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51-713: The arm is named after the Orion Constellation , one of the most prominent constellations of the Northern Hemisphere in winter (or the Southern Hemisphere in summer). Some of the brightest stars in the sky as well as other well-known celestial objects of the constellation (e.g. Betelgeuse , Rigel , the three stars of Orion's Belt , and the Orion Nebula ) are found within it, as shown on Orion Arm's interactive map . The Orion arm

102-660: A belt and sword derive from preexisting features in the grain structure of the ivory. 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 . 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,

153-418: A child's string figure similar to a cat's cradle . Several precolonial Filipinos referred to the belt region in particular as "balatik" (ballista) as it resembles a trap of the same name which fires arrows by itself and is usually used for catching pigs from the bush. Spanish colonization later led to some ethnic groups referring to Orion's belt as "Tres Marias" or "Tatlong Maria." In Māori tradition,

204-704: A few kiloparsecs of the Sun. Their measurement has accuracy above ±10% and even 3%. The accurate locations of interstellar masers in HMSFRs (high-mass star-forming regions) suggests the Local Arm appears to be an orphan segment of an arm between the Sagittarius and Perseus arms that wraps around less than a quarter of the Milky Way. The segment has a length of ~20,000 ly in length and ~3,000 ly in width, with

255-614: A few hundred thousand years old. Observations by the Chandra X-ray Observatory show both the extreme temperatures of the main stars—up to 60,000 kelvins —and the star forming regions still extant in the surrounding nebula. 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

306-518: A hunter; an arrow he has shot is represented by Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri), with the same figure as other Western depictions. 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

357-462: A pitch angle of 10.1° ± 2.7° to 11.6° ± 1.8°. These results suggest the Local Arm is larger than previously thought, and both its pitch angle and star formation rate are comparable to those of the Galaxy’s major spiral arms. The Local Arm is reasonably referred to as the fifth feature in the Milky Way. To understand the form of the Local Arm between the Sagittarius and Perseus arms, the stellar density of

408-450: A runaway member of the same group. Orion's Belt or The Belt of Orion is an asterism within the constellation. It consists of the three bright stars Zeta (Alnitak), Epsilon (Alnilam), and Delta (Mintaka). Alnitak is around 800 light years away from earth and is 100,000 times more luminous than the Sun and shines with magnitude 1.8; much of its radiation is in the ultraviolet range, which

459-562: A specific population of stars with about 1 Gyr of age between 90° ≤ l ≤ 270° have been mapped using the Gaia DR2. The 1 Gyr population have been employed because they are significantly more-evolved objects than the gas in HMSFRs tracing the Local Arm. Investigations have been carried out to compare both the stellar density and gas distribution along the Local Arm. Researchers have found a marginally significant arm-like stellar overdensity close to

510-575: Is an asterism appearing to be in the form of a hexagon with vertices at Rigel , Aldebaran , Capella , Pollux , Procyon , and Sirius . It is mostly upon the Northern Hemisphere 's celestial sphere . On most locations on Earth (except the South Island of New Zealand and the south of Chile and Argentina and further south), this asterism is visible in the evening sky at the equator from approximately December to June, and in

561-417: Is best visible in the night sky during the month of January around 9:00 pm, when it is approximately around the local meridian . 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 . Orion's Sword contains the Orion Nebula ,

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612-640: Is close to its inner rim, about halfway along the arm's length, in a relative cavity in the arm's interstellar medium , known as the Local Bubble . It is approximately 8,000 parsecs (26,000 light-years) from the Galactic Center . Recently, the BeSSeL Survey ( Bar and Spiral Structure Legacy Survey ) analyzed the parallax and proper motion of more than 30 methanol (6.7-GHz) and water (22-GHz) masers in high-mass, star-forming regions within

663-624: Is embedded in NGC 1999. Another famous nebula is IC 434, the Horsehead Nebula , near ζ Orionis. It contains a dark dust cloud whose shape gives the nebula its name. 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

714-457: 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 Orion OB1 association . Standing out by its red hue, Betelgeuse may nevertheless be

765-414: Is known as "Archer" ( Íjász ), or "Reaper" ( Kaszás ). In recently rediscovered myths, he is called Nimrod ( Hungarian : Nimród ), the greatest hunter, father of the twins Hunor and Magor . The π and o stars (on upper right) form together the reflex bow or the lifted scythe. In other Hungarian traditions, Orion's belt is known as "Judge's stick" ( Bírópálca ). In Scandinavian tradition, Orion's belt

