Explore the circuit constellation Orion near the celestial equator: quart of the starry sky, description with photos, bright stars, Betelgeuse, Orion's belt, facts, myth, legend.

Orion- this is one of the most striking and popular constellations, located on the celestial equator. They knew about it in ancient times. It was also called the Hunter because it has a connection with mythology and depicts the hunter Orion. He is often depicted standing in front of Taurus or chasing the Hare with two dogs (Canis Major and Canis Minor).

The constellation Orion contains two of the ten brightest stars - and, as well as the famous (M42), (M43) and. Also here you can find the Trapezium cluster and one of the most noticeable asterisms - Orion's Belt.

Facts, position and map of the Orion constellation

With an area of ​​594 square degrees, the constellation Orion ranks 26th in size. Covers the first quadrant in the northern hemisphere (NQ1). It can be found in latitudes from +85° to -75°. Adjacent to , and .

It contains 3 Messier objects: (M42, NGC 1976), (M43, NGC 1982) and (M78, NGC 2068), as well as 7 stars with planets. The brightest star is , whose visual magnitude reaches 0.18. In addition, it ranks 6th in brightness among all stars. The second star is (0.43), standing in 8th position in the general list. There are two meteor showers: the Orionids (October 21) and the Chi Orionids. The constellation is included in the Orion group along with, and. Consider the diagram of the constellation Orion on a star chart.

The myth of the constellation Orion

we need to explain the history and name of the constellation Orion. Hunter Orion was considered the most beautiful man. He is the son of Poseidon and Euryale (daughter of Minos). Homer in the Odyssey described him as tall and indestructible. In one of the stories, Orion fell in love with the Pleiades (7 sisters and daughters of Atlas and Pleione). Moreover, he began to pursue them. Zeus decided to hide them in the sky in the constellation Taurus. But even now you can notice that the hunter continues to follow them.

In another myth, the object of his adoration was Merope (daughter of King Oenopol), who did not reciprocate. One day he got drunk and tried to get her by force. Then the enraged king blinded him and drove him out of his lands. Hephaestus took pity on the man and sent one of his assistants to him to replace his eyes. One day Orion met the Oracle. He said that his vision would return if he arrived in the east at sunrise. And the miracle happened.

The Sumerians knew about Orion from the myth of Gilgamesh. They had their own hero, forced to fight the heavenly bull (Taurus - GUD AN-NA). They called Orion URU AN-NA - "light of heaven."

In cards he was often depicted fighting a bull, but this plot does not exist in mythology. Ptolemy described him as a hero with a club and a lion's skin, which is usually associated with Hercules. But since the constellation itself is not very noticeable, and Hercules had a feat with a bull, sometimes a connection is seen between them.

Almost all stories about his death include a scorpion. In one of them, Orion boasted to Artemis and her mother Leto that he could destroy any earthly creature. Then she sent a scorpion to him, which killed him with deadly poison. Or he tried to achieve the love of Artemis and then she also sent a scorpion. In another tale, Orion died from poison in an attempt to save Leto. Whatever the version, the ending is the same - a scorpion sting. Both ended up in the sky, with Orion setting behind the horizon in the west, as if running away from his killer.

But there is another story. Artemis fell in love with the hunter. But Apollo did not want her to give up her chastity. He gave her a bow and arrows and told her to shoot at a small target. She did not know that Orion was her, and she killed the man she desired.

Orion is popular in many cultures. In South Africa the three stars are called the “Three Kings” or “Three Sisters”, and in Spain they are called the “Three Marys”. In Babylon, Orion was called MUL.SIPA.ZI.AN.NA (Heavenly Shepherd), and in later Bronze Age associated with the god Anu. The Egyptians believed that this was Osiris (the god of death). It was also represented by the Fifth Dynasty pharaoh Unas, who ate the flesh of his enemies to become great. After his death, he went to heaven in the guise of Orion.

Pharaohs were perceived as gods by their subordinates, which is why most pyramids (at Giza) were built to reflect the constellation. For the Aztecs, the growth of stars in the sky symbolized the beginning of the New Fire ceremony. This ritual was necessary because it delayed the date of the end of the world.

In Hungarian myths it was Nimrod, the hunter and father of the twins Hunor and Magor. The Scandinavians saw him as the goddess Freya, and in China - Shen (hunter and warrior). In the second millennium BC. there was a legend created by the Hittites. This is the story of the goddess Anat, who fell in love with a hunter. He refused to lend her his bow, so she sent a man to steal it. But he failed and dropped it into the sea. That is why in the spring the constellation drops below the horizon for two months.

