Constellation Guide on Top Astronomer: Maps, Myths and Facts Orion Please hover over any star to get more information Orion, the Hunter, is a constellation lying on the celestial equator. It is one of the brightest and best known constellations in the sky. It is also one of the few constellations known since ancient times. Early Greek writers such as Homer and Hesiod made references to Orion in their works. In Greek mythology, Orion was a hunter, son of the sea god Poseidon and the Cretan princess Euryale. It was said that Poseidon had given Orion the ability to walk on water. The constellation Orion is depicted as a man raising his club and shield, facing the charge of a bull, represented by the neighbouring constellation Taurus , and standing next to the river Eridanus . The tale that corresponds to this representation is not found in Greek mythology, however, but Sumerian one. The Sumerians believed that the constellation, which they called Uru An-na ("light of heaven"), represented their hero Gilgamesh fighting the bull of heaven, Gud An-na, which corresponds to the constellation Taurus.

Even though the Greek equivalent for Gilgamesh is Heracles, who was once given the task to catch the Cretan bull, and Ptolemy described the constellation known as Orion as a man with a club and lion's pelt (not unlike Heracles), there is no solid evidence of a connection between the constellation Orion and Heracles. In the sky, Orion and his two dogs, represented by the constellations Canis Major and Canis Minor , are seen pursuing a hare, Lepus . In another tale, Orion fell in love with the Pleiades (a star cluster in Taurus ), the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione, and kept pursuing them until Zeus took them away and placed them among the stars, where Orion can still be seen following them across the sky. The myth of Orion's death is linked to the constellation Scorpius , which lies on the opposite side of the sky. Orion was said to have boasted to the goddess Artemis and her mother Leto that he could defeat any animal on Earth. The Earth heard this and sent a scorpion, which stung Orion and killed him. For this reason, when the constellation Scorpius rises in the east, Orion disappears below the horizon in the west.

The constellation Orion carries great significance in many cultures. In Hungarian mythology, it is identified with Nimród, another great hunter and warrior, and the mythological father of the Hungarians. In the Indian Rig Veda, the constellation mentioned as Mriga ("the deer"). In Scandinavian myths, it was called Frigg’s Distaff, after the tool Frigg, the highest goddess of the Aesir, used for spinning. The Aztecs knew the belt and sword of Orion as the Fire Drill. When it appeared in the sky, it signalled the start of the New Fire ceremony, a ritual performed to postpone the end of the world. The Chinese called the constellation Shen, after another great hunter and warrior. In the southern latitudes, Orion appears differently in the sky. In Australia and New Zealand, his belt and sword are known as the Pot or Saucepan. In South Africa, the three bright stars forming Orion's Belt are called Drie Konigs (Three Kings) or Drie Susters (Three Sisters). The belt was also called Driekoningen (Three Kings) is Dutch star charts in the 17th and 18th century. In South America, the three prominent stars are known as The Three Marys.

In the Late Bronze Age, the constellation was called The Heavenly Shepherd in Babylonian star charts. There are references to Orion in the Bible in the Book of Job and the Book of Amos. In ancient Egypt, the constellation was identified with Osiris, the god of rebirth and the underworld, and also sometimes associated with the Pharaoh Unas, the last ruler of the Fifth dynasty. After death, pharaohs were said to be transformed into Osiris, a god in the sky. The pyramids at Giza mirrored the pattern of the stars in Orion and the air shaft in the King's Chamber in the Great Pyramid was aligned with the star Alnitak, providing the king with the path to the heavens. The constellation Orion occupies an area of 594 square degrees and contains three stars with known planets. It can be seen at latitudes between +85° and -75° and is best visible at 9 p.m. during the month of January. The constellation currently lies south of the ecliptic and will keep moving further south as a result of precession. Orion contains some of the brightest stars in the sky.

[5971] beta Orionis or Rigel ("the foot"), the brightest star in Orion, is the sixth brightest star in the sky. It is a blue supergiant located at Orion’s left foot. It is a very old star that will soon either become a supernova or shed its outer layers and turn into a white dwarf. It is approximately 800 light-years distant. [5972] alpha Orionis or Betelgeuse ("the hand of the central one"), the second brightest star in the constellation, is also the twelfth brightest star in the sky. It is a massive red supergiant, another very old star that will soon explode into a supernova. Betelgeuse marks the right shoulder of Orion and is approximately 640 light-years distant. It is a variable star and occasionally appears brighter than [5971] Rigel. [5973] gamma Orionis or Bellatrix ("the female warrior") is the 21st brightest star in the sky. It is a blue giant, an eruptive variable star, marking the hunter’s left shoulder.

It is sometimes also known as the "Amazon star." The three stars forming Orion’s belt are [5977] delta, [5974] epsilon and [5975] zeta Orionis. [5977] delta Orionis or Mintaka ("region") is an eclipsing binary variable star system that consists of a large blue giant and an O-type white star. It is approximately 900 light-years distant. [5974] epsilon Orionis or Alnilam ("the string of pearls") is a blue-white supergiant, about four million years old. It is the central star of Orion’s belt and the 30th brightest star in the sky. [5975] zeta Orionis or Alnitak ("the girdle") is a triple star with a hot blue supergiant, the brightest class O star in the sky, for a primary component. It is approximately 800 light-years distant. [5976] kappa Orionis or Saiph ("the sword") marks Orion's right foot. It is a blue supergiant about 720 light-years distant.

[5978] iota Orionis, also known as Hatsya or Na’ir al Saif ("the bright one o the sword") marks the tip of Orion’s sword. It is a quadruple star system with a hot blue giant for a primary component. [5985] sigma Orionis is another interesting multiple star system. The primary component is composed of a blue dwarf, one of the most luminous stars known, and a B-type dwarf. The other component is also composed of two dwarfs, both B-type. The last component is an A-type dwarf. Sigma Orionis is approximately 1,150 light-years distant. [5981] lambda Orionis, also known as Meissa ("the shining one") and Heka ("a white spot"), is a binary star composed of a blue giant and a hot blue-white dwarf. Together with [5993] phi-1 and [5987] phi-2 Orionis, it forms a triangle that marks Orion’s head. The most notable deep sky object in the constellation is the Orion Nebula (Messier 42), located under Orion's belt. It is a star-forming region with clouds of dust and gas.

The Orion Trapezium Cluster, or simply the Trapezium, is located in the centre of the Orion Nebula. It is an open cluster marked by an asterism of four stars, the brightest one of which is [6023] theta-1 Orionis C. The stars represent Orion’s sword, seen hanging from his belt. IC 434 or the Horsehead Nebula appears as a dark cloud of thick dust in the shape of a horse’s head. The nebula is located near [5975] zeta Orionis. Messier 43 or NGC 1982 is also known as De Mairan’s Nebula. It is one of the star-forming regions in the Orion Nebula, separated from the larger nebula by a large, turbulent black lane. Messier 78 or NGC 2068 is a reflection nebula, originally catalogued as a comet-like object. It is the brightest diffuse reflection nebula in the Orion Complex. Barnard’s Loop is an emission nebula in the shape of a loop that covers most of the constellation and appears to centre on the Orion Nebula.

