Orion the Hunter is arguably essentially the most recognizable constellation on the planet. Orion lies on the celestial equator, making it seen from each the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Orion’s form is straightforward to pick due to its many vivid stars and signature Orion’s Belt: three stars shut collectively in a virtually straight line.
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Mythology of Orion the Hunter
In lots of drawings of the constellation Orion, the Hunter seems to be to be battling his neighbor, Taurus the Bull. But there isn’t any such story within the mythology of Orion. Some tales have Orion pursuing the seven sisters of the Pleiades, which is a star cluster within the constellation Taurus. On the opposite aspect of Orion are his searching canines, Canis Major and Canis Minor (to not be confused with Canes Venatici, a special constellation with the precise nickname of the Searching Canine).
Mythology says {that a} scorpion killed Orion; that’s why Orion is on one aspect of the sky whereas Scorpius the Scorpion is on the other aspect. As Scorpius is about to rise within the east, Orion makes a hurried exit from the sky within the west.
Brightest stars in Orion
The brightest star in Orion is the bluish Rigel, which marks his western knee or foot. Rigel is a blue supergiant 770 light-years away with a magnitude of +0.2. Rigel is the seventh brightest star in your complete sky. The star marking the opposite knee or foot of Orion is Saiph, a magnitude 2.1 star. It’s a blue supergiant and 720 light-years distant.
The second brightest star in Orion is reddish-orange Betelgeuse, which marks one shoulder. Betelgeuse is the tenth brightest star within the sky at magnitude 0.5. It’s a red supergiant 550 light-years away and a whopping 800 instances bigger than our sun. If we substituted Betelgeuse for our sun, it will swallow up all of the inner planets.
The third brightest star of Orion, which marks his different shoulder, is Bellatrix. Bellatrix, a blue supergiant shining at magnitude 1.6, is the twenty second brightest star within the sky and 245 light-years away.
Different stars in Orion
Extending out from Bellatrix is Orion’s arm, the place he’s holding both a defend or an animal, relying on the artist’s idea. The brighter stars marking this object are all of third and 4th magnitude.
Extending upward from Betelgeuse is Orion’s different arm, which holds a membership or sword. The brightest stars within the arm and membership are all 4th magnitude.
The celebrities that make up Orion’s head are a take a look at of your sky’s darkness. They vary from third magnitude to sixth magnitude. The extra stars you’ll be able to see, the higher your skies are.
The three Belt stars from east to west are Alnitak (magnitude 1.8), Alnilam (magnitude 1.7) and Mintaka (magnitude 2.2).
Nebulae of Orion the Hunter
The celebrities within the Sword that hangs down from the Belt are a part of the Orion Nebula (M42). You may see the nebula, or cloud of gasoline, with out optical help as a hazy, 4th-magnitude patch. Utilizing magnification reveals a quadruple star on the heart of the nebula. These 4 new child stars – the Trapezium Cluster – gentle up their dusty cocoon, making its glow seen to us right here on Earth, an enormous 1,400 light-years away.
The well-known Horsehead Nebula lies close to the Belt star Alnitak. This darkish nebula is a faint goal even for many beginner telescopes; your finest guess is to view it in an image compliments of an astrophotographer. (Study extra about dark nebulae.)
Alongside Orion’s aspect between Alnitak and Betelgeuse (however nearer to the belt stars) is the Eighth-magnitude nebula M78. M78 has the awkward title of “brightest diffuse reflection nebula within the sky.” Another notable nebula in Orion is close to Rigel and crosses into Eridanus the River. IC 2118, the Witch Head Nebula, is extraordinarily faint but in addition extraordinarily massive, spanning six full moons.
EarthSky Neighborhood Images of Orion
Backside line: Orion the Hunter will be the most recognizable constellation on the planet. It’s seen from the north in winter and from the south in summer time.
Read more: Orion the Hunter is easy to spot