816-699: Is located between the Carina–Sagittarius Arm , the local portion of which projects toward the Galactic Center , and the Perseus Arm 's local portion, which forms the main outer-most arm. Scientists once believed the Orion arm to be a minor structure, namely a "spur" between Carina-Sagittarius and Perseus, but evidence presented in 2013 suggests the Orion Arm to be a branch of the Perseus Arm or possibly an independent arm segment. The Solar System

867-607: 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 . The Jain Symbol carved in Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves , India in 1st century BCE has striking resemblance with Orion. Bugis sailors identified the three stars in Orion's Belt as tanra tellué , meaning "sign of three". In old Hungarian tradition, Orion

918-532: Is one of the 88 modern constellations ; it was among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy . It is named after a hunter in Greek mythology . 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

969-495: 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. The Babylonian star catalogues of the Late Bronze Age name Orion SIPA.ZI.AN.NA , "The Heavenly Shepherd" or "True Shepherd of Anu" – Anu being the chief god of the heavenly realms. The Babylonian constellation is sacred to Papshukal and Ninshubur , both minor gods fulfilling

1020-664: Is the bison's head; and Sirius in Canis Major, known as Tayamnisinte, is its tail. Another Lakota myth mentions that the bottom half of Orion, the Constellation of the Hand, represented the arm of a chief that was ripped off by the Thunder People as a punishment from the gods for his selfishness. His daughter offered to marry the person who can retrieve his arm from the sky, so the young warrior Fallen Star (whose father

1071-529: 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. The distinctive pattern of Orion

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1122-589: The Messier 43 nebula, the Running Man Nebula , and the stars Theta Orionis , Iota Orionis , and 42 Orionis . 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 . Stretching north from Betelgeuse are

1173-522: 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 . Hanging from Orion's belt is his sword, consisting of the multiple stars θ1 and θ2 Orionis, called the Trapezium and the Orion Nebula (M42). This is a spectacular object that can be clearly identified with

1224-523: The Winter Triangle and the Circle. 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

1275-457: 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

1326-495: The right ascension coordinates of these borders lie between 04 43.3 and 06 25.5 , while the declination coordinates are between 22.87° and −10.97°. The constellation's three-letter abbreviation, as adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1922, is "Ori". Orion is most visible in the evening sky from January to April, winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and summer in

1377-569: 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

1428-468: The Local Arm, identified with the HMSFRs, especially in the region of 90° ≤ l ≤ 190°. The researchers have concluded that the Local Arm segment is associated only with gas and star-forming clouds, showing a significant overdensity of stars. They have also found that the pitch angle of the stellar arm is slightly larger than the gas-defined arm, and there is an offset between the gas-defined and stellar arm. These differences in pitch angles and offsets between

1479-515: 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

1530-531: 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

1581-477: The constellation Orion ( Chinese : 參宿 ; pinyin : shēnxiù ); its Shang dynasty version, over three millennia old, contains at the top a representation of the three stars of Orion's belt atop a man's head (the bottom portion representing the sound of the word was added later). The Rigveda refers to the Orion Constellation as Mriga (The Deer ). Nataraja , 'the cosmic dancer',

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1632-508: The dead pharaoh is said to take in the afterlife. 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 . The Bible mentions Orion three times, naming it "Kesil" (כסיל, literally – fool). Though, this name perhaps is etymologically connected with "Kislev", the name for

1683-403: The human eye cannot see. Alnilam is approximately 2,000 light years away from Earth, shines with magnitude 1.70, and with ultraviolet light is 375,000 times more luminous than the Sun. Mintaka is 915 light years away and shines with magnitude 2.21. It is 90,000 times more luminous than the Sun and is a double star: the two orbit each other every 5.73 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, Orion's Belt

1734-476: The larger asterism. The third vertex is Betelgeuse , which lies near the center of the hexagon. These three stars are three of the ten brightest objects , as viewed from Earth, outside the Solar System . Betelgeuse is also particularly easy to locate, being a shoulder of Orion , which assists stargazers in finding the triangle. Once the triangle is located, the larger hexagon may then be found. Several of

1785-511: The morning sky from July to the end of November, while in the evenings on the northern hemisphere it is less months visible between December and June, and on the southern hemisphere less months between July and November. In the tropics and southern hemisphere, this (then called "summer hexagon") can be extended with the bright star Canopus in the south. Smaller and more regularly shaped is the Winter Triangle , an approximately equilateral triangle that shares two vertices (Sirius and Procyon) with