The loop is believed to have been created in a supernova explosion about two million years ago. The Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) is another emission nebula. [5975] zeta Orionis shines ultraviolet light into the nebula’s clouds of hydrogen gas and the glow is the result of the recombined electrons and ionized hydrogen. The nebulae in Orion are all part of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, one of the most active star-forming regions in the sky. The cloud is hundreds of light-years across in size and lies between 1,500 and 1,600 light-years away from Earth. It appears very bright in infrared wavelengths. Interesting Facts About Orion Home Astronomy Lists Interesting Facts About Orion Interesting Facts About Orion November 29, 2012 Peter Christoforou Astronomy Lists , Star Constellations 0 Winter Is Coming Orion’s appearance in the night sky means that winter is coming. From mid-northern latitudes, Orion is visible in the evening from November to early May, and in the morning from late July to November. Orion is also visible in the Southern hemispheres, where it appears upside down during the summer months.

Orion Family of Constellations The constellation Orion is pictured as a giant hunter with a shield in his hand, a belt and sword around his waist, and surrounded by his hunting dogs ( Canis Major and Canis Minor ). Beneath Orion’s feet, his dogs are pursuing a hare (or rabbit) in the form of the constellation Lepus who, like its wild namesake, is keeping a low profile in the celestial undergrowth. Together with Monoceros (unicorn), these five constellations form the Orion family, although the latter was only created in the 17th century to fill the large gap left clear by the ancient Greeks between Orion and Hydra. Mostly Contains Young Blue Supergiants All of the seven main stars in Orion, with the exception of the red super giant Betelgeuse (429 ly), are young blue supergiants. These include Rigel (777 ly) Bellatrix (243 ly ), Saiph (724 ly), Alnitak (826 ly), Alnilam (1360 ly) and Mintaka (919 ly).

Contains 2 of Brightest Stars in Sky Orion contains 2 of the 10 brightest stars in the night sky . The constellation of Orion’s brightest star is Rigel, which shines 40,000 times brighter than our sun, and represents the hunter’s left knee. Next brightest is Betelgeuse, which is 100,000 times brighter than our sun, and depicts the top right shoulder of Orion. Orion Fighting a Bull Orion is depicted as fighting a bull, represented by the nearby constellation of Taurus. The very bright, red star on the top left corner of Taurus is called Aldebaran and represents the eye of the bull. The constellation Taurus consists of two groups of stars called Hyades (“the rainy ones”) and Pleiades , which are a star cluster containing hundreds of young blue stars, only a handful of which can be seen with the naked eye. Orion Chasing the Daughters of Atlas In Greek mythology the Pleiades were the 7 daughters of the giant Atlas, who were chased over the face of the earth by Orion after becoming the object of his affections.

They then begged Zeus to save them from Orion’s pursuit, and so he placed them in the night sky with the giant hunter chasing them from east to west, without ever being able to catch them. Orion’s Belt The 3 bright stars in the constellation’s middle represent Orion’s sword belt, namely Alnilam, Mintaka and Alnitak. The equator of the sky passes close to the upper star of his belt, so that half of Orion is in the Northern hemisphere, and the other half is in the southern hemisphere. Orion’s Sword Below his belt you can see a curved line of 3 stars, which represent the giant’s sword. The middle star is, in actual fact, not a star but a nebula . The Orion Nebula (M42) is a huge cloud of dust and gas almost 6 light years across inside which new stars are being formed. It is 1,500 light years distant and at the center of the nebula are four stars, known as “The Trapezium” which help light it up. Home to 2 Meteor Showers Orion is home to two meteor showers , both of which are associated with the dust and debris trail left behind by Halley’s Comet.

The Chi Orionids occurs in December each year, and can produce around 5 meteors per hour, whilst its more prolific cousin, the Orionids, peaks around October 21 with around 20 meteors per hour. Stars Moving Apart The stars in Orion are gradually moving apart, but they are located at such great distances from us that the constellation will remain recognizable a long time after most of the other constellations, whose stars are closer to earth, have morphed into new shapes. One event which could cause a dramatic image change, however, would be Betelgeuse going supernova , which is predicted to happen sometime in the next million years. This will initially cause a light to shine as bright as the full moon in Orion, but a few weeks later that will fade, leaving a dark place where Orion’s shoulder once lay. As internationally recognized star expert James B. Kaler explains, “it will make a God-awful mess of the constellation Orion.” Orion Constellation: Facts, Myth, Stars, Location, Star Map | Constellation Guide Orion Constellation Constellations: A Guide to the Night Sky Orion Constellation Orion constellation is one of the brightest and best known constellations in the night sky.

It lies on the celestial equator. Orion has been known since ancient times. The constellation is also known as the Hunter, as it is associated with one in Greek mythology. It represents the mythical hunter Orion, who is often depicted in star maps as either facing the charge of Taurus , the bull, pursuing the Pleiades sisters, represented by the famous open cluster, or chasing after the hare ( constellation Lepus ) with his two hunting dogs, represented by the nearby constellations Canis Major and Canis Minor . The constellation Orion contains two of the ten brightest stars in the sky – Rigel (Beta Orionis) and Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis) – a number of famous nebulae – the Orion Nebula ( Messier 42 ), De Mairan’s Nebula (Messier 43) and the Horsehead Nebula , among others – the well-known Trapezium Cluster , and one of the most prominent asterisms in the night sky – Orion’s Belt . FACTS, LOCATION & MAP Orion Constellation Map, by IAU and Sky&Telescope magazine Orion is the 26th constellation in size, occupying an area of 594 square degrees.

It is located in the first quadrant of the northern hemisphere (NQ1) and can be seen at latitudes between +85° and -75°. The neighboring constellations are Eridanus , Gemini , Lepus , Monoceros and Taurus . Orion contains three Messier objects – Messier 42 ( M42 , NGC 1976, Orion Nebula), Messier 43 (M43, NGC 1982, De Mairan’s Nebula), and Messier 78 (M78, NGC 2068) – and has seven stars with known planets. The brightest star in the constellation is Rigel, Beta Orionis, with an apparent visual magnitude of 0.18. Rigel is also the sixth brightest star in the sky. The second brightest star in Orion, Betelgeuse , Alpha Orionis, has an apparent magnitude of 0.43 and is the eighth brightest star in the night sky. There are two meteor showers associated with Orion, the Orionids and the Chi Orionids. The Orionid meteor shower reaches its peak around October 21 every year.

Orion belongs to the Orion family of constellations, along with Canis Major , Canis Minor , Lepus and Monoceros . MYTH In Greek mythology, the hunter Orion was the most handsome of men. He was the son of the sea god Poseidon and Euryale, the daughter of King Minos of Crete. In Homer’s Odyssey, Orion is described as exceptionally tall and armed with an unbreakable bronze club. In one myth, Orion fell in love with the Pleiades , the seven sisters, daughters of Atlas and Pleione. He started pursuing them and Zeus scooped them up and placed them in the sky. The Pleiades are represented by the famous star cluster of the same name, located in the constellation Taurus . Orion can still be seen chasing the sisters across the sky at night. In another story, Orion fell in love with Merope, the beautiful daughter of King Oenopion who didn’t return his affections. One night, he had too much to drink and tried to force himself on her. The king, enraged, put out Orion’s eyes and banished him from his land, the island of Chios.

Hephaestus felt sorry for the blind, wandering Orion and offered one of his assistants to guide the hunter and act as his eyes. Orion eventually encountered an oracle that told him if he went east toward the sunrise, his sight would be restored. Orion did so and his eyes were miraculously healed. The constellation Orion has its origins in Sumerian mythology, specifically in the myth of Gilgamesh. Sumerians associated it with the story of their hero fighting the bull of heaven, represented by Taurus . They called Orion URU AN-NA, which means “the light of heaven.” Their name for the constellation Taurus was GUD AN-NA, or “the bull of heaven.” Orion is often shown as facing the attack of a bull, yet there are no myths in Greek mythology telling any such tale. When describing the constellation, the Greek astronomer Ptolemy describes the hero with a club and lion’s pelt, both of which are usually associated with Heracles, but there is no evidence in mythology books of a direct relation between the constellation and Heracles.

