When you talk about the constellations, there is one that stands out from the crowd; Orion, the Hunter.  Since the constellation is located on the Celestial Equator, it is visible throughout the world.  It also lends its name to the Orionid meteor shower, to which you should be paying attention, since the shower reaches its peak around October 21st.

An unusual view of Orion, for STS59/NASA

The Constellation Orion formed about 1.5 mya, and will be recognizable for at least another million years.  Orion has been a feature in the folklore of every human civilization, even the Australian aborigines.

One of the most recognizable features of the constellation is Orion’s Belt, an asterism consisting of three bright stars in a line:  Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka.  Mintaka is actually an eclipsing binary variable star system, not a single star.

Orion - Besser Museum Planetarium

From Orion’s Belt, almost everybody can find the gorgeous Betelgeuse, a massive red super-giant.  Betelgeuse is expected to supernova sometime in the next thousand years, and lately has been doing some weird “stuff”, which many astronomers believe is a preamble to supernova.  As you know, I’m torn about the prospect of this beautiful giant going supernova.

After Betelgeuse, the next most recognized star in the constellation is Rigel.  A rare blue supergiant, Rigel is the sixth brightest star in the night sky.  Rigel is known to be fusing heavy elements in its core, which as you know signals the approaching end of a star’s life.  This bright beauty is responsible for illuminating several celestial objects, like the Witch Head Nebula.

Orion - image by Torsten Bronger, some rights reserved

Suspended from Orion’s Belt is his sword.  On the sword you find the Orion Nebula, which can be seen nicely with binoculars on a clear night.  This little hotbed of star formation is a beautiful sight, no matter how you view it.

Orion can be used to find other objects in the sky.  For example, if you follow the line of Orion’s Belt to the Southeast, you’ll run into Sirius.  Go Northwest along the line and you find Aldebaran.

Hubble and Spitzer team up for a look at the Orion Nebula - NASA/ESA

Truly one of the most known and loved of constellations; a hunter, a warrior, a shepherd, or just a familiar friend in the infinite.  Every time I look up and search the night sky, I look for Orion.  I’ve never lost the satisfaction of finding it.