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The Belt and Sword Region of Orion: The Orion Nebula is visible to the upper right; the Flame and Horsehead Nebulae to the lower left. Photo by Susan Carroll.
If you look up to the south on a clear winter’s night, you will see what is perhaps the best-known constellation in the night sky - Orion, the Hunter. Its distinct pattern and numerous bright stars make Orion (pronounced oh-RYE-un) easy to recognize. According to ancient myths, the constellation Orion represents a great hunter, and Canis Major and Canis Minor were his hunting dogs. Orion is visible in the night sky all over the world.
The two brightest stars in Orion, Betelgeuse (pronounced BET-el-jooz) and Rigel, mark the hunter’s right shoulder and left knee (some say foot), respectively. The three stars in a row between Rigel and Betelgeuse are Orion’s belt.
If you look closely at Betelgeuse, you will see that it has a distinct orange color. Rigel, by contrast, is blue. Stars have different colors due to different temperatures. A metal rod heated in a fire first begins to glow red, then orange, yellow, and finally white as it continues to heat up. Stars follow the same pattern; red stars are the coolest. Orange stars, like Betelgeuse, come next, followed by yellow stars, like our own sun, white stars, and blue-white stars. Blue stars, such as Rigel, are among the hottest stars in the sky.
Hanging from the belt are three stars that form Orion’s sword. If you look at the second star in the sword through binoculars, or a telescope, you will see that this object is not a star at all, but a glowing cloud of gas called a nebula. This is M-42, the Orion Nebula, and is one of the most beautiful, and most photographed, objects in the night sky. The Orion Nebula is also one of the most active stellar nurseries in our galaxy; new stars are forming within the gas cloud. Some of these new stars even appear to have planets forming around them. Perhaps someday there will be a solar system like our own around one of these stars.
But Orion is also the home of probably the most famous absorption nebula in the sky. It’s catalog name is Barnard 33, but it is much better known as the Horsehead Nebula. Extremely difficult to see visually, it is another popular object for astrophotographers. An absorption nebula is a dark mass of dust and gas that absorbs light. However, the "horsey" shape is easy to see on photographs, because the dark "horse head" is surround by the faint emission nebula IC 434. To see the Horsehead through a telescope requires a fair amount of aperture (probably at least a 12" telescope) and an H-Beta filter, which makes the emission nebula, IC 434, stand out as a faintly glowing cloud of pink. The dark area within it is then fairly easy to pick out.
Another emission nebula that is easy to see, even with small scopes, is the Flame Nebula. It is right next to the star Zeta Orionis, the left of the three "belt" stars as Orion stands upright. You will need to get the star out of the field of view to see the Flame, but once you do, the wisps of pinkish-red are fairly easy to spot.
Orion is also home to many wonderful double and multiple star systems, starting with Theta 1 Orionis, more commonly known as the Trapezium. These four stars can be easily seen through a small telescope at the heart of the Orion Nebula. But a little close looking and a good steady night will reveal several more stars within the cloud. The first two to look for are the two small ones in the Trapezium. If you have a steady night, and a friend with a fairly large telescope, you may be able to count as many as 13 within this glowing cloud of gas.
Another famous multiple star system is Iota Orionis, which is the bottom "sword" star. This is a triple star, and early descriptions of this triple listed the stars as red, white, and blue in color. Take a look at it and see if you can pick out the different colors.
The constellation Orion offers a treasure-trove of objects to view, many of which are visible through binoculars. So if you’ve got a clear night during the late fall through early spring, take a look to the south. There you will see Orion the Hunter, in all his glory, with his two faithful hunting dogs at his heels. Orion is an awesome sight, even with the naked eye.
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