However, since Heracles, the most famous of Greek heros, is represented by the much less conspicuous constellation Hercules , and since one of his tasks was to catch the Cretan bull, there are at least hints of a possible connection between the two. Most myths about Orion’s death involve a scorpion, but the stories differ from one mythographer to another. In one tale, Orion boasted to the goddess Artemis and her mother Leto that he could kill any beast on earth. The Earth Goddess heard him and sent a scorpion, which stung the giant to death. In another story, he tried to force himself on Artemis and she was the one who sent the scorpion. In yet another account of his death, Orion was stung while trying to save Leto from the scorpion. All myths of Orion’s death share the same outcome: Orion and the scorpion were placed on opposite sides of the sky, so that when the constellation Scorpius rises in the sky, Orion sets below the horizon in the west, fleeing from the scorpion.

There is one myth, however, that does not involve a scorpion: Artemis, the goddess of hunting, fell in love with the hunter and, to stop her from giving up her vows of chastity, her brother Apollo dared her to hit a small target in the distance with her bow and arrow. Not knowing that the target was Orion, who was enjoying a swim, she hit it in a single shot, killing her would-be lover. Devastated by his death, she placed Orion among the stars. Orion is a well-known constellation in many cultures. In Australia, the stars forming Orion’s Belt and sword are sometimes called the Pot or the Saucepan. In South Africa, the three stars of Orion’s Belt are known as Drie Konings (the three kings) or Drie Susters (the three sisters). In Spain and Latin America, the stars are called Las Tres Marías, or The Three Marys. Babylonians knew Orion as MUL.SIPA.ZI.AN.NA or The Heavenly Shepherd (The True Shepherd of Anu) in the Late Bronze Age and associated the constellation with Anu, the god of the heavenly realms.

Egyptians associated it with Osiris, the god of death, afterlife and rebirth. Orion was also identified with Unas, the last Pharaoh of the Fifth Dynasty, who was said to have eaten the flesh of his enemies and devoured the gods themselves to become great and bring inheritance of his power. According to myth, Unas travels through the sky to become the star Sabu, or Orion. Because pharaohs were believed to be transformed into Osiris after death, some of the greatest pyramids – the ones at Giza – were built to mirror the pattern of the stars in the constellation. To make the transformation easier, the air shaft in the King’s Chamber in the Great Pyramid was aligned with the star Alnitak, Zeta Orionis, the easternmost star in Orion’s Belt . The Aztecs called the stars of Orion’s Belt and sword the Fire Drill; their rising in the sky signalled the beginning of the New Fire ceremony, a ritual Aztecs performed to postpone the end of the world. In Hungarian mythology, Orion is identified with Nimrod, a famous hunter and father of Hunor and Magor, the two twins also known as Hun ad Hungarian.

In Scandinavian tradition, the constellation is associated with the goddess Freya and called Frigg’s Distaff (Friggerock), after the tool she used for spinning. The Chinese knew the constellation as Shen, a great hunter or warrior. Another ancient legend dates back to the second millennium BC. The Hittites (a Bronze Age people of Anatolia, the region comprising most of present-day Turkey) associated the constellation with Aqhat, a famous mythical hunter. The war goddess Anat fell in love with him, but after he refused to lend her his bow, she tried to steal it. However, the man she sent to get the bow messed up the assignment pretty badly, killing Aqhat and dropping the bow into the sea. This is why, according to the myth, the constellation drops below the horizon for two months in the spring. MAJOR STARS IN ORION Rigel – β Orionis (Beta Orionis, 19 Orionis) Rigel is the brightest star in the constellation. With an apparent visual magnitude of 0.18, it is also the sixth brightest star in the sky. Even though it does not have the designation alpha, it is almost always brighter than Betelgeuse , Alpha Orionis.

Rigel is really a star system composed of three stars. It has been a known visual binary since 1831, possibly even earlier, when F. G. Struve first measured it. Rigel is surrounded by a shell of expelled gas. The name Rigel comes from the Arabic phrase Riǧl Ǧawza al-Yusra, which means “the left foot of the central one.” Rigel marks Orion’s left foot. Another Arabic name for the constellation is iǧl al-ǧabbār, or “the foot of the great one.” The star’s other two variant names, Algebar and Elgebar, are derived from this phrase. Rigel is a blue supergiant. It belongs to the spectral type B8lab and is 772.51 light years distant. It has 85,000 times the luminosity of the Sun and 17 solar masses. It is classified as a slightly irregular variable star, with its luminosity varying from 0.03 to 0.3 magnitudes over 22 – 25 days.

The primary component in the system, Rigel A, is 500 times brighter than Rigel B, which is itself a spectroscopic binary star. Rigel B has a magnitude of 6.7. It consists of a pair of B9V class main sequence stars that orbit a common centre of gravity every 9.8 days. Rigel, Beta Orionis, is associated with several nearby dust clouds which it illuminates. The most famous one is IC 2118, the Witch Head Nebula , a faint reflection nebula located about 2.5 degrees to the northwest of Rigel, in the constellation Eridanus . Orion constellation, cropped from photo by Hubble, ESA, Akira Fujii Rigel is a member of the Taurus-Orion R1 Association. It was considered by some to be an outlying member of the Orion OB1 Association, a group of several dozen hot giants belonging to the spectral types O and B, located in the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. However, the star is too close to us to be a real member of that particular stellar association. Rigel is only about 10 million years old.

Eventually, it will grow into a red supergiant, one very similar to Betelgeuse . Betelgeuse – α Orionis (Alpha Orionis, 58 Orionis) Betelgeuse is the second brightest star in Orion and the eighth brightest star in the sky. It is a red supergiant, belonging to the spectral class M2lab. The suffix -ab indicates that Betelgeuse is classified as an intermediate luminous supergiant, one not as bright as others such as Deneb in the constellation Cygnus . Some recent findings, however, suggest that the star emits more light than 100,000 Suns, which would in fact make it more luminous than most stars in its class, so the classification is likely outdated. The star has an apparent visual magnitude of 0.42 and is approximately 643 light years distant. Betelgeuse is one of the most luminous stars known. It has an absolute magnitude of -6.05. Betelgeuse, or Alpha Orionis , is also one of the largest stars known, with an apparent diameter between 0.043 and 0.056 arcseconds.

It is difficult to get an accurate measurement because the star appears to change shape from time to time and, as a result of a huge mass loss, it has a large envelope surrounding it. Betelgeuse Alpha Orionis is classified as a semi-regular variable star. Its apparent visual magnitude varies from 0.2 to 1.2, which means that Betelgeuse occasionally outshines its bright neighbour Rigel. This, however, only happens very rarely. The star’s variation in brightness was first noted by Sir John Herschel in his Outlines of Astronomy in 1836. Betelgeuse is believed to be about 10 million years old, which is not much for a red supergiant, but the star is thought to have evolved very rapidly because of its enormous mass. It will likely explode as a supernova in the next million years. When it does, it will be easy to find in the sky, not just at night, but also in broad daylight. At its current distance from the solar system, the supernova would shine brighter than the Moon and be the brightest ever recorded supernova in history. The origin of the name Betelgeuse is not entirely certain.

