If the Sun is currently in Sagittarius, which constellation is highest in the sky around local midnight?
Answer
Gemini
There is a fixed inverse relationship governing the visibility of constellations relative to the Sun’s position. The constellation currently occupied by the Sun is completely washed out by daylight and therefore invisible. To see the background sky most clearly, observers look toward the part of the celestial sphere directly opposite the Sun, which is best viewed around midnight local time. Since Sagittarius is located near the winter solstice point in late December, the constellation situated roughly 180 degrees across the sky from it—which corresponds to Gemini—will be positioned highest above the horizon at local midnight in the Northern Hemisphere during that time.
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