The main stars of the constellation Orion

Explore the bright stars in the constellation Orion with detailed description, photo and characteristics.

Rigel(Beta Orionis) is a blue supergiant (B8lab), located 772.51 light years away. Exceeds solar brightness by 85,000 times and occupies 17 mass. It is a faint and irregular variable star whose brightness varies from 0.03 to 0.3 magnitude over 22-25 days.

Apparent visual magnitude – 0.18 (the brightest in the constellation and the 6th in the sky). This is a star system represented by three objects. In 1831 F.G. Struve measured it as a visual binary surrounded by an envelope of gas.

Rigel A is 500 times brighter than Rigel B, which itself is a spectroscopic binary star with a magnitude of 6.7. It is represented by a pair of main sequence stars (B9V) with an orbital period of 9.8 days.

The star is connected by neighboring dust clouds, which it illuminates. Among them is IC 2118 (the Witch's Head Nebula), a faint reflection nebula located 2.5 degrees northwest of Rigel in the constellation Eridanus.

Part of the Taurus-Orion R1 association. Some believe that it would fit perfectly into the OB1 Orionis Association, but the star is too close to us. Age – 10 million years. One day it transforms into a red supergiant, reminiscent of Betelgeuse.

The name is from the Arabic phrase Riǧl Ǧawza al-Yusra - “left foot”. Rigel marks Orion's left leg. Also in Arabic it was called il al-Shabbar - “the foot of the great.”

Betelgeuse(Alpha Orion, 58 Orion) is a red supergiant (M2lab) with a visual magnitude of 0.42 (the second brightest in the constellation) and a distance of 643 light years. The absolute value is -6.05.

Recent discoveries show that the star emits more light than 100,000 suns, making it brighter than most stars in its class. Therefore, we can say that the classification is outdated.

Its apparent diameter ranges from 0.043 to 0.056 arcseconds. It is very difficult to say more precisely, because the star periodically changes its shape due to the colossal loss of mass.

It is a semiregular variable star whose apparent visual magnitude ranges from 0.2 to 1.2 (sometimes eclipsing Rigel). This was first noticed by John Herschel in 1836. Its age is 10 million years, and this is not enough for a red supergiant. It is believed that it developed very quickly due to its enormous mass. It will explode as a supernova in the next millions of years. During this event, it will be visible even during the day (it will shine brighter than the Moon and will become the brightest in the history of supernovae).

Part of two asterisms: the Winter Triangle (together with Sirius and Procyon) and the Winter Hexagon (Aldebaran, Capella, Pollux, Castor, Sirius and Procyon).

The name is a corruption of the Arabic phrase "Yad al-Jawza" - "hands of Orion", which became "Betlegez" when translated into medieval Latin. Moreover, the first Arabic letter was mistaken for b, which led to the name “Bait al-Jauzā” - “the house of Orion” in the Renaissance. It turns out that because of one mistake, the modern name of the star grew.

Bellatrix(Gamma Orionis, 24 Orionis) is a hot, luminous blue-white giant (B2 III) with an apparent magnitude ranging from 1.59 to 1.64 and a distance of 240 light years. It is one of the hottest stars visible to the naked eye. Releases 6400 times more sunlight and occupies 8-9 of its masses. In a few million years it will become an orange giant, after which it will transform into a massive white dwarf.

She is sometimes called the "Star of the Amazon". It ranks 3rd in brightness in the constellation and 27th in the sky. The name comes from the Latin "woman warrior".

Orion's Belt: Mintaka, Alnilam and Alnitak (Delta, Epsilon and Zeta)

Orion's Belt is one of the most famous asterisms in the night sky. It is formed by three bright stars s: Mintaka (Delta), Alnilam (Epsilon) and Alnitak (Zeta).

Mintaka(Delta Orionis) is an eclipsing binary variable. The main object is a double star, represented by a B-type giant and a hot O-type star, whose orbital period is 5.63 days. They eclipse each other, reducing their brightness by 0.2 magnitude. At 52" from them there is a star of magnitude 7 and a faint star of magnitude 14.

The system is 900 light years away. The brightest components are 90,000 times brighter than the Sun and occupy more than 20 of its masses. They will both end their lives in supernova explosions. In order of brightness, the apparent magnitudes of the components are 2.23 (3.2/3.3), 6.85 and 14.0.

The name comes from the Arabic word manţaqah - “area”. In Orion's belt it is the faintest star and the 7th brightest in the constellation.