The last part, -elgeuse, is derived from the Arabic name for the constellation, al-Jauzā’, which was a feminine name from old Arabian legends and can be roughly translated as “the middle one.” The most widely accepted explanation is that the name is a corruption of the Arabic phrase Yad al-Jauzā’ , or the Hand of al-Jauzā’, which is to say, the hand of Orion, which became Betelegeuse through a mistransliteration into medieval Latin, with the first Arabic letter standing for y being mistaken for the one for b, which led to the name Bait al-Jauzā’, or “the house of Orion” during the Renaissance. This eventually led to the star’s modern name, Betelgeuse. The Winter Triangle and Hexagon Betelgeuse is part of two prominent winter asterisms: the Winter Triangle and the Winter Hexagon . The other two stars forming the Winter Triangle , also known as the Great Southern Triangle, are Sirius and Procyon, the brightest stars in the constellations Canis Major and Canis Minor respectively.

The same stars are also part of the Winter Hexagon, along with Rigel, Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus , Capella in Auriga , and Pollux and Castor in Gemini . Bellatrix – γ Orionis (Gamma Orionis, 24 Orionis) Bellatrix, sometimes also known as the Amazon Star, is the third brightest star in Orion and the 27th brightest star in the sky, only slightly dimmer than Castor in Gemini . Its name comes from the Latin word for “the female warrior.” It has a mean apparent visual magnitude of 1.64 and is approximately 240 light years distant. Bellatrix is a hot, luminous blue-white giant star, classified as an eruptive variable. Its magnitude varies between 1.59 and 1.64. The star belongs to the spectral class B2 III. It is one of the hotter stars visible to the naked eye. It emits about 6,400 times more light than the Sun and has eight or nine solar masses. Within a few million years, Bellatrix will become an orange giant and eventually a massive white dwarf.

Before its own variability was confirmed, Gamma Orionis was used as a standard for stellar luminosity, one against which other stars were compared and checked for variability. ORION’S BELT – Mintaka, Alnilam and Alnitak (Delta, Epsilon and Zeta Orionis) Orion’s Belt: Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka, are the bright bluish stars from east to west (left to right) along the diagonal in this gorgeous cosmic vista. Otherwise known as the Belt of Orion, these three blue supergiant stars are hotter and much more massive than the Sun. They lie about 1,500 light-years away. Photo: Astrowicht Orion’s Belt is one of the best known asterisms in the night sky. It is formed by three bright stars in the constellation Orion: Mintaka (Delta Orionis), Alnilam (Epsilon Orionis), and Alnitak (Zeta Orionis). Mintaka – δ Orionis (Delta Orionis, 34 Orionis) Mintaka, Delta Orionis, is the westernmost of the three stars in the Belt of Orion . It is the right-most star when observed from the Northern Hemisphere, facing south.

The name Mintaka is derived from the Arabic word manţaqah, which means “area” or “region.” Mintaka is a multiple star, classified as an eclipsing binary variable. The primary component is a double star consisting of a class B giant and a hot class O star which orbit each other every 5.63 days and eclipse each other slightly, causing a 0.2 magnitude drop in luminosity. The system also contains a magnitude 7 star separated by about 52” from the primary component, and a very faint 14th magnitude star in between. Mintaka is approximately 900 light years distant. Its brightest components are both roughly 90,000 times as luminous as our Sun and have more than 20 solar masses. They will both end their lives in violent supernova explosions. In the order of brightness, the apparent magnitudes of the components are 2.23 (3.2/3.3), 6.85, 14.0. Mintaka is the faintest of the three stars in Orion’s Belt and the seventh brightest star in Orion.

It is the closest bright star to the celestial equator: it rises and sets almost exactly east and west. Alnilam – ε Orionis (Epsilon Orionis, 46 Orionis) Alnilam, Epsilon Orionis, is a hot, bright blue supergiant. It has an apparent magnitude of 1.70 and is approximately 1,300 light years distant. It belongs to the spectral class B0. Alnilam and NGC 1990. The photo was taken by Glen Youman of the website astrophotos.net. Alnilam is the central star in Orion’s Belt . It is the fourth brightest star in the Orion constellation and the 30th brightest star in the night sky. It radiates about 375,000 solar luminosities. The star’s Flamsteed designation is 46 Orionis. Alnilam is surrounded by the reflection nebula NGC 1990, a molecular cloud illuminated by the light emitted by the star. The wind blowing from the star’s surface has the speed of 2,000 kilometres per second. The star’s estimated age is around four million years.

It is losing mass and its internal hydrogen fusion is shutting down. Alnilam will soon evolve into a red supergiant, one much brighter than Betelgeuse , and eventually explode as a supernova. The name Alnilam comes from the Arabic word an-niżām, which is related to the word nażm, which means “the string of pearls.” Alnitak – ζ Orionis (Zeta Orionis, 50 Orionis) Orion’s Belt stars and Flame Nebula, photo: Davide De Martin, Digitized Sky Survey, ESA, ESO, NASA FITS Liberator Alnitak, Zeta Orionis, is a multiple star system in Orion, approximately 700 light years distant. It has an apparent magnitude of 1.72. The name Alnitak is derived from the Arabic word an-nitaq, which means “the girdle.” The brightest component in the system, Alnitak A, is yet another hot, blue supergiant, one with an absolute magnitude of -5.25. The star has a visual magnitude of 2.04 and belongs to the spectral class O9. It is the brightest O class star known.

It is in fact a close binary star, composed of the O9.7 class supergiant, one with a mass 28 times solar, and a blue dwarf belonging to the spectral class OV, with an apparent magnitude of about 4. The dwarf was first discovered in 1998. Alnitak and the Flame Nebula, Atlas Image courtesy of 2MASS, UMass, IPAC-Caltech, NASA, NSF Alnitak is the easternmost star in Orion’s Belt . The system lies next to the bright emission nebula IC 434. The nebula was first discovered by William Herschel on February 1, 1786. Saiph – κ Orionis (Kappa Orionis, 53 Orionis) Kappa Orionis, or Saiph, is the southeastern star of Orion’s central quadrangle. It is the sixth brightest star in the constellation, with an apparent visual magnitude of 2.06. The star is approximately 720 light years distant. Saiph is a blue supergiant, belonging to the spectral class B0.5.

Its name is derived from the Arabic phrase saif al jabbar, which means “the sword of the giant.” Like many other bright stars in Orion, Saiph too will end its life in a supernova explosion. Hatsya – ι Orionis (Iota Orionis) Hatsya, or Iota Orionis, is a quadruple star system in the constellation Orion. It is the brighest star in Orion’s sword and marks the sword’s tip. The star has the traditional names Hatsya and the Arabic Na’ir al Saif, which is translated as “the bright one of the sword.” The primary component in the Iota Orionis system is a massive spectroscopic binary star that has an eccentric 29-day orbit. The system is composed of a blue giant belonging to the spectral class O9 III and a class B1 III star. The binary is a strong X-ray source as a result of the collision of the stellar winds coming from the pair. Iota Orionis has an apparent magnitude of 2.77 and is approximately 1,300 light years distant from the solar system.

