The Taurus and the Orion constellations will be viable to the naked eye in the early evenings this month, local media reported Sunday.

The stars in the constellations are most visible from 7 pm to 9 pm, as long as the skies are clear of cloud cover and pollution, said Tang Haiming, the supervisor of scientific promotions at the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory's Sheshan Station.

The constellation Orion, sometimes called the Hunter, is a bright constellation situated in the southern sky. The constellation's main structure is a quadrilateral composed of four stars, which resembles the body of a hunter, Tang said.

Star gazers can easily identify the constellation by scanning the sky for three bright stars in the center of the quadrilateral. The three are known as Orion's belt.

In China, people have given the trio of stars auspicious names that mean good fortune, prosperity and longevity, according to a report in the Shanghai Evening Post. The star Sirius, which is the brightest star in the night sky, can be seen just to the southeast of Orion.

Taurus is another constellation that is easy to find. It can be found to the north of Orion. The planet Jupiter, the brightest object in the night sky, is traveling through the same part of the night sky as Orion, Tang told the Global Times.

To the west of Jupiter, one can see a cluster of stars called M45. Although M45 consists of hundreds of stars, residents can see six with the naked eye. Star gazers with excellent eyesight might be able to make out seven, Tang said.

If visibility is good, residents might be able to see Mercury about half an hour after sunset on January 17 in the western part of the night sky, the report said.

Because Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, it can be difficult to spot in the overpowering light of the sun, according to the report.

Most people can only make it out when its travels far from the star.

"There will be six occasions in 2013 when Mercury moves far enough away from the sun," Tang told the Global Times. "Residents are most likely to see Mercury on June 13.

Tang recommended two free mobile phone applications to help residents locate the constellations.

Android users can download Google Sky Map and iOS users can download an app called Star Walk.