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So says Babak Tafreshi, the photographer and amateur astronomer from Iran.   Tafreshi was hooked on stargazing the first time he looked through a telescope and saw the moon.  Inspired by Carl Sagan, he founded the World at Night project and posts photos of the night sky behind famous landmarks around the world on his website.

Last week I was talking on the telephone with my dad, who lives four hundred miles away.  I asked if he had seen the full moon and then told him to check out the very bright star next to it–not really a star, but the planet Jupiter.  His view of the pair was over a quiet Denver suburb, mine above  a scattering of houses in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

In January, and throughout the winter, the most prominent constellation is Orion; the  three bright stars that make up the mythological character’s belt are easy to spot in the southeastern sky.  When I travel this time of year,  I always look overhead and once I locate the great hunter, sword at his side, I feel oriented, at home in the world.