Orion (constellation)
Constellation | |
Monoceros | |
Visible at latitudes between +85° and −75°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of January. |
Orion is a prominent set of stars visible during winter in the
Orion is most prominent during winter evenings in the Northern Hemisphere, as are five other constellations that have stars in the Winter Hexagon asterism. Orion's two brightest stars, Rigel (β) and Betelgeuse (α), are both among the brightest stars in the night sky; both are supergiants and slightly variable. There are a further six stars brighter than magnitude 3.0, including three making the short straight line of the Orion's Belt asterism. Orion also hosts the radiant of the annual Orionids, the strongest meteor shower associated with Halley's Comet, and the Orion Nebula, one of the brightest nebulae in the sky.
Characteristics
Orion is bordered by Taurus to the northwest, Eridanus to the southwest, Lepus to the south,
Orion is most visible in the evening sky from January to April,[3] winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. In the tropics (less than about 8° from the equator), the constellation transits at the zenith.
In the period May–July (summer in the Northern Hemisphere, winter in the Southern Hemisphere), Orion is in the daytime sky and thus invisible at most latitudes. However, for much of Antarctica in the Southern Hemisphere's winter months, the Sun is below the horizon even at midday. Stars (and thus Orion, but only the brightest stars) are then visible at twilight for a few hours around local noon, just in the brightest section of the sky low in the North where the Sun is just below the horizon. At the same time of day at the South Pole itself (Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station), Rigel is only 8° above the horizon, and the Belt sweeps just along it. In the Southern Hemisphere's summer months, when Orion is normally visible in the night sky, the constellation is actually not visible in Antarctica because the sun does not set at that time of year south of the Antarctic Circle.[4][5]
In countries close to the equator (e.g., Kenya, Indonesia, Colombia, Ecuador), Orion appears overhead in December around midnight and in the February evening sky.
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 Gem and β Gem). Additionally, Rigel is part of the Winter Circle asterism. Sirius and Procyon, which may be located from Orion by following imaginary lines (see map), also are points in both the Winter Triangle and the Circle.[6]
Features
Orion's seven brightest stars form a distinctive hourglass-shaped asterism, or pattern, in the night sky. Four stars—Rigel, Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, and Saiph—form a large roughly rectangular shape, at the center of which lies the three stars of Orion's Belt—Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. His head is marked by an additional 8th star called Meissa, which is fairly bright to the observer. Descending from the "belt" is a smaller line of three stars, Orion's Sword (the middle of which is in fact not a star but the Orion Nebula), also known as the hunter's sword.
Many of the stars are luminous hot blue supergiants, with the stars of the belt and sword forming the
Bright stars
- semiregular variable star.[7] It serves as the "right shoulder" of the hunter (assuming that he is facing the observer). It is generally the eleventh brightest star in the night sky, but this has varied between being the tenth brightest to the 23rd brightest by the end of 2019.[8][9] The end of its life is expected to result in a supernova explosion that will be highly visible from Earth, possibly outshining the Earth's moon and being visible during the day. This is most likely to occur within the next 100,000 years.[10]
- heavy elements in its core and will pass its supergiant stage soon (on an astronomical timescale), either collapsing in the case of a supernova or shedding its outer layers and turning into a white dwarf. It serves as the left foot of the hunter.[11]
- Bellatrix is designated Gamma Orionis by Johann Bayer. It is the twenty-seventh brightest star in the night sky. Bellatrix is considered a B-type blue giant, though it is too small to explode in a supernova. Bellatrix's luminosity is derived from its high temperature rather than a large radius.[12] Bellatrix marks Orion's left shoulder and it means the "female warrior", and is sometimes known colloquially as the "Amazon Star".[13] It is the closest major star in Orion at only 244.6 light years from our solar system.
- eclipsing binary variable star, where the eclipse of one star over the other creates a dip in brightness. Mintaka is the westernmost of the three stars of Orion's Belt, as well as the northernmost.[6]
- Alnilam is designated Epsilon Orionis and is named for the Arabic phrase meaning "string of pearls".[6]It is the middle and brightest of the three stars of Orion's Belt. Alnilam is a B-type blue supergiant; despite being nearly twice as far from the Sun as the other two belt stars, its luminosity makes it nearly equal in magnitude. Alnilam is losing mass quickly, a consequence of its size. It is the farthest major star in Orion at 1,344 light years.