Meissa – λ Orionis (Lambda Orionis) Lambda Orionis is blue giant belonging to the spectral type O8III, approximately 1,100 light years distant. It has a visual magnitude of 3.39. The star’s traditional name, Meissa, comes from the Arabic Al-Maisan, which means the shining one. Lambda Orionis is also sometimes called Heka, from the Arabic Al Hakah, or a white spot, referring to the Arabic lunar mansion that includes both Lambda and Phi Orionis. Meissa is really a double star. The companion, a hot blue-white dwarf belonging to the spectral class B0.5V, has an apparent magnitude of 5.61 and is separated from the brighter component by 4.4 arcseconds. φ Orionis (Phi Orionis) Phi Orionis refers to two star systems in Orion, Phi-1 Orionis and Phi-2 Orionis, separated by 0.71° degrees. Phi-1 Orionis is a double star approximately 1,000 light years distant. The main component is a main sequence star belonging to the spectral type B0, with an apparent magnitude of 4.39.

Phi-2 Orionis is a K0 class giant approximately 115 light years distant. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 4.09. π Orionis (Pi Orionis) Pi Orionis is a relatively loose group of stars that constitute Orion’s shield. Unlike most binary and multiple stars that share the same Bayer designation, the stars in the Pi Orionis system are fairly wide apart. Pi-1 Orionis and Pi-6 Orionis are separated by almost nine degrees. Pi-1 Orionis (7 Orionis) is the faintest star in the system. It is a white main sequence dwarf with an apparent magnitude of 4.60, approximately 120 light years distant. The star belongs to the spectral type A0. Pi-2 Orionis (2 Orionis) is also a main sequence dwarf, belonging to the spectral class A1Vn. It is located 194 light years from Earth and has a visual magnitude of 4.35. Pi-3 Orionis (1 Orionis), also known as Tabit, is the brightest of the six stars.

It is a white dwarf belonging to the spectral class F6V, only 26.32 light years distant from Earth. The star is very similar to the Sun, with 1.2 solar masses, 1.3 times the solar radius, and three times the Sun’s luminosity. For this reason, Pi-3 Orionis is considered a possible location for Earth-size planets. The star’s traditional name, Tabit, comes from the Arabic Al-Tabit, which means “the endurer.” Pi-4 Orionis (3 Orionis) has an apparent magnitude of 3.69 and is 1,250 light years distant. It is one of the most luminous stars known. It is really a spectroscopic binary star, composed of two hot class B2 stars, a giant and a subgiant. They make a very close pair and cannot be resolved, even through a telescope. Only their spectra give away the fact that they are two stars, not one. The stars orbit each other with a period of 9.5191 days.

Both of them have masses about 10 times that of the Sun and their respective luminosities are 16,200 and 10,800 times that of the Sun. Pi-5 Orionis (8 Orionis) has an apparent magnitude of 3.70 and is 1,342 light years distant from the solar system. Pi-6 Orionis (10 Orionis) is a bright orange giant belonging to the spectral class K2II. It is a variable star with a mean visual magnitude of 4.45. The star lies 954 light years from Earth. η Orionis (Eta Orionis) Eta Orionis is an eclipsing binary star system that consists of two blue stars, belonging to the spectral type B0.5V, approximately 900 light years distant. It belongs to the Orion Arm, which is a minor spiral arm of the Milky Way, sometimes also known as the Orion Spur or the Orion-Cygnus Arm.

Eta Orionis, located just to the west of Orion’s Belt , has several traditional names: Saiph (which it shares with Kappa Orionis), Algjebbah, and Ensis, which means “sword” in Latin. The star is classified as a Beta Lyrae variable, a type of close binary star with variations in brightness caused by one component occasionally passing in front of the other one. It has a visual magnitude of 3.38. σ Orionis (Sigma Orionis) Sigma Orionis is a multiple star system in Orion constellation. It consists of five stars located a little south of Alnitak. The components’ apparent magnitudes range from 4.2 to 6.7. The system is approximately 1,150 light years distant. The primary component in the Sigma Orionis system is a double star, Sigma Orionis AB, composed of two hydrogen-fusing dwarfs separated by only 0.25 arcseconds. The brighter star is blue. It belongs to the spectral type O9V, and has an apparent magnitude of 4.2. The companion belongs to the spectral class B0.5V and has a visual magnitude of 5.1.

The two stars orbit each other every 170 years. Sigma Orionis C is a dwarf star belonging to the spectral type A2V. It has an apparent magnitude of 8.79. Sigma Orionis D and E are also dwarfs. Both belong to the spectral type B2V and their respective magnitudes are 6.62 and 6.66. Sigma Orionis E is notable for being exceptionally rich in helium. τ Orionis (Tau Orionis) Tau Orionis belongs to the spectral class B5III and is 555 light years distant. With an apparent magnitude of 3.59, the star can be seen without binoculars. χ1 Orionis (Chi-1 Orionis) Chi-1 Orionis is a main sequence dwarf, only 28 light years distant from Earth. It belongs to the spectral type G0V and has an apparent magnitude of 4.39. It has a faint red dwarf for a companion, with an orbital period of 14.1 years. Gliese 208 Gliese 208 is an orange dwarf, belonging to the spectral class K7.

It has an apparent magnitude of 8.9 and is only 37.1 light years distant. The star is believed to have passed only 5 light years from the Sun approximately 500,000 years ago. V380 Orionis V380 Orionis and the reflection nebula NGC 1999, image: NASA and the Hubble Heritage Team V380 Orionis is a triple star system that lights the reflection nebula NGC 1999, located near the Orion Nebula . The nebula has a huge hole of empty space appearing as a black patch in its central region. The reason why the patch appears black has not yet been determined, but one theory suggests that narrow jets of gas from the neighbouring young stars may have punctured the sheet of dust and gas in the nebula and strong radiation from an older star in the region may have helped create the hole. The nebula lies about 1,500 light years from Earth. V380 Orionis belongs to the spectral type A0 and is approximately 1,000 light years distant.

GJ 3379 GJ 3379 is the nearest Orion constellation star to the solar system. It is located only 17.5 light years away. It is a red dwarf, belonging to the spectral class M3.5V, with a visual magnitude of 11.33. GJ 3379 is believed to have come within 4.3 light years from the Sun about 163,000 years ago. DEEP SKY OBJECTS IN ORION Orion Molecular Cloud Complex The Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, or simply the Orion Complex, is comprised of a large group of dark clouds, bright emission and reflection nebulae, dark nebulae, H II regions (large clouds showing recent star forming activity) and young stars in the constellation Orion. The Orion Complex is between 1,500 and 1,600 light years distant. Several parts of it – the famous Orion Nebula, for one – can be seen with the naked eye.

The Orion Molecular Cloud Complex contains most of the well-known deep sky objects in Orion: the Orion Nebula , Barnard’s Loop, the Flame Nebula , the Horsehead Nebula , Messier 43 and Messier 78. Orion Nebula – Messier 42 (M42, NGC 1976) The Orion Nebula , or Messier 42, is a diffuse emission reflection nebula located south of the three stars that form Orion’s Belt . Sometimes it is also called the Great Nebula or the Great Orion Nebula. Orion Nebula – Messier 42, photo: ESO, J. Emerson, VISTA. Acknowledgment: Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit The nebula is one of the brightest ones in the sky and can be seen without binoculars. It has a visual magnitude of 4.0 and is 1,344 light years distant from Earth. To the naked eye, the Orion Nebula appears as the slightly blurry central “star” in Orion’s Sword, south of Orion’s Belt . Messier 42 is the nearest known region of massive star formation to the solar system. It is part of the Orion Molecular Cloud Cluster.

