from his belt
The constellation of Orion can be used as a sign post that points to many other objects in the sky. If you draw an imaginary line through the stars in Orion’s belt, it will point down and to the left to the star Sirius. Sirius is the brightest star in the entire sky, and lies at the southern corner of the winter triangle. Betelgeuse is the upper right corner of this triangle, and a bright star named Procyon (in the constellation Canis Minor) is the third corner. You can find Procyon by drawing a line due East from Betelgeuse.

Sirius is the head of Canis Major (Big Dog) and Procyon is Canis Minor (Little Dog), Orion’s hunting dogs. Below Orion is Lepus (THE RABBIT) (could we say Bunny? lol!), who is hiding under Orion’s feet . If you draw a line through Orion’s belt that goes up and to the right, you will see the star Aldebaron, which represents the eye of Taurus the Bull, whom Orion is hunting. Continue on that line from the belt through and you come to the Pleiades (the Seven Sisters) a star cluster that reveals a lot of detail with binoculars. Above Orion, about half way to the northern horizon lies another bright star, Capella, which is brighter than Aldebaran.

Next, draw a line from Rigel through Betelgeuse to find the two bright stars Castor and Pollux; these are the Twins of the constellation Gemini. To the left (east) of Gemini is Leo (the Lion), which appears as a giant, backwards question mark. The large star at the base of the question mark is Regulus, which is the 21st brightest star in the sky. And Leo means that spring is coming.

Kevin Conod Says: It’s only when she starts asking about what’s below Orion’s Belt that Mrs. Bad Astronomy has to start worrying!

Below Orion’s Belt? Everyone knows ain’t nothing below Orion’s belt but a whole lotta interstellar gas. And that problem could probably be fixed if Orion would just take RiGel after drinking Betelgeuse . . .

Who’d of thought a woman with the image of a blond bimbo was really a very intelligent and thoughtful person; from a home where parents promoted science, learning and self confidence; with broad interests and a kid with a sense of humor. How stupid of us when we stereotype the playboy bunnies of the world.

And Frumious B., there are lots of beautiful women who write to the BA, so what? I took the comments as much about the fame of Bunnies as their image. The real issue is why do people we’ve heard about give us some extra emotion when we encounter then directly? Sometimes there’s no societal issue. I’m pretty certain most people here would be in awe if Steven Hawking or Kip Thorne posted a comment on this blog. Sometimes you wonder why someone like a movie star or sports figure is valued so highly by society. But most of us would still experience some (I’m not sure how to describe) emotion if a person of fame sent us an e-mail. In this case the title rather than the individual carries the fame, still it is essentially the same.

And why deny men are men. I can admire a nice looking man as well. Ms Bunny has shown us she has a lot more qualities than just her looks. I’m kind of glad that has come to my attention. I’m glad Phil decided to share that with us.