Alnilam(Epsilon Orionis, 46 Orionis) is a hot, bright blue supergiant (B0) with an apparent magnitude of 1.70 and a distance of 1300 light years. It ranks fourth in brightness in the constellation and 30th in the sky. Occupies a central place in the belt. Emits 375,000 solar luminosities.

It is surrounded by the nebula NGC 1990, a molecular cloud. The stellar wind reaches speeds of 2000 km/s. Age – 4 million years. The star is losing mass, so internal hydrogen fusion is coming to an end. Very soon it will turn into a red supergiant (brighter than Betelgeuse) and explode as a supernova. The name from Arabic “an-niżām” translates as “string of pearls”.

Alnitak(Zeta Orionis, 50 Orionis) is a multiple star system with an apparent magnitude of 1.72 and a distance of 700 light years. The brightest object is Alnitak A. This is a hot, blue supergiant (O9), whose absolute magnitude reaches -5.25 with a visual magnitude of 2.04.

It is a nearby double star, represented by a supergiant (O9.7) with 28 times the mass of the Sun, and a blue dwarf (OV) with an apparent magnitude of 4 (found in 1998).

The name Alnitak means "belt" in Arabic. On February 1, 1786, the nebula was discovered by William Herschel.

Alnitak is the easternmost star in Orion's Belt. Located next to the emission nebula IC 434.

Saif(Kappa Orionis, 53 Orionis) is a blue supergiant (B0.5) with an apparent visual magnitude of 2.06 and a distance of 720 light years. Ranks 6th in brightness. It is the southeastern star of the Orion quadrangle.

The name comes from the Arabic phrase saif al jabbar - "the giant's sword." Like many other bright stars in Orion, Saif will end in a supernova explosion.

Nair Al Saif(Iota Orionis) is the fourth star system in the constellation and the brightest star in the sword of Orion. The apparent magnitude is 2.77, and the distance is 1300 light years. The traditional name from Arabic Na "ir al Saif means "bright sword."

The main object is a massive spectroscopic binary star with a 29-day orbit. The system is represented by a blue giant (O9 III) and a star (B1 III). The pair constantly collides with stellar winds and is therefore a strong source of X-rays.

Lambda Orion– a blue giant (O8III) with a visual magnitude of 3.39 and a distance of 1100 light years. This is a double star. The companion is a hot blue-white dwarf (B0.5V) with an apparent magnitude of 5.61. Located 4.4 arcseconds from the main star.

The traditional name "Meissa" is translated from Arabic as "shining". Sometimes it is called Heka - “white spot”.

Phi Orion– refers to two star systems separated by 0.71 degrees. Phi-1 is a double star located 1000 light years away. The main object is a main sequence star (B0) with an apparent magnitude of 4.39. Phi-2 is a giant (K0) with an apparent visual magnitude of 4.09 and a distance of 115 light years.

Pi Orion- a loose group of stars forming the shield of Orion. Unlike most binary and multiple stars, the objects in this system are located at large intervals. Pi-1 and Pi-6 are separated by almost 9 degrees.

Pi-1 (7 Orionis) is the faintest star in the system. It is a main sequence white dwarf (A0) with an apparent magnitude of 4.60 and a distance of 120 light years.

Pi-2 (2 Orionis) is a main sequence dwarf (A1Vn) with a visual magnitude of 4.35 and a distance of 194 light years.

Pi-3 (1 Orionis, Tabit) is a white dwarf (F6V) located 26.32 light years away. It ranks 1st in brightness among the six stars. Reaches 1.2 solar masses, 1.3 radii and 3 times brighter. It is believed that it may contain Earth-sized planets. Al-Tabit means "patience" in Arabic.

Pi-4 (3 Orionis) is a spectroscopic double star with an apparent magnitude of 3.69 and a distance of 1250 light years. It is represented by a giant and a subgiant (both B2), located so close that they cannot be separated visually even with a telescope. But their spectra demonstrate binarity. The stars revolve around each other with a period of 9.5191 days. Their mass is 10 times that of the sun, and their luminosity is 16,200 and 10,800 times brighter.

Pi-5 (8 Orionis) is a star with an apparent magnitude of 3.70 and a distance of 1342 light years.

Pi-6 (10 Orionis) is a bright orange giant (K2II). It is a variable star with an average visual magnitude of 4.45 and a distance of 954 light years.

Eta Orion– an eclipsing binary star system represented by blue stars(B0.5V), located 900 light years away. This is a Beta Lyrae variable (brightness changes due to one object blocking another). Visual magnitude – 3.38.