1836-400: The naked eye as something other than a star. Using binoculars, its clouds of nascent stars, luminous gas, and dust can be observed. The Trapezium cluster has many newborn stars, including several brown dwarfs , all of which are at an approximate distance of 1,500 light-years. Named for the four bright stars that form a trapezoid , it is largely illuminated by the brightest stars, which are only

1887-639: 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. 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

1938-570: 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 Aram , the constellation

1989-739: The reason that the constellations of Scorpius and Orion are never in the sky at the same time. However, Ophiuchus , the Serpent Bearer, revived Orion with an antidote . This is said to be the reason that the constellation of Ophiuchus stands midway between the Scorpion and the Hunter in the sky. 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) In medieval Muslim astronomy , Orion

2040-573: The role of 'messenger to the gods'. Papshukal is closely associated with the figure of a walking bird on Babylonian boundary stones, and on the star map the figure of the Rooster is located below and behind the figure of the True Shepherd—both constellations represent the herald of the gods, in his bird and human forms respectively. In ancient Egypt , the stars of Orion were regarded as a god , called Sah . Because Orion rises before Sirius ,

2091-447: 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. 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

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2142-410: The sky. Orion is bordered by Taurus to the northwest, Eridanus to the southwest, Lepus to the south, Monoceros to the east, and Gemini to the northeast. Covering 594 square degrees , Orion ranks twenty-sixth of the 88 constellations in size. The constellation boundaries, as set by Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte in 1930, are defined by a polygon of 26 sides. In the equatorial coordinate system ,

2193-481: 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. In Javanese culture , the constellation is often called Lintang Waluku or Bintang Bajak , referring to the shape of a paddy field plow. Winter Hexagon The Winter Hexagon or Winter Circle/Oval

2244-539: 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

2295-469: The stars that make up Orion's club. Mu Orionis marks the elbow, Nu and Xi mark the handle of the club, and Chi and Chi mark the end of the club. Just east of Chi is the Mira-type variable red giant U Orionis . West from Bellatrix lie six stars all designated Pi Orionis ( π Ori , π Ori , π Ori , π Ori , π Ori and π Ori ) which make up Orion's shield. Around 20 October each year

2346-422: The stellar and HMSFR-defined spiral arms are consistent with the expectation that star formation lags behind gas compression in a spiral density wave that lasts longer than the typical star formation timescale of 10 − 10 years. The Orion Arm contains a number of Messier objects : Orion (constellation) Orion is a prominent set of stars visible during winter in the northern celestial hemisphere . It

2397-616: The three stars are known as the "Los Tres Reyes Magos" (Spanish for The three Wise Men ). The Ojibwa (Chippewa) Native Americans call this constellation Kabibona'kan, the Winter Maker, as its presence in the night sky heralds winter. To the Lakota Native Americans, Tayamnicankhu (Orion's Belt) is the spine of a bison. The great rectangle of Orion is the bison's ribs; the Pleiades star cluster in nearby Taurus

2448-552: Was a star and whose mother was human) returned his arm and married his daughter, symbolizing harmony between the gods and humanity with the help of the younger generation. The index finger is represented by Rigel; the Orion Nebula is the thumb; the Belt of Orion is the wrist; and the star Beta Eridani is the pinky finger. The seven primary stars of Orion make up the Polynesian constellation Heiheionakeiki which represents

2499-463: Was known as N phîlā′ , the Nephilim are said to be Orion's descendants. In Greek mythology , Orion was a gigantic, supernaturally strong hunter, born to Euryale , a Gorgon , and Poseidon ( Neptune ), god of the sea. One myth recounts Gaia 's rage at Orion, who dared to say that he would kill every animal on Earth. The angry goddess tried to dispatch Orion with a scorpion . This is given as

2550-458: Was known as al-jabbar , "the giant". Orion's sixth brightest star, Saiph , is named from the Arabic, saif al-jabbar , meaning "sword of the giant". In China , Orion was one of the 28 lunar mansions Sieu (Xiù) (宿). It is known as Shen (參) , literally meaning "three", for the stars of Orion's Belt. (See Chinese constellations ) The Chinese character 參 ( pinyin shēn) originally meant

2601-476: Was known as " Frigg 's Distaff " ( friggerock ) or " Freyja 's distaff". The Finns call Orion's belt and the stars below it " Väinämöinen 's scythe " ( Väinämöisen viikate ). 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

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