- class O starin the night sky.
- Saiph is designated Kappa Orionis by Bayer, and serves as Orion's right foot. It is of a similar distance and size to Rigel, but appears much fainter. It means the "sword of the giant"
- Meissa is designated Lambda Orionis, forms Orion's head, and is a multiple star with a combined apparent magnitude of 3.33. Its name means the "shining one".
Proper name |
Bayer designation | Light years | Apparent magnitude |
---|---|---|---|
Betelgeuse | α Orionis | 548 | 0.50 |
Rigel | β Orionis | 863 | 0.13 |
Bellatrix | γ Orionis | 250 | 1.64 |
Mintaka | δ Orionis | 1,200 | 2.23 |
Alnilam | ε Orionis | 1,344 | 1.69 |
Alnitak | ζ Orionis | 1,260 | 1.77 |
Saiph | κ Orionis | 650 | 2.09 |
Meissa | λ Orionis | 1,320 | 3.33 |
Belt
Orion's Belt or The Belt of Orion is an
Just southwest of Alnitak lies Sigma Orionis, a multiple star system composed of five stars that have a combined apparent magnitude of 3.7 and lying 1150 light years distant. Southwest of Mintaka lies the quadruple star Eta Orionis.
Sword
.Head
Three stars comprise a small triangle that marks the head. The apex is marked by Meissa (Lambda Orionis), a hot blue giant of spectral type O8 III and apparent magnitude 3.54, which lies some 1100 light years distant. Phi-1 and Phi-2 Orionis make up the base. Also nearby is the very young star FU Orionis.
Club
Stretching north from Betelgeuse are the stars that make up Orion's club. Mu Orionis marks the elbow, Nu and Xi mark the handle of the club, and Chi1 and Chi2 mark the end of the club. Just east of Chi1 is the Mira-type variable red giant U Orionis.
Shield
West from Bellatrix lie six stars all designated Pi Orionis (π1 Ori, π2 Ori, π3 Ori, π4 Ori, π5 Ori and π6 Ori) which make up Orion's shield.
Meteor showers
Around 20 October each year the Orionid meteor shower (Orionids) reaches its peak. Coming from the border with the constellation Gemini as many as 20 meteors per hour can be seen. The shower's parent body is Halley's Comet.[18]
Deep-sky objects
Hanging from Orion's belt is his sword, consisting of the multiple stars θ1 and θ2 Orionis, called the
M78 (NGC 2068) is a nebula in Orion. With an overall magnitude of 8.0, it is significantly dimmer than the Great Orion Nebula that lies to its south; however, it is at approximately the same distance, at 1600 light-years from Earth. It can easily be mistaken for a comet in the eyepiece of a telescope. M78 is associated with the variable star V351 Orionis, whose magnitude changes are visible in very short periods of time.[20] Another fairly bright nebula in Orion is NGC 1999, also close to the Great Orion Nebula. It has an integrated magnitude of 10.5 and is 1500 light-years from Earth. The variable star V380 Orionis is embedded in NGC 1999.[21]
Another famous
NGC 2174 is an emission nebula located 6400 light-years from Earth.
Besides these nebulae, surveying Orion with a small telescope will reveal a wealth of interesting deep-sky objects, including M43, M78, as well as multiple stars including Iota Orionis and Sigma Orionis. A larger telescope may reveal objects such as the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024), as well as fainter and tighter multiple stars and nebulae. Barnard's Loop can be seen on very dark nights or using long-exposure photography.
All of these nebulae are part of the larger Orion molecular cloud complex, which is located approximately 1,500 light-years away and is hundreds of light-years across. It is one of the most intense regions of stellar formation visible within our galaxy.
History and mythology
The distinctive pattern of Orion is recognized in numerous cultures around the world, and many myths are associated with it. Orion is used as a symbol in the modern world.