Located in the Orion Arm - a small spiral arm Milky Way. Located west of Orion's Belt.

Sigma Orionis- a multiple star system consisting of 5 stars located south of Alnitak. The system is located 1150 light years away.

The main object is the double star Sigma Orionis AB, represented by hydrogen-fueling dwarfs separated by 0.25 arcseconds. The brighter component is a blue star (O9V) with an apparent magnitude of 4.2. The satellite is a star (B0.5V) with a visual magnitude of 5.1. Their orbital revolution takes 170 years.

Sigma C is a dwarf (A2V) with an apparent magnitude of 8.79.

Sigma D and E are dwarfs (B2V) with magnitudes 6.62 and 6.66. E is characterized by a huge amount of helium.

Tau Orion– a star (B5III) with an apparent magnitude of 3.59 and a distance of 555 light years. It can be seen without technology.

Chi Orion is a main sequence dwarf (G0V) with an apparent magnitude of 4.39 and a distance of 28 light years. It is accompanied by a faint red dwarf whose rotation period is 14.1 years.

Gliese 208– an orange dwarf (K7) with an apparent magnitude of 8.9 and a distance of 37.1 light years. It is believed that 500,000 years ago it was 5 light years from the Sun.

V380 Orion is a triple star system illuminating the reflection nebula NGC 1999. Its spectral type is A0, and its distance is 1000 light years.

The nebula has a huge empty hole, displayed as a black spot in the central region. No one yet knows exactly why it is dark, but it is speculated that narrow jets of gas from nearby young stars may have penetrated the nebula's dust and gas layer, and strong radiation from an older star in the region helped create the hole.

The nebula is 1500 light years away.

GJ 3379– a red dwarf M3.5V with a visual magnitude of 11.33 and a distance of 17.5 light years. It is believed that 163,000 years ago it was 4.3 light years from the Sun. This is the closest Orion star to our system. Located just 17.5 light years away.

Celestial objects of the Orion constellation

Orion Cloud– hosts a large group of dark clouds, bright emission and reflection nebulae, dark nebulae, H II regions (active star formation) and young stars in the constellation. Located 1500-1600 light years away. Some regions can be seen with the naked eye.

Orion Nebula(Messier 42, M42, NGC 1976) is a diffuse reflection nebula located south of the three stars that form Orion's belt. It is sometimes also called the Great Nebula or the Great Orion Nebula.

With a visual magnitude of 4.0 and a distance of 1344 light years, it can be seen without the use of technology. It resembles a fuzzy star south of Orion's Belt.

It is the closest region of massive star formation and is part of the Orion Cloud cluster. Contains the Trapezium of Orionis, a young open cluster. It is easily recognized by its four brightest stars.

– a young open cluster with an apparent visual magnitude of 4.0. Occupies 47 arcseconds at the center of the Orion Nebula. On February 4, 1617, it was found by Galileo Galilei. He drew three stars (A, C and D). The fourth was added only in 1673. In 1888 there were 8 of them. The brightest 5 illuminate the nebula around them. This is an asterism that is easy to find by four stars.

The brightest and most massive star is theta-1 Orion C. It is a blue main sequence star (O6pe V) with a visual magnitude of 5.13 and a distance of 1500 light years. It is one of the most famous luminous stars with absolute value-3.2. It also has the highest surface temperature among stars that can be found with the naked eye (45,500 K).

(Messier 43, M43, NGC 1982) is a star-forming emission-reflection nebula. Region HII was first discovered by Jean-Jacques de Meran in 1731. Charles Messier later included it in his catalogue.

It is part of the Orion Nebula, but is separated from it by a large band of interstellar dust. The apparent magnitude is 9.0, and the distance is 1600 light years. It is located 7 arcminutes north of the Trapezium of Orion.

Messier 78(M78, NGC 2068) is a reflection nebula with an apparent visual magnitude of 8.3 and a distance of 1600 light years. Discovered in 1780 by Pierre Mechain. In the same year, Charles Messier added it to his catalogue.

It surrounds two 10th magnitude stars and is easy to find with a small telescope. It also contains approximately 45 T Tauri variables (young stars in the process of formation).

(Barnard 33) is a dark nebula located south of Alnitak and is part of the bright emission nebula IC 434. It is located 1500 light years away. In 1888, it was discovered by American astronomer William Fleming.

