The law of winter stargazing clearly states that the beauty of the heavens is inversely proportionate to how many layers you have to put on to go outside. January skies are very pleasing to the eyes but tough on the skin. Not only should you dress for it, but you should also be prepared with things like a big thermos of something warm.

One of my secret weapons against the cold is the instant heat hand and feet warmers that work up to seven hours. You can buy these at most sporting goods stores. I never go without them when I teach at one of my stargazing parties.

Once armed with your winter survival gear, get out and enjoy the best stargazing of the year.

You'll notice that the eastern half of the sky has many more bright stars than the west. In the last couple of months, the last of the summer constellations have slowly sunk lower and lower in the west and now they are gone, not to be seen in the evening again until next June. Of course they didn't move — we did. As the Earth continues its annual circuit around the sun, the nighttime side has now turned away from the stars of summer.

The dominant constellation of autumn, Pegasus, the giant winged horse, is still hanging in there in the west. Look for the distinct great rectangle which makes up the torso of the mighty flying horse.

With a good pair of binoculars or a small telescope, scan about halfway between Pegasus and the bright "W" that makes up the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen, and see if you can spot the Andromeda Galaxy. It's our Milky Way Galaxy's next-door neighbor.

All you'll really see is a faint little smudge, but that little smudge is a whole other galaxy, 1Z\x times the size of our own, over 2 million light years away. If you're new to astronomy, one light-year equals almost 6 trillion miles.

The eastern sky is lit up like a Christmas tree. There are many bright stars and constellations.

I call this part of the sky Orion and his Gang since the mighty hunter that looks like a sideways bow tie seems to be the center of all this brightness.

The three bright stars that make up Orion's belt are in a perfect row and jump right out at you. There's also the bright stars Rigel at Orion's knee and Betelgeuse at his armpit. By the way, keep your eye on this star because sometime in the next million years, Betelgeuse could explode in a tremendous supernova.

Elsewhere in Orion's Gang there is Auriga, the retired chariot driver with the bright star Capella. There's also Taurus the bull, with the little arrow pointing to the right that outlines the face of the bull and the reddish star Aldebaran that stands as the angry red eye of the beast.

Just above Taurus are the Pleiades, a beautiful bright star cluster that resembles a tiny Big Dipper. The Pleiades is made up of over 100 young stars, probably about 100 million years old.

If you stay out after 9:30 p.m., look for a bright star rising above the eastern horizon. That's actually the planet Saturn, making it's first real appearance in the evening sky, positioned just to the right of the distinct constellation Leo the Lion. Leo actually looks like what it's supposed to be. At the same time it also reminds many people, including yours truly, of a backward question mark.

Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis and author of the book, "Pennsylvania Starwatch," available at bookstores and at his Web site www.lynchandthestars.com