Ancient Near East
The
In ancient Egypt, the stars of Orion were regarded as a god, called Sah. Because Orion rises before Sirius, the star whose heliacal rising was the basis for the Solar Egyptian calendar, Sah was closely linked with Sopdet, the goddess who personified Sirius. The god Sopdu is said to be the son of Sah and Sopdet. Sah is syncretized with Osiris, while Sopdet is syncretized with Osiris' mythological wife, Isis. In the Pyramid Texts, from the 24th and 23rd centuries BC, Sah is one of many gods whose form the dead pharaoh is said to take in the afterlife.[24]
The Armenians identified their legendary patriarch and founder Hayk with Orion. Hayk is also the name of the Orion constellation in the Armenian translation of the Bible.[25]
The Bible mentions Orion three times, naming it "Kesil" (כסיל, literally – fool). Though, this name perhaps is etymologically connected with "Kislev", the name for the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar (i.e. November–December), which, in turn, may derive from the Hebrew root K-S-L as in the words "kesel, kisla" (כֵּסֶל, כִּסְלָה, hope, positiveness), i.e. hope for winter rains.: Job 9:9 ("He is the maker of the Bear and Orion"), Job 38:31 ("Can you loosen Orion's belt?"), and Amos 5:8 ("He who made the Pleiades and Orion").
In ancient
Greco-Roman antiquity
In
The constellation is mentioned in Horace's Odes (Ode 3.27.18), Homer's Odyssey (Book 5, line 283) and Iliad, and Virgil's Aeneid (Book 1, line 535)
Middle East
In medieval
China
In
The
India
The Rigveda refers to the Orion Constellation as Mriga (The Deer).[32]
Nataraja, 'the cosmic dancer', is often interpreted as the representation of Orion. Rudra, the Rigvedic form of Shiva, is the presiding deity of Ardra nakshatra (Betelgeuse) of Hindu astrology.[33]
The Jain Symbol carved in Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, India in 1st century BCE[34] has striking resemblance with Orion.
Bugis sailors identified the three stars in Orion's Belt as tanra tellué, meaning "sign of three".[35]
European folklore
In old
In Scandinavian tradition, Orion's belt was known as "Frigg's Distaff" (friggerock) or "Freyja's distaff".[37]
The Finns call Orion's belt and the stars below it "Väinämöinen's scythe" (Väinämöisen viikate).[38] Another name for the asterism of Alnilam, Alnitak and Mintaka is "Väinämöinen's Belt" (Väinämöisen vyö) and the stars "hanging" from the belt as "Kaleva's sword" (Kalevanmiekka).
In Siberia, the Chukchi people see Orion as a hunter; an arrow he has shot is represented by Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri), with the same figure as other Western depictions.[39]
There are claims in popular media that the Adorant from the Geißenklösterle cave, an ivory carving estimated to be 35,000 to 40,000 years old, is the first known depiction of the constellation. Scholars dismiss such interpretations, saying that perceived details such as a belt and sword derive from preexisting features in the grain structure of the ivory.[40][41][42][43]
Americas
The Seri people of northwestern Mexico call the three stars in the belt of Orion Hapj (a name denoting a hunter) which consists of three stars: Hap (mule deer), Haamoja (pronghorn), and Mojet (bighorn sheep). Hap is in the middle and has been shot by the hunter; its blood has dripped onto Tiburón Island.[44]
The same three stars are known in Spain and most of Latin America as "Las tres Marías" (Spanish for "The Three Marys"). In Puerto Rico, the three stars are known as the "Los Tres Reyes Magos" (Spanish for The three Wise Men).[45]
The
To the
Austronesian
The seven primary stars of Orion make up the
In Māori tradition, the star Rigel (known as Puanga or Puaka) is closely connected with the celebration of Matariki. The rising of Matariki (the Pleiades) and Rigel before sunrise in midwinter marks the start of the Māori year.[53]
Contemporary symbolism
The imagery of the belt and sword has found its way into popular western culture, for example in the form of the shoulder insignia of the 27th Infantry Division of the United States Army during both World Wars, probably owing to a pun on the name of the division's first commander, Major General John F. O'Ryan.[54][55]
The film distribution company Orion Pictures used the constellation as its logo.[56]
Depictions
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. He is sometimes depicted hunting Lepus the hare. He sometimes is depicted to have a lion's hide in his hand.