It got its name because of the shape formed by dark dusty clouds and gases, reminiscent of a horse's head.

is an emission nebula located in the Orion molecular cloud complex. It is 1600 light years away and has an apparent magnitude of 5. It is believed to have appeared 2 million years ago due to a supernova explosion. Occupies 150 light years in radius and covers most of the constellation. By appearance resembles a giant arc centered around Messier 42. The loop is ionized by stars located in the Orion Nebula. It received its name in honor of E. E. Barnard, who took a photograph of it in 1894 and gave a description.

Flame Nebula(NGC 2024) is an emission nebula with a visual magnitude of 2.0 and a distance of 900-1500 light years. It is illuminated by the blue supergiant Alnitak. The star emits ultraviolet light into the nebula, bouncing electrons off clouds of hydrogen gas inside. The glow appears due to the recombination of electrons and ionized hydrogen.

Cluster 37(NGC 2169) is an open star cluster with an apparent magnitude of 5.9 and a distance of 3600 light years. It is less than 7 arcminutes in diameter and contains 30 stars, 8 million years old. The brightest of them reaches an apparent magnitude of 6.94.

In the mid-17th century, the cluster was discovered by an astronomer from Italy. Giovanni Batista Hodierna. On October 15, 1784, he was noticed separately by William Herschel. The cluster is sometimes called "37" because the arrangement of stars resembles this number.

– a reflection nebula and one of the brightest sources of fluorescent molecular hydrogen. It is illuminated by the star HD 37903. The nebula can be found 3 degrees from the Horsehead Nebula. Located 1467.7 light years away.

Monkey Head Nebula(NGC 2174) is an emission nebula (H II region), 6400 light years distant. Associated with the open cluster NGC 2175. It is called the Monkey Head Nebula due to associations in images.

You have the opportunity to study the constellation Orion more carefully if you use not only our photos, but 3D models and an online telescope. For independent searching, a star map is suitable.

The constellation Orion is the most curious area of ​​the sky, where a small area is concentrated a large number of bright interesting objects. Here even the stars are unique, not to mention nebulae and other objects. In addition, the nebulae of the Orion constellation are a place where active star formation occurs; there are many young hot stars here. Active processes are simply seething here, and even just looking at it is very interesting.

Many of Orion's sights can be seen with the naked eye or through binoculars. The telescope will show absolutely amazing pictures.

The constellation Orion is located on the celestial equator, so its visibility greatly depends on the time of year - it refers to. It takes quite a bit large area at 594 square degrees, ranking 26th among all constellations.

Orion is a mythical character, also known as the Hunter. Therefore, on ancient star maps he is depicted as a hunter with a club. The belted constellation is located next to (at which Orion swings his club), the Unicorn, the Hare and Eridanus. Nearby are the companions of any Hunter - and.

In the constellation Orion you can find three objects: M42, M43, and M78. There are also 7 stars with already discovered exoplanets. In addition, there are several bright stars in this constellation, each of which is quite remarkable.

Bright stars of the constellation Orion

The stars of Orion are impressive. This constellation is especially rich in giants and supergiants. New stars are constantly being formed here, thanks to the many bright hydrogen nebulae.

Rigel

Let's start our short review with the beta constellation of Orion - a star called Rigel. Although this star comes second and is designated by the letter β, it is the brightest star of this constellation. Its magnitude is 0.3m and it is classified as a blue supergiant. Rigel emits light 130,000 times more than our Sun, and its surface temperature reaches more than 12,000 K. The diameter of Rigel is 74 times bigger than the sun, and 17 times heavier.

Rigel is considered one of the most powerful stars in our Galaxy. If this star suddenly appeared in the place of the Sun, then the Earth would suffer a sad fate - it would be instantly evaporated, and the remains would be immediately carried away by the stellar wind.

Among other things, Rigel has an unstable cycle of 22-25 days, although this is a typical phenomenon for supergiants. The gloss varies from 0.03 to 0.3m.

Moreover, Rigel is also a multiple star, or rather a triple star. The main component is a blue supergiant called Rigel A, and the second component, Rigel B, is a close system of a pair of hot blue stars with a mass of 2-3 solar. A couple of components can be distinguished even in a rather modest 70-mm telescope, but the components of Rigel B cannot be seen individually - the system there is too crowded, orbiting in just 10 days.

Rigel system. Component B is also a binary system.

The distance to the crossbar is estimated from 700 to 900 light years, according to different methods. However, despite such a huge distance, this star is still one of the brightest in our sky. Can you imagine its power there, up close?

