Orion is one of the most recognizable constellations, thanks to its distinctive three-star belt and its two brightest stars, Betelgeuse and Rigel. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere and can see the night sky from late fall to early spring, you can’t miss it! But what’s so special about Orion? The answer lies in both history and astronomy. Let’s explore some of Orion’s most fascinating facts…
A summary of the myth
Orion was the son of Poseidon and Euryale. His father, Poseidon, sent him on a quest to slay a sea monster that was terrorizing the coasts of Ethiopia. Along the way, he fell in love with Merope, one of King Oenopion’s daughters. The king did not approve of their relationship and refused to give his daughter in marriage unless Orion took care of two wild animals that were ravaging his land-the lion and the wild bull. While hunting the lion, Orion encountered Ares, god of war. They engaged in battle and killed each other simultaneously. Meanwhile, Merope died from grief for her lover at news of his death. Zeus then placed both Ares and Orion among the stars as constellations forevermore-Ares as Scorpius (in honor of its resemblance to a scorpion) and Orion as an immortal hero. Every year during winter, the constellation Orion can be seen high in the sky. What sets it apart from other constellations? There are three bright stars that make up the Belt of Orion. If you draw a line through these three stars, they point to Sirius (the Dog Star). Every night when you look at these three stars, imagine that they’re guiding you back to home sweet home! As I mentioned before, there are only six months of the year where we have Orion in our night skies. To try and see Orion throughout all 12 months would mean waiting 18 years! Keep your eye out for Orion throughout January, March, April, November, December…
Orion and Betelgeuse
Orion, the hunter, is one of the most recognizable constellations in the sky. One of Orion’s brightest stars is Betelgeuse, which has a magnitude of 0.42 and lies near his right shoulder. The name Betelgeuse comes from an Arabic phrase meaning the armpit of the giant. In some cultures, it was believed that Betelgeuse was either another planet or even the sun. It is also called Alpha Ori or Rigel Kentaurus (depending on what you’re looking at). Near to Betelgeuse there are many other objects including 4th-magnitude Lambda Orionis; 6th-magnitude Delta Orionis; 8th-magnitude Epsilon Orionis; 10th-magnitude Nu1,2,3 Orionis. There are several deep sky objects in the constellation too including M78 (a bright emission nebula) and M59/NGC1963 (a star cluster). Additionally, there is NGC1990 and IC4665 which look like faint nebulae but are actually reflection nebulae. And finally, we can’t forget Messier 42 – otherwise known as the Great Orion Nebula. As the brightest nebula in all of the night sky, it covers an area 3 degrees across and shines with a luminosity 400 times greater than our own Milky Way galaxy. To put that into perspective, if you took all of our galaxy and squeezed it down into 3 degrees worth of space, then took away its dust lanes, dark areas and obscuring gas clouds, you would still not have enough material to make such a brilliant object.
How to find Orion in the night sky
To find the constellation, you can look for Orion’s belt. The belt is made up of three bright stars in a row, with a fainter one to the left and another below it. Looking at the stars in their order from left to right, they will appear as follows: Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka. These three stars are also known as the Three Kings.
Orion himself has two bright stars that represent his shoulders and knees. His feet are represented by Betelgeuse, on the upper left shoulder of Orion, which means armpit in Arabic. It is easily seen as a red star and is often mistaken for Mars due to its reddish color. You’ll be able to see these stars on clear nights or with binoculars if you have them available! To help you spot them more easily, use the Big Dipper as your guide. Follow the two outermost stars in the cup – Dubhe and Merak – all the way around until they point straight down to Polaris, then extend that line towards Aldebaran (red eye of Taurus) and continue on towards Rigel (Orion’s other knee). Continue following the line until it passes through Sirius (brightest star) then turn back down.
Some interesting facts about the constellations stars
Orion’s brightest star, Rigel, is one of the few stars in the sky that can actually be seen with unaided eyes. This star shines at a magnitude of 0.2, which makes it five times brighter than our sun. Other notable stars include Betelgeuse (magnitude 0.45) and Bellatrix (magnitude 1.65). The asterism also has four galaxies associated with it: M42, NGC 1977, NGC 1973, and UGC 1810. M42 is an open cluster located near Orion’s belt. NGC 1977 and NGC 1973 are both active galaxies with plumes of gas shooting outward into space as shown by their red coloration. UGC 1810, though unrelated to any other constellations or objects nearby, deserves mention because its shape has been described as unusual for a galaxy and strange by those who have studied it more closely. Despite these special features, Orion still remains one of the easiest constellations to find in the sky. It will never go away due to its significance not just as a constellation but also because it is home to two meteor showers – Halley’s comet and the Orionids – during certain seasons. The Winter Triangle, which appears on cold winter nights, consists of three bright stars from three different constellations: Sirius from Canis Major; Procyon from Canis Minor; and Betelgeuse from Orion.
The constellation was first identified by the Chaldeans around 2500 B.C., making it one of the oldest representations known to mankind.