The Orion Nebula contains the Trapezium, or the Orion Trapezium Cluster , a very young open cluster easily recognizable by its four brightest stars, which form a trapezium-shaped asterism. The Trapezium (Orion Trapezium Cluster) The Trapezium is a young, tight open star cluster located in the centre of the Orion Nebula. It is 47 arcseconds in size and has an apparent magnitude of 4.0. The cluster was first discovered by Galileo Galilei on February 4, 1617. He drew three of the stars (A, C and D), and the fourth one was added by observers in 1673. By 1888, eight stars were discovered in the cluster. The brightest five emit most of the light that illuminates the surrounding nebula. The Orion Trapezium Cluster is easily identifiable in the sky by the asterism formed by the four brightest stars, A, B, C and D.

Trapezium Cluster, photo: NASA, ESA, Hubble The brightest and most massive star in the cluster, component C, is Theta-1 Orionis C, a blue main sequence star belonging to the spectral class O6pe V. The star has a visual magnitude of 5.13 and is approximately 1,500 light years distant. It is one of the most luminous stars known, with an absolute magnitude of -3.2. Theta-1 Orionis C is also the star with the highest surface temperature of any star that is visible to the naked eye: 45,500 K. De Mairan’s Nebula – Messier 43, photo: ESA, Hubble & NASA De Mairan’s Nebula – Messier 43 (M43, NGC 1982) Messier 43, or De Mairan’s Nebula, is a star-forming emission-reflection nebula in Orion. The famous H II region was first discovered by the French chronobiologist, astronomer and geophysicist Jean-Jacques Dortous de Mairan in 1731.

Charles Messier later designated the nebulosity Messier 43 and included it in his catalogue. De Mairan’s Nebula is part of the Orion Nebula, but separated from it by a large lane of interstellar dust. It has an apparent magnitude of 9.0 and is 1,600 light years distant. The nebula is located about seven arc minutes north of the Trapezium cluster. Messier 78 – NGC 2068, photo: ESO and Igor Chekalin Messier 78 (M78, NGC 2068) Messier 78 is a reflection nebula in Orion. It was first observed by the French astronomer Pierre Méchain in 1780 and included in Messier’s catalogue later that year. The nebula surrounds two 10th magnitude stars and can easily be found in a small telescope. It also contains some 45 T Tauri type variables, young stars still in the process of formation. Messier 78 has a visual magnitude of 8.3 and is 1,600 light years distant.

Horsehead Nebula The Horsehead Nebula, also known as Barnard 33 , is a famous dark nebula in Orion. It is located south of Alnitak, in the bright emission nebula IC 434. The Horsehead Nebula is approximately 1,500 light years distant. It was discovered by the American astronomer Williamina Fleming in 1888. Horsehead Nebula – Barnard 33, photo: Travis Rector (NOAO) The nebula got the name Horsehead because of the shape formed by the dark dust clouds and gases, one that resembles the head of a horse when observed from Earth. Barnard’s Loop, photo: Hewholooks Barnard’s Loop Barnard’s Loop is an emission nebula located in the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. The nebula has an an apparent magnitude of 5 and is about 1,600 light years distant from the solar system. It is believed to have originated in a supernova explosion about two million years ago. Barnard’s Loop was named after E.E. Barnard, the astrophotographer who photographed the nebula and published a decription in 1894.

Barnard’s Loop is approximately 150 light years in radius and it covers much of the Orion constellation. It appears as a large arc centred on Messier 42 (the Orion Nebula). The loop is believed to be ionized by the stars located in the Orion Nebula. The Flame Nebula – NGC 2024, photo: ESO, J. Emerson, VISTA, Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit The Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) The Flame Nebula is an emission nebula in Orion. It has a visual magnitude of 2.0 and is between 900 and 1,500 light years distant. The Flame Nebula is illuminated by the light of the hot blue supergiant Alnitak, the easternmost star in Orion’s Belt . Alnitak emits ultraviolet light into the nebula, knocking electrons away from the hydrogen gas clouds inside the nebula, and the glow of the nebula is the result of the electrons and ionized hydrogen recombining. The Flame Nebula resides in the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex.

The 37 Cluster – NGC 2169 The 37 Cluster – NGC 2169, photo: ScottRak NGC 2169 is an open star cluster, approximately 3,600 light years away from the solar system. It has an apparent magnitude of 5.9. The cluster was originally discovered by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Batista Hodierna in the mid-17th century and then later independently spotted by William Herschel on October 15, 1784. It is sometimes called The 37 Cluster because it resembles the number 37. NGC 2169 is just under seven arc minutes in diameter and consists of about 30 stars, which are only eight million years old. The brightest one has an apparent magnitude of 6.94. NGC 2023, photo: ESA, Hubble & NASA NGC 2023 NGC 2023 is a reflection nebula in Orion constellation. The nebula is notable for being one of the brightest sources of fluorescent molecular hydrogen.

It is lit by the B star HD 37903, the most luminous star lighting the surface of the molecular cloud Lynds 1630 (Horsehead Nebula, or Barnard 33), and one of the largest reflection nebulae in the sky. It is four light years wide. NGC 2023 can be found a third of a degree from the Horsehead Nebula. It is 1467.7 light years distant from Earth. Monkey Head Nebula – NGC 2174, photo: ESA, Hubble, NASA Monkey Head Nebula – NGC 2174 NGC 2174 is an emission nebula classified as an H II region. It is associated with the open cluster NGC 2175, also located in Orion. The nebula is approximately 6,400 light years distant. It is also known as the Monkey Head Nebula because of its unusual shape in widefield images. Astronomy Amazing Space: Orion the Hunter constellation > News story > News illustration The figure of Orion the Hunter, as imagined by Johannes Hevelius in the 1600s.

Other artists have drawn Orion differently, sometimes facing us. Orion as a stick-figure, with club and shield. The orange circle shows the location of the Orion Nebula within the constellation. Could you identify Orion the Hunter? For more information about where and when to look, go to Tonight's Sky and watch the February show. Orion the Hunter appears in the winter sky, with his bow and his hunting dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor, trailing behind him. Greek mythology tells us that Orion was known as a talented hunter. His boast that he could rid the earth of all the wild animals, however, angered the Earth goddess, Gaia. She sent a scorpion to defeat Orion. Orion tried to battle the scorpion, but he quickly realized that he could not shoot his arrow through the creature’s armor. To avoid the scorpion, he jumped into the sea. It was then that Apollo (the Greek god of the Sun) decided to take action. He pointed out to his twin sister, Artemis, a small black object in the sea. Claiming it was a horrible villain, he dared her to shoot it with her bow and arrow. Artemis easily hit the target.

When she swam out to retrieve her victim, however, she discovered that the villain was her friend, Orion. Artemis begged the gods to bring Orion back to life, but they refused. So, instead, she put Orion’s picture in the sky so that she could always see him. IMAGE CREDIT: Hevelius' drawing, courtesy U.S. Naval Observatory Orion Constellation: Facts About the Hunter Orion Constellation: Facts About the Hunter By Kim Ann Zimmermann | July 19, 2012 04:46pm ET MORE While the Orion constellation is named after the hunter in Greek mythology, it is anything but stealthy. Orion, which is located on the celestial equator, is one of the most prominent and recognizable constellations in the sky and can be seen throughout the world. Orion is the brightest and most beautiful of the winter constellations. Some of its stars, including Betelgeuse and Rigel, are among the brightest stars. Credit: Starry Night Software Locating Orion the Hunter Orion is clearly visible in the night sky from November to February.