Betelgeuse

Rigel is impressive in its size, but it is far from Betelgeuse - α Orion. This red supergiant also has a distinct red tint in the sky. Betelgeuse is about 1000 times larger than the Sun, and it emits 105 thousand times more light.

Like many supergiants, Betelgeuse is a semi-regular variable star. It pulsates, sometimes increasing its volume, sometimes decreasing. If this star were placed instead of the Sun, its surface would fluctuate from the orbit of Mars to the orbit of Jupiter, and the Earth would be inside. As the star expands, its density and temperature decrease, and as it contracts, it increases (and becomes brighter).

See what this supergiant would look like in the sky from different distances - 8, 28 and 64 astronomical units. For comparison, we see the Sun from a distance of 1 AU. The images were obtained using a program - the best simulator of the Universe today (and free of charge).

The distance to Betelgeuse is estimated to be from 500 to 640 light years, that is, somewhat closer than Rigel.

Betelgeuse presents for scientists big interest. On June 19, 2017, a photograph of the surface of this star was taken using the ALMA telescope. This was the first ever photograph of the surface of a star other than the Sun.

The fate of this huge star is also curious. In the near future, Betelgeuse will explode, creating a bright supernova that will shine in our sky for several months with almost the brightness of the Moon. Around this event, various predictions are already being made about the death of all life on Earth and the like. However, in reality, the explosion of Betelgeuse will, of course, not happen tomorrow or the day after tomorrow - years, decades, centuries may pass... And there is no danger for the Earth - too much distance separates us.

Bellatrix

Bellatrix is ​​the third brightest star in the constellation, γ Orionis. It is not as bright as Rigel or Betelgeuse, but it is also quite noticeable. If you look at the constellation when the air is clear enough, you can easily notice how Betelgeuse glows red, while Rigel and Bellatrix are noticeably blue. It looks beautiful.

Bellatrix is ​​a blue-white giant with a magnitude of 1.26m and is one of the brightest stars in our sky. This star is even much hotter than Rigel - its surface temperature reaches 21,000 K. Although it is only 5.7 times larger in size than the Sun, it emits 4000 times more light.

Bellatrix, like many giants, is a variable star. It changes gloss within 6%. Due to the high rotation speed, matter flows from its equator at a speed of 1600 km/s. Therefore, Bellatrix is ​​classified as an eruptive variable.

This is a young star, its age is only about 10 million years. However, her life will be short, albeit bright. In about a million years, its resources will run out and it will turn into a red giant.

Bellatrix is ​​located 243 light years away from us, that is, closer than the other main stars of the Orion constellation.

Other notable stars in the Orion constellation

The constellation is rich in bright and hot stars. For example, three stars in Orion's belt are very hot. ζ (Alnitak) and δ (Mintaka) are rare spectral class O, and ε (Alnilam) is a hot giant, emitting 375,000 times the light of the Sun, and all have a surface temperature of more than 25,000 K. Alnilam will soon become a red supergiant , which will be brighter than Betelgeuse, and then explode as a supernova, and now the star is losing matter and is surrounded by a molecular gas nebula.

Stars of Orion's Belt. From left to right - Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka.

Mintaka is an eclipsing variable star that consists of two hot components orbiting with a period of 5.63 days. Their luminosity is 90,000 times greater than that of the sun, and both stars face the fate of supernovae. The distance to this system is about 900 light years.

σ and λ Orionis also belong to the rare spectral class O, with λ being the hottest star in the entire constellation, with a surface temperature of 30,000 K.

Nebulae of the constellation Orion

In the constellation Orion there are many nebulae of different types that form the Orion Cloud. The distance to these nebulae is approximately 1500-1600 light years, and some can be seen with the naked eye.

Great Orion Nebula – M42

Below Orion's belt, even with the naked eye you can see a nebulous speck 4 magnitude. This is the famous Orion Nebula, designated M42. Her photographs are as popular as photographs of the Andromeda nebula, although their nature is completely different. The Andromeda Nebula is a galaxy of billions of stars, and the Orion Nebula is a collection of gas, mostly hydrogen, found in our Galaxy that is illuminated by nearby stars. This is the same object in the winter sky that absolutely all astronomy lovers point their telescope or binoculars at.

Great Orion Nebula - M42.

This nebula occupies an area of ​​the sky four times larger than the full Moon, although this is not perceptible to the naked eye. The distance to the Orion Nebula is 1344 light years, and its diameter is 33 light years.

Despite its apparent density, the gas in the Orion Nebula is so thin that one milligram would weigh 100 cubic kilometers of the nebula. The best laboratory-created vacuum is millions of times denser than this nebula. However, the nebula itself is so huge that if all its hydrogen were collected together, it could be used to make a thousand stars like the Sun, or 300 million planets like the Earth!