There are alternative ways to visualise Orion. From the
Even traditional depictions of Orion have varied greatly.
Future
Orion is located on the celestial equator, but it will not always be so located due to the effects of precession of the Earth's axis. Orion lies well south of the ecliptic, and it only happens to lie on the celestial equator because the point on the ecliptic that corresponds to the June solstice is close to the border of Gemini and Taurus, to the north of Orion. Precession will eventually carry Orion further south, and by AD 14000, Orion will be far enough south that it will no longer be visible from the latitude of Great Britain.[58]
Further in the future, Orion's stars will gradually move away from the constellation due to proper motion. However, Orion's brightest stars all lie at a large distance from the Earth on an astronomical scale—much farther away than Sirius, for example. Orion will still be recognizable long after most of the other constellations—composed of relatively nearby stars—have distorted into new configurations, with the exception of a few of its stars eventually exploding as supernovae, for example Betelgeuse, which is predicted to explode sometime in the next million years.[59]
See also
- EURion constellation
- Hubble 3D(2010), IMAX film with an elaborate CGI "fly-through" of the Orion Nebula
- Orion correlation theory
- Orion (mythology)
- Orion (Chinese astronomy)
- Aurvandill
- Glooscap
- Heiheionakeiki
- Julpan
- Nataraja
- Osiris
- Papsukkal
- Urania
- Winter Hexagon
References
Explanatory notes
- determiner glyph for "constellation" or "star" in these lists is MUL (𒀯). See Babylonian star catalogues.
Citations
- ^ "Orion, Constellation Boundary". The Constellations. International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
- Bibcode:1922PA.....30..469R.
- ISBN 978-0-521-71405-1.
- ^ "A Beginner's Guide to the Heavens in the Southern Hemisphere". dibonsmith.com.
- ^ "The Evening Sky Map Southern Hemisphere Edition". skymaps.com.
- ^ a b c Staal 1988, p. 61.
- ^ "Variable Star of the Month, Alpha Ori". Variable Star of the Season. American Association of Variable Star Observers. 2000. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
- ^ "Waiting for Betelgeuse: What's Up with the Tempestuous Star?". December 26, 2019.
- ^ Dolan, Chris. "Betelgeuse". Archived from the original on 2011-11-24. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ^ Prior, Ryan (26 December 2019). "A giant red star is acting weird and scientists think it may be about to explode". CNN.
- University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. 2009. Archived from the originalon February 22, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
- University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. 2009. Archived from the originalon February 22, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
- ^ Dolan, Chris. "Bellatrix". Archived from the original on 2011-11-30. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ^ "Alnitak". Stars.astro.illinois.edu. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
- University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. 2009. Archivedfrom the original on 2011-11-24. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
- University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. 2009. Archivedfrom the original on 2011-11-24. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
- ^ Dolan, Chris. "Orion". Archived from the original on 2011-12-07. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
- ^ Jenniskens, Peter (September 2012). "Mapping Meteoroid Orbits: New Meteor Showers Discovered". Sky & Telescope. p. 22.
- ISBN 978-1-55407-175-3.
- ^ Levy 2005, pp. 99–100.
- ^ Levy 2005, p. 107.
- Bibcode:1998JBAA..108....9R.
- ^ Babylonian Star-lore by Gavin White, Solaria Pubs, 2008, page 218ff & 170
- ^ Wilkinson, Richard H. (2003). The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. pp. 127, 211
- ^ Kurkjian, Vahan (1968). "History of Armenia". uchicago.edu. Michigan. 8.
- Peake's commentary on the Bible, 1962, page 260 section 221f.
- ^ "Star Tales – Orion". www.ianridpath.com.
- ^ Staal 1988, pp. 61–62.
- ISBN 0-300-11410-9.
