Mythology

The constellation is named after a Hunter in Greek mythology, Orion. The Orion constellation is visible throughout the world, one of the most recognizable constellations. There are a few versions of the mythology of Orion, about his birth and his death. One of the versions is that Orion's parents are Neptune (the sea god) and Queen Euryale of the Amazons (the great huntress). It is said he got his hunting skills from his mother. Orion the hunter was known as a talented hunter and took pride in knowing he can take out any and every animal on Earth, just to show how good of a hunter he is. This is how he then angered Gaia, the Earth goddess, and she sent a scorpion to defeat him. Orion couldn't defeat the scorpion so he jumped into the sea. (Ivan).

Apollo, the Greek God of the sun, got involved. Apollo told his sister Artemis to shoot a small black object in the sea because it was a terrible villain. Artemis agreed and hit the object in the sea, and when she swam out to see what it was she realized she had hit her own friend Apollo. Saddened by what she had done, Artemis pleaded to the Gods to bring her friend Orion back to life, but they didn't comply with her. Artemis then decided to put Orion's picture in the sky so she can always see and remember him. (Ivan). The different versions of the Greek mythology story behind Orion just varies, depending on who the "real parents" of Orion are, the story changes. Most have in common that he passed due to his own ego getting the best of him and getting him into problems with the Gods. Orion was in every story known as a great hunter with such great talent but couldn't help but place himself in problems with others.

Constellation

The Orion constellation is visible from November to February located in the southwestern sky if viewing from the Northern hemisphere or located in the northwestern hemisphere if viewing it from the Southern hemisphere. It lays in the celestial equator. Seen best between latitudes +85 and -75 degrees. Orion is the 26th constellation in size. It occupies an area of 594 square degrees and in the first quadrant (NQl). Eridanus, Gemini, Lepus, Monoceros and Taurus are the neighboring constellations of Orion. (Constellation Guide).

Primary stars

The Orion constellation contains 2 of the 10 brightest stars in the sky, Rigel and Betelgeuse. It contains a few famous nebulae including the Orion Nebula, De Mairan's Nebula and the Horsehead Nebula, as well as the Orion's belt.

Rigel's name comes from an Arabic phrase, "Rijl Jauzah al Yusra," meaning "The left leg of the Jauzah". Some say the name also translates to, "the left leg of the giant" referring to Orion the hunter. Rigel is a triple star system, it is 17 times larger than our Sun and shines 47,000 times brighter. Rigel A is 500 times brighter than Rigel B. It is about 870 light years away from the Sun, and its temperature is about 19,000 degrees F. Rigel is the 6th brightest star in the sky, and the brightest star in the Orion constellation. It is a blue supergiant, and expected to end in a supernova one day, with the magnitude of .18. Rigel is about 770 light years away from Earth.

Rigel right ascension is 5 hours 14 minute 32.3 seconds, and Declination is -8 degrees 12 minutes 6 seconds. (Howell). Betelgeuse is a red supergiant located 642.5 light years away with a visual magnitude of 0.42. Betelgeuse is the 10th brightest star in the sky. The 3 bright stars in the middle of the constellation represents Orion's sword belt that includes Alnilam, Mintaka and Alnitak. The stars in the constellation are slowly moving but because of the distances of them they will still be recognized as part of the constellation of Orion for a long time. It is 430 light years away from Earth and scientists strongly believe it will one day explode into a supernova because it is near it's end of time. Once it does come to its end, it's said that it will brighten up for weeks as bright as the full moon and be visible in bright daylights. Due to its distance from Earth, once Betelgeuse explodes into a supernova it will not have any effect on us or harm us. Betelgeuse is 6,000 degrees F and is 10,000 times brighter than the Sun in visible light. Betelgeuse is also 600 times wider than the Sun, and 15 times the mass. (Sessions)

Object of interest