Orion is the brightest and most beautiful of the winter constellations, full of fascinating objects for the curious skygazer.
CREDIT: Starry Night Software
The constellation Orion is perhaps the best known pattern in the night sky, rivaling the Big Dipper in fame, and the month of December is a great time for observers to reacquaint themselves with this celestial gem.
Formed from a distinctive pattern of bright stars, it is full of interesting and varied objects of interest to beginner and experienced astronomer alike.
Located on the celestial equator, Orion is well placed for observers in all parts of the world except in the polar regions.
As seen by observers in the northern hemisphere, Orion the Hunter is represented by two bright stars, Betelgeuse and Bellatrix, marking his shoulders, and two more bright stars, Saiph and Rigel, marking his knees.
His head is marked by Meissa and his belt, at a jaunty angle, by three stars in a line: Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. Hanging from his belt is his sword, with the famous Orion Nebula as its centerpiece.
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