Orion is in the southwest sky if you are in the Northern Hemisphere or the northwestern sky if you are in the Southern Hemisphere. It is best seen between latitudes 85 and -75 degrees. Its right ascension is 5 hours, and its declination is 5 degrees. Alnilam, Mintaka and Alnitak, which form Orion’s belt, are the most prominent stars in the Orion constellation. Betelgeuse, the second brightest star in Orion, establishes the right shoulder of the hunter. Bellatrix serves as Orion's left shoulder. The Orion Nebula —a formation of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionized gases rather than a star—is the middle "star" in Orion’s sword, which hangs off of Orion's Belt. The Horsehead Nebula is also nearby. Other stars in the constellation include Hatsya, which establishes the tip of Orion's sword that hangs off the belt, and Meissa, which forms Orion's head. Saiph serves as Orion's right knee. Rigel forms the hunter's left knee.

With one exception, all of the main stars in Orion are bright young blue giants or supergiants, ranging in distance from Bellatrix (243 light-years) to Alnilam (1,359 light-years). The Orion Nebula is farther away than any of the naked eye stars at a distance of about 1,600 light-years. One light-year is the distance light travels in a single year, about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion kilometers). The exception is the star Betelgeuse, which is a red giant and one of the largest stars known. It is also the only star in the sky large enough and close enough to have been imaged as a disk in the Hubble Space Telescope. Observers with a keen eye should be able to see the difference in color between Betelgeuse and all the other stars in Orion. [ Space Photos: Orion Nebula & Other Stunning Views ] The stars Alnilam, Mintaka and Alnitak form Orion’s belt.

Credit: Martin Mutti, Astronomical Image Data Archive Mythology There are several versions of the myth of Orion, but one of the more common iterations is that Orion proclaimed himself to be the greatest hunter in the world, much to the dismay of Hera, the wife of Zeus. She had a scorpion kill him, and Zeus put Orion into the sky as consolation. In another version, Orion is blinded for raping Merope, a granddaughter of the god Dionysis. He has to travel East to seek the sun's rays to recover his sight. While the name Orion is steeped in Greek mythology, many cultures have been influenced by the story of this constellation. Orion has also associated with the Egyptian Pharaoh of the Fifth Dynasty called Unas. In Hungary, Orion is known as (magic) Archer (Íjász), or Scyther (Kaszás). Scandinavians refer to "Orion's belt" as Frigg's Distaff. — Kim Ann Zimmermann Constellations ancient and modern grace the skies year round. Let's see what you know about the star patterns that appear overhead every night.

Constellations: Orion - Windows to the Universe Myths about Orion Orion Orion, the Hunter, is by far the most famous seasonal constellation . No other is more distinct or bright as this northern winter constellation. The famous Orion's Belt makes the hunter easy to find in the night sky. Orion looks very much like a person. First, you should spot Orion's Belt, which is made of three bright stars in a straight line. One of Orion's legs is represented by the bright star Rigel , one of the brightest stars in the night sky. His two shoulders are made of the stars Bellatrix and Betelgeuse . You can see Betelgeuse's reddish color without a telescope. Other bright stars make up the two arms, one which holds a shield, and another that carries a club. Many different civilizations saw this constellation in the sky. The most famous stories come from Greek and Roman myths. Orion was a famed hunter, and in one story boasted that no creature could kill him. Hera then sent a scorpion to sting the hunter. Orion smashed the animal with his club, but not before he was poisoned. Both are now on opposite sides of the sky. They cannot be seen at the same time.

A different story tells of the love between Orion and the goddess, Artemis . One day, Orion was swimming out in the sea. Apollo, who very much disliked the man, bet his sister that she couldn't hit the object in the sea with her bow. Artemis didn't realize it was her lover, and shot Orion with an arrow. When she later found out what she had done, she honored the hunter by putting him in the sky. There are several clusters and nebulae to view in this awesome constellation. The famous Orion Nebula is located in Orion's sword, which hangs from the belt. It is so bright, that even the naked eye can see the fuzzy patch. It looks spectacular even with a small telescope or binoculars. There are numerous other objects in Orion, so scan the constellation with a telescope or binoculars on a clear night! Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store! The Fall 2009 issue of The Earth Scientist , which includes articles on student research into building design for earthquakes and a classroom lab on the composition of the Earthï¿½s ancient atmosphere, is available in our online store .

Windows to the Universe Community News New Constellation Symbols New Constellation Symbols Calligraphic version | Fixed-width version There are symbols for the twelve classical constellations of the zodiac, which are primarily used for astrological purposes. Two symbols have been proposed for Ophiuchus, the thirteenth constellation of the zodiac - one in general use in Japanese astrology and the other based on the rod of Aesclepius. For the book One Hundred Year Star-Diary , I created symbols for a number of meteor showers. My symbols for the showers that emanate from zodiacal constellations were based on the symbols for those constellations. For the other ones, I created new constellation symbols - representing Lyra, Orion, Perseus, Ursa Minor, and the obsolete constellation Quadrans Muralis. Having created symbols for those constellations, I wondered - could I make symbols for the rest of them? Over the course of two years, I have done exactly that. In some cases a diagram of the star pattern made a good symbol - in other cases, I've illustrated the object, creature, or myth represented by the constellation.

For the more recent constellations I have sometimes taken inspiration from the diagrams and drawings provided by the constellation's creator. The constellations of the zodiac Aries Snake's Tail Notes for selected constellations: Aquila, Cassiopeia, Delphinus, Orion, Sagitta, Triangulum, Triangulum Australe, Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor all contain very distinctive star patterns. I've taken a few liberties with their shapes, especially with Triangulum Australe, to create symbols that are simple enough to be learnable and different from other astronomical and astrological symbols. (Triangulum Australe also contains the letter A.) Carina, Puppis, and Vela are the 3 parts of the obsolete constellation Argo Navis, the ship Argo. Their symbols fit together to make a picture of the Argo. Antlia, the Air Pump, was named by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille. Its symbol is based on Lacaille's original drawing of it in his Planisphere, published in 1756. Fornax, Reticulum, and Sculptor are also based on Lacaille's depictions.

Cepheus was a possibly mythical king of the Phoenician kingdom of Aethiopia. His Greek name, Kepheus, means "gardener". His symbol combines a crown, a tree or flower, and the Phoenician letter for the "k" sound. Coma Berenices commemorates Queen Berenice of Egypt sacrificing her hair to Aphrodite. The symbol depicts a severed lock of hair. The symbols for Corona Australis and Corona Borealis, the Northern and Southern Crowns, are simply crowns containing the letters A and B respectively. Crux is a cross-shaped constellation visible in the southern hemisphere. It points toward the south pole, which is why its symbol has combined a cross and an arrow. Draco has a number of interpretations, many based on a dragon or serpent guarding a tree or other object. Hercules's symbol is based on the story of the "Pillars of Hercules". Horologium's right ascension is about 3 hours, so it's appropriate for its symbol to be showing 3:00. Hydra and Hydrus are female and male water-snakes in the north and south of the southern hemisphere, respectively.

Their symbols have their heads facing north and south, and also slightly resemble the feminine Venus and masculine Mars symbols. Indus, the "Indian", was intended to represent a native of the Americas. In illustrations it has often been depicted as a man with a handful of arrows, so I've used those arrows as its symbol. Leo Minor's symbol is a simplification of Leo's symbol. Likewise, the symbol for Canis Minor is a simplification of Canis Major's symbol, with Canes Venatici being a further simplification. Vulpecula is a long-eared variant. Lupus is a larger "dog" with a tail, or maybe just a single ear. Lynx is so-named because it is faint and one would need "the eyesight of a lynx" to see it. The symbol is an eye with a feline vertical pupil. Mensa, which borders the Large Magellanic Cloud, is named for South Africa's often-cloud-covered Table Mountain. Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish, also contains an A. Quadrans Muralis is an obsolete constellation which depicts the astronomical instrument called a Mural Quadrant.