The glow of the Orion Nebula is caused by the luminescence effect, due to the light of stars immersed in the nebula or simply located nearby.

De Meran Nebula – M43

This nebula was first discovered by the Frenchman Jean-Jacques de Meran in 1731, and it is named after him. It is located just above and to the left of the Great Orion Nebula, and in fact, is part of it. It can be viewed even with a 100 mm telescope, and the black gap between these two nebulae is clearly visible. This is nothing more than a collection of interstellar dust in the foreground, so the separation of these nebulae is purely visual.

Nebula M43 next to the Great Orion Nebula. The image is upside down.

The nebula has a magnitude of 9 and is 1600 light years away from us.

Nebula M78

This nebula is also designated NGC2068, and is located just above and to the left of Orion's Belt. It has a brightness of 8.3m and is illuminated by three 10th magnitude stars. M78 can be easily seen with a small telescope. This nebula is home to about 45 T Tauri variable stars—young stars still forming.

Horsehead Nebula

This nebula is designated IC 434 or Barnard 33. The Horsehead Nebula itself is only the dark part of the bright IC 434 nebula. It received its name because of its resemblance to a horse's head, and is formed by clouds of dust and gases against the backdrop of a brightly glowing hydrogen nebula. This is one of the most spectacular nebulae, photographs of which can often be found in various sources.

The nebula is located near Alnitak, the first star in Orion's belt, below it. It was discovered by the American astronomer William Fleming in 1888. The distance from us is 1500 light years.

Dark gas-dust Horsehead Nebula.

Flame Nebula - NGC 2024

This bright nebula is also located near the star Alnitak, the first in the belt of the constellation Orion. Active star formation processes are taking place in this nebula, and it is illuminated by young hot stars located inside and nearby it.

The bright star is Alnitak. The Flame Nebula is lower left, with the Horsehead Nebula visible to the right.

There are many more different nebulae in the constellation Orion, mainly concentrated near the Great Nebula of Orion and near the stars of Orion's belt. All of them can be easily found using the Stellarium planetarium program. All these nebulae are giving birth to new stars right now, so the constellation Orion has the most young, hot and bright stars, especially giants that will one day explode as supernovae and give birth to new nebulae. This is confirmed by the presence in each Orion Nebula of many unstable stars of the T Tauri type, the internal processes of which have not yet been established, and their age is no more than several million years. These stars are just beginning their life journey.

The constellation Orion at different times of the year

This constellation is a winter constellation, so in the northern hemisphere it can be observed from mid-autumn to spring. Already in mid-October, as night falls, it can be seen rising in the east, and if you wait longer, you can see it in full.

In winter, the constellation Orion can be seen quite high above just after dark. Even the constellation below Canis Major with bright Sirius it is clearly visible. The best time when the constellation is highest above the horizon is January.

By spring, the constellation Orion moves closer to the west and becomes lower. In mid-spring you can observe the upper part of the constellation from Betelgeuse, then it disappears.

Orion is not visible in summer. During this period it can only be observed in the southern hemisphere.

In contact with

Orion is a bright equatorial constellation of the northern hemisphere with a characteristic pattern. The star Betelgeuse (alpha Orionis), which means "armpit" in Arabic, is a red supergiant, an irregular variable whose magnitude varies from 0.2 to 1.2. The distance to the star is 520 light years, and its luminosity is 14,000 times greater than the Sun. This is one of the largest stars known to astronomers: if it were placed in the place of the Sun, it would reach the orbit of Jupiter. The volume of Betelgeuse is 160 million times that of the Sun.

The star Rigel from Arabic means “leg”, with a magnitude of 0.14. It is a blue-white supergiant, 68 times larger than the Sun; is more than 770 light years away. Its surface temperature is 11,200° K, and its luminosity is 50,000 times higher than the sun. Rigel is one of the most powerful stars in the Galaxy. Another noteworthy object in the constellation is the Great Orion Nebula (M 42), 1500 light years away. To the south of (Orion) is the dark Horsehead Nebula (B 33), which is clearly visible against the bright background of the IC 434 nebula.