- ^ Kaler, James B., "SAIPH (Kappa Orionis)", Stars, University of Illinois, retrieved 2012-01-27
- ISBN 957-813-478-9
- S2CID 26503807.
- S2CID 26503807.
- ^ ""Must See" Indian Heritage". asimustsee.nic.in. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
- ISBN 978-1-4419-7623-9.
- ^ Toroczkai-Wigand Ede : Öreg csillagok ("Old stars"), Hungary (1915) reedited with Műszaki Könyvkiadó METRUM (1988).
- ^ Schön, Ebbe. (2004). Asa-Tors hammare, Gudar och jättar i tro och tradition. Fält & Hässler, Värnamo. p. 228.
- ^ Elo, Ismo. "Tähdet ja tähdistöt". Ursa.fi. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
- ^ a b Staal 1988, p. 63.
- ISBN 0199675619, 9780199675616, google books
- ^ Rappenglück, Michael (2001). "The Anthropoid in the Sky: Does a 32,000 Years Old Ivory Plate Show the Constellation Orion Combined with a Pregnancy Calendar". Symbols, Calendars and Orientations: Legacies of Astronomy in Culture. IXth Annual meeting of the European Society for Astronomy in Culture (SEAC). Uppsala Astronomical Observatory. pp. 51–55.
- ^ "The Decorated Plate of the Geißenklösterle, Germany". UNESCO: Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
- ^ Whitehouse, David (January 21, 2003). "'Oldest star chart' found". BBC. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
- ^ Moser, Mary B.; Marlett, Stephen A. (2005). Comcáac quih yaza quih hant ihíip hac: Diccionario seri-español-inglés (PDF) (in Spanish and English). Hermosillo, Sonora and Mexico City: Universidad de Sonora and Plaza y Valdés Editores.
- ^ a b "Home – El Nuevo Día". Elnuevodia.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
- ^ "Windows to the Universe". Windows2universe.org. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
- ^ "Hawaiian Star Lines".
- ISBN 9789715501354.
- ^ Encarnación, Juan Félix (1885). Diccionario bisaya español [Texto impreso] (in Spanish and Cebuano). p. 30.
- ^ "BALATIK: Katutubong Bituin ng mga Pilipino | Philippine Social Sciences Review".
- ^ "Pinoy ethnoastronomy: How the stars guided our ancestors - FlipScience". 18 December 2020.
- ^ "Balátik".
- ^ "Puanga: The star that heralds Matariki". Tertiary Education Union/Te Hautū Kahurangi. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ Hart, Albert Bushnell (1920). Harper's Pictorial Library of the World War, Volume 5. New York: Harper & Brothers. p. 358.
- ^ Moss, James Alfred; Howland, Harry Samuel (1920). America in Battle: With Guide to the American Battlefields in France and Belgium. Menasha, Wisconsin: Geo. Banta Publishing Co. p. 555.
- ^ Kim, Wook (2012-09-21). "Mountain to Moon: 10 Movie Studio Logos and the Stories Behind Them". Time.com. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
- ^ "The Three Kings and the Cape Clouds: Two astronomical puzzles". psychohistorian.org. Archived from the original on 2010-01-29. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
- ^ "Precession". Myweb.tiscali.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2018-07-23. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
- ^ Wilkins, Alasdair (20 January 2011). "Earth may soon have a second sun". io9. Space Porn.
Bibliography
- Levy, David H. (2005). Deep Sky Objects. Prometheus Books. ISBN 1-59102-361-0.
- Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). Stars and Planets Guide, Collins, London. ISBN 978-0-691-13556-4.
- Staal, Julius D. W. (1988), The New Patterns in the Sky, McDonald and Woodward Publishing Company, ISBN 0-939923-04-1
External links
- The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Orion
- Melbourne Planetarium: Orion Sky Tour
- Views of Orion from other places in our Galaxy
- The clickable Orion
- Ian Ridpath's Star Tales – Orion
- Deep Widefield image of Orion
- NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: Orion: Head to Toe (23 October 2010)
- Beautiful Astrophoto: Zoom Into Orion
- Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (medieval and early modern images of Orion)