It's included because it gives its name to the Quadrantids meteor shower. Constellation Guide | StarDate Online Constellation Guide Constellation Guide The International Astronomical Union recognizes 88 constellations covering the entire northern and southern sky. Here is a selection of the most familiar and easily seen constellations in the northern sky. Constellation Guide Virgo How did the constellations get their names? Most constellation names are Latin in origin, dating from the Roman empire, but their meanings often originated in the distant past of human civilization. Scorpius, for instance, was given its name from the Latin word for scorpion, but ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs from before 3000 B.C. refer to the star group as "Ip," the scorpion king. Orion, the hunter, bears a Greek name, but had been seen as a hunter-hero figure since the times of ancient Babylon. Of course, many of the constellation names are more modern -- Telescopium, the telescope, being a rather obvious newcomer. In fact, by the 19th century the night sky had become crowded with overlapping and often contradictory constellation boundaries and names as different schools of astronomy prepared their own versions of star maps.

To clear up the confusion, names and boundaries were "officially" assigned to 88 constellations by the International Astronomical Union in 1930, providing complete coverage of the entire sky. How do the signs of the zodiac relate to astronomy? Though many people start their days by checking their horoscope in the newspaper, the 12 constellations of the zodiac are no more important to astronomers than the other 76 constellations. The significance of the zodiac stems from the fact that the ecliptic -- the narrow path on the sky that the Sun, Moon, and planets appear to follow -- runs directly through these star groupings. Since ancient times, the Sun, Moon, and planets have been known as special astronomical objects -- they "wander" through the background stars of the zodiac, which remain fixed with respect to each other. It was reasoned that these zodiacal constellations must be special to make up this path, and the relative positions of the "wandering stars" within them bore great importance.

True scientific astronomy has its roots in the attempts of ancient astrologers to predict future occurrences of, for instance, imperial Jupiter and the blood-red planet Mars meeting within the charging bull of Taurus -- a potentially powerful omen for those who believed the planets represented the gods themselves. Search form Make Way for the Wintermaker - Sky & Telescope Sky & Telescope Download Your Free Astrophotography Primer Now from Sky & Telescope! * November 12, 2014 There's more than one way to see the constellations. Here's a look through Native American eyes. The grand figure of Orion the Hunter brightens November skies, rising around 9 p.m. local time in late November. Johannes Hevelius, 1690 Orion the Hunter is arguably one of the most recognizable constellations in the sky. Striding the celestial equator, he charges up from this eastern horizon around 9 o'clock in late November, club in one hand and shield in the other. Weaponized and ready, this dude's got hunting on his mind. But there's another Orion.

In the eyes of the Ojibwe people, one of the largest groups of Native Americans on the North American continent, Orion was and still is Biboonkeonini, the Wintermaker. Want to blame someone for frozen fingers and all that snow you'll soon be shoveling? Wintermaker's your guy. The Ojibwe constellation of the Wintermaker includes the familiar stars of our Orion, but his outstretched arms reach to include Procyon in Canis Minor and Aldebaran in Taurus. The painting depicts the Ojibwe way of seeing star figures — both their inner spirit and outer form. Annette Lee The Wintermaker, a skilled canoeist, ushers in the cold and winds that characterize the season. Northern hemisphere skywatchers associate these same qualities with hunterly Orion, but the western character and myth have no direct seasonal connection like the Ojibwe constellation. Still, it's fascinating that both figures are formed of nearly identical stars, testimony to the striking pattern and strong impression Orion–Wintermaker made on two very different cultures. The Fisher (bottom) and Loon take the place of our Big and Little Dippers in native Ojibwe constellation mythology.

Annette Lee Wintermaker is joined this month by Ojiig the Great Fisher (Big Dipper), a weasel or marten-like animal considered a great hero by the Ojibwe people. Legend has it he freed the birds and season of spring by tricking their captor. On a dark night, we can trace the stars forming the bucket of the nearby Little Dipper (Ursa Minor). Maang the Loon resides here. He's a transcendent symbol, standing at the tenuous border between the material and spirit world in Ojibwe mythology. If you've ever heard a loon at night on a camping trip, you'd be inclined to agree. Is there any sound that better embodies the feel of wilderness? Here it is (click left end of bar to play): The basis for our modern list of 88 constellations goes back at least 6,000 years to the peoples who lived in Babylonia, now modern-day Iraq. They did one thing we still do best: connect random, unrelated objects into patterns. What better place to play this game than the star-sprinkled sky?

Some of their patterns we still recognize — a lion (Leo), a scorpion (Scorpius), and a bull (Taurus), among others. Recognize these two? Mooz, or Moose, is formed of stars we know as Pegasus the Winged Horse. Cygnus the Swan (upper right) is the Ojibwe Ajiijaak, or Crane. The Moose provides food, clothing, and shelter; the Crane inspires strength and determination. Annette Lee The ancient Greeks and Romans added their own patterns to the mix, bequeathing us the 48 classical constellations . In the first half of the 15th century, Europeans created new patterns from hitherto unfamiliar southern hemisphere stars seen for the first time during the oceanic voyages of discovery. Still later, mapmakers and astronomers filled in little gaps between constellations with small additional figures. Some tried to sneak in the likes of a typewriter (Officina Typographica), a stargazing fish (Uranoscopus), and toad (Bufo) , but sadly, these and others didn't make the final cut.

The newest constellations, created in the mid-18th century when astronomers broke up the unwieldy Argo Navis , the Ship Argo, are Carina the Keel, Puppis the Poop Deck, and Vela the Sails. The curved tail of Mishi Bizhiw, the Mountain Lion or Great Panther, re-purposes Leo's Sickle and includes stars of Cancer. When the Panther was overhead in early spring, it was a reminder to not tempt fate and cross the dangerously thin ice of melting lakes. Annette Lee Constellations were standardized and their borders clearly defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in the late 1920s under the leadership of Belgian astronomer Eugene Delporte of the Royal Observatory of Brussels. Since then, no one's messed with boundaries or, for that matter, made up new constellations. Standards were needed so that astronomers around the planet could agree on what stars, particularly newly discovered variable stars and novae, belonged to what constellation. Dakota artist and assistant professor of physics and astronomy at St. Cloud State University created the paintings of traditional Ojibwe constellations used in this article. St.

Cloud State University We know and love the traditional constellations. Many of us have formed lifelong associations with their seasonal arrivals and departures. But sometimes it's nice to switch lenses and see how others see the sky. It's not only fun to connect the dots to make new patterns; at the same time, we broaden our understanding of another culture. No matter Greek, Polynesian, Chinese, or Ojibwe, each civilization imbues the starry heavens with their own unique vision of life. Instructive stories, moral guidance, and lessons in human fallibility have been heaped upon the stars for you and I to ponder on the next clear night. All the beautiful paintings used in this article were created by Annette Lee , assistant professor of astronomy and physics at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota and member of the Dakota-Sioux tribe. Lee also directs the planetarium at the university and researches Ojibwe and Lakota star lore and mythology. She's currently involved with the Native Skywatchers Project , an initiative to revive and celebrate indigenous peoples' connection to the stars. See her complete Ojibwe star map and Lakota map .

Question: What constellation depicts a hunter with club and a shield?
Answer: ORION