Orion: The Central One

Orion is an easy star shape to find. It is full of bright stars that shine through city light pollution, and brighten up our winter nights. This is an updated version of a previous post - enjoy! 

Orion, Taurus, and Comet Lovejoy. Image Credit: APOD and Mike Cavaroc

Orion and the Big Dipper are the two star-shapes most people remember learning about. Why is Orion so prominent? 

Orion and El Castillo. Image Credit: APOD and Los Cielos de America

Well, for one, it is full of bright stars. The seven main stars of Orion are some of the brightest in the sky. (Ever wondered why the stars seem brighter in the winter? It is because they actually are! This article has a great explanation.) Orion is also on the celestial equator, and so visible all over the world. It also really does look like a human stick figure, making it easy to recognize in the sky. 

By 9 PM, Orion will be high in the south. Look for the three bright stars close together in his belt, and the four stars in a rectangle around the belt, marking his shoulders and feet. Image Credit: Stellarium

The name Orion comes from a Greek myth. Orion was a massive, powerful hunter. In a popular version of the tale, Orion claimed he could kill every animal on Earth. This angered Gaia, the goddess of the earth, who sent a scorpion to kill Orion. The two foes killed each other, and according to one legend were placed on opposite sides of the sky. They never appear in the sky at the same time, so they will never battle in the heavens. You can see Orion in the winter, and Scorpius in the summer.

Johannes Hevelius shows Orion as a mighty hunter. The raised arm usually is holding a club, but sometimes is shown holding a sword. Image Credit: Firmamentum Sobiescianum sive Uranographia

The ancient Arab astronomers saw something different in the sky. Where we see Orion and Gemini, they saw a mighty female warrior. Her name was al-jauza, meaning "the central one". She may have been associated with the goddess al-Uzza "The Mightiest One". The name of the bright orange star in Orion's shoulder, Betelgeuse, hints at Orion's alternate depiction. It comes from the words yad al-jauza, either "hand of the central one" or "armpit of the central one". 

The Central One. Notice Orion's belt marking her back. The heads of what we think of as the Gemini Twins are in her bow. Image Credit

The three stars in Orion's belt are grouped as a set in many different cultures. The Finn's called it Väinämöisen viikate, a scythe. The Seri people of Mexico called the three stars Hapj, representing a mule deer, a pronghorn, and a bighorn sheep. In Spain and most of Latin America, the belt stars are known as Las tres Marías, or "The Three Marys". These are just a few of the varied imaginings of Orion's stars in different cultures. 

You can't miss Orion in the winter, since he is so big and bright. Once you get used to finding Orion, you can use him to find other winter constellations - like his hunting dogs.

Good luck finding Orion next time you are out at night! If you want to learn how to find Orion or other constellations, visit the Dome at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.  Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for daily updates! And sign up for the Interplanetary 5K race or 1 mile walk - you'll run to the orbit of Mars and back in our scale model of the Solar System!