Orion (constellation)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Constellation | |
 List of stars in Orion |
|
| Abbreviation | Ori |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Orionis |
| Pronunciation | /ɒˈraɪ.ən/ |
| Symbolism | Orion |
| Right ascension | 5 h |
| Declination | +5° |
| Quadrant | NQ1 |
| Area | 594 sq. deg. (26th) |
| Main stars | 7 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars |
81 |
| Stars with planets | 6 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 8 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 8 |
| Brightest star | Rigel (β Orionis) (0.12m) |
| Nearest star | GJ 3379 (17.51 ly, 5.37 pc) |
| Messier objects | 3 |
| Meteor showers | Orionids Chi Orionids |
| Bordering constellations |
Gemini Taurus Eridanus Lepus Monoceros |
| Visible at latitudes between +85° and −75°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of January.  Credit: Mouser Williams |
|
For other uses, see Orion (disambiguation).
Orion, often referred to as The Hunter, is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. It is one of the most conspicuous, and most recognizable constellations in the night sky.[1] Its name refers to Orion, a hunter in Greek mythology.
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[edit] Visualizations
See also: List of stars in Orion
Orion as depicted in Urania’s Mirror, a set of constellation cards published in London c.1825.
Orion includes the prominent asterism known as the Belt of Orion: three bright stars in a row. Surrounding the belt at roughly similar distances are four bright stars, which are considered to represent the outline of the hunter’s body. Descending from the ‘belt’ is a smaller line of three stars (the middle of which is in fact not a star but the Orion Nebula), known as the hunter’s ‘sword’.
In artistic renderings, the surrounding constellations are sometimes related to Orion: he is depicted standing next to the river Eridanus with his two hunting dogs Canis Major and Canis Minor, fighting Taurus the bull. He is sometimes depicted hunting Lepus the hare.
There are alternative ways to visualize Orion. From the Southern Hemisphere, Orion is oriented differently, and the belt and sword are sometimes called the Saucepan, or Pot in Australia/New Zealand. Orion’s Belt is called Drie Konings (Three Kings) or the Drie Susters (Three Sisters) by Afrikaans speakers in South Africa,[2] and are referred to as les Trois Rois (the Three Kings) in Daudet‘s Lettres de Mon Moulin (1866). The appellation Driekoningen (the Three Kings) is also often found in 17th- and 18th-century Dutch star charts and seaman’s guides. The same three stars are known in Spain and Latin America as “The Three Marys“.
In the tropics (less than about 8° from the equator) the constellation transits in the zenith which is best seen in Nov-Feb each year. In the northern hemisphere, it is a winter constellation because from Apr-Aug it can only be viewed in the southern hemisphere. However, in Antarctica it is best seen in the winter months of the southern hemisphere, due to the summer sun not setting and therefore no stars are visible. From May-July in the southern hemisphere, Orion is in the ‘daytime’ sky; however for most of Antarctica, the Sun is below the horizon even at midday, so stars (and thus Orion) are most visible at twilight for a couple of hours around midday low in the North. On the South Pole itself (Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station) only Rigel is 8° above the horizon and the belt sweeps just along the horizon.
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Using Orion to find stars in neighbor constellations
Orion is very useful as an aid to locating other stars. By extending the line of the Belt southeastward, Sirius (α CMa) can be found; northwestward, Aldebaran (α Tau). A line eastward across the two shoulders indicates the direction of Procyon (α CMi). A line from Rigel through Betelgeuse points to Castor and Pollux (α GemWinter Circle. Sirius and Procyon, which may be located from Orion by tracing lines, also are points in both the Winter Triangle and the Circle.[3] and β Gem). Additionally, Rigel is part of the
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