In mythology, the constellation is associated with Orion (in Greek mythology Actaeon), son of Poseidon and the nymph Zvriala. He was a famous Boeotian hunter, distinguished by his beauty and extraordinary height. During the reign of King Oinopion, the son of Dionysus and Ariadne, Orion married his daughter Merope, against her will. Wanting to take revenge on the offender, King Oinopion gave Orion wine to drink and, when he fell asleep, blinded him.
Poseidon gave blind Orion the ability to walk on water, and he, placing one of Hephaestus’ students on his shoulders as a guide, crossed the sea to the island of Lemnos, from where he was transferred to the domain of Helios. The rays of the sun god restored Orion's sight. Later, the goddess of the dawn Eos fell in love with Orion. She kidnapped him, just as she had kidnapped the handsome men she liked before. The goddess Aphrodite, who was jealous of Eos for the god of war Ares. Wanting to annoy her rival, she killed Orion with an arrow from a bow.

Another myth says that Orion entered a cool cave with a lake on a hot day, not suspecting that the goddess Artemis was resting there. Surrounded by nymphs, she entered the water. Thus, Orion accidentally saw the goddess naked, which greatly angered her. She turned the hunter into a deer. Orion's dogs chased him and tore their master to pieces. The gods turned Orion and his dogs into constellations.

Searching for Orion in the sky

The constellation is visible at latitudes from -75° to +85°. The best viewing conditions are in November, December and January. Orion is clearly visible throughout Russia. Neighboring constellations: Taurus, Zridan, Hare, Unicorn, Gemini.

In autumn, bright Orion rises above the horizon in the northeast, surrounded by bright constellations. To the left and slightly higher are Gemini, above are Auriga and Taurus. Orion's bright stars Betelgeuse and Bellatrix, its “shoulders,” stand out in the night sky and make finding the constellation easy.

Winter brings the best visibility of Orion. It shines high in the sky above the southwestern horizon and is the center of a "parade" of bright winter constellations in the Northern Hemisphere. It is surrounded in an almost continuous ring by the bright stars Sirius, Procyon, Castor, Pollux, Capella and Aldebaran.

In summer, the period of morning visibility of Orion begins. However, the observation time is very short - the constellation is visible about an hour before sunrise. The constellation does not have time to completely break away from the southeastern side of the horizon when it disappears in the light of the morning dawn.

The winter sky in the Northern Hemisphere is no less interesting for astronomers than the summer sky. It is during this period that a large number of fairly bright luminaries are available for observation. One of the most noticeable celestial patterns during the cold season is the constellation Orion. It occupies a vast area and is well known due to several bright luminaries in its composition, as well as its recognizable shape. One of the main “attractions” of the constellation is the asterism Belt of Orion.

Location

The celestial pattern as a whole is easily recognizable. However, its most famous feature is Orion's belt. It is by this that the entire constellation is often determined. How to find Orion's belt in the sky? It is necessary to pay attention to the southeastern part of the dome above your head. There, on winter and spring evenings, as well as late at night in autumn, a constellation of grandiose size is located. It is not difficult to recognize the belt: it consists of three fairly clearly visible stars lined up on the same straight line. If you extend the line down and to the left, it will end up in Sirius, the brightest luminary of the night sky. On the other side, higher and to the right, is the star Aldebaran, most prominent in Taurus.

Bright dots

The constellation Orion is famous, in addition to its belt, for several large luminaries. Rigel and Betelgeuse stand out among them. The first is a blue-white supergiant. It is located to the right of the belt, on Orion’s foot. This star is much brighter than the Sun and occupies one of the first places in this parameter in our galaxy.

Betelgeuse is located on Orion's shoulder, above and to the left of the belt. It is clearly recognizable by its characteristic reddish color. This supergiant is a type of variable star and sometimes becomes brighter than Rigel.

No less interesting is Bellatrix, Orion’s second shoulder. This is the third brightest star in the celestial pattern. It is similar in color to Rigel and belongs to the type of blue-white giants.

Three Stars

In the celestial drawing of the legendary hunter (Orion “comes from” mythology Ancient Greece) there are many interesting objects. These are bright stars, nebulae, and clusters of luminaries. Let us return, however, to Orion's belt. It consists of three stars: delta, zeta and epsilon constellation. They also bear the Arabic names Mintaka, Alnitak and Alnilam respectively.

Due to its visibility, Orion's belt in the sky has been known since ancient times among a variety of peoples. In history it has been associated with various mythological subjects. Along with the legends, the names of the asterism also changed. In ancient China it was known as the Rocker of the Scales or Three Stars. In Scandinavia, before the adoption of Christianity, the asterism was called Freya's Spinning Wheel. The Buryats called Orion's belt Gurban Bayran, that is, “three standing ones.” Such popularity of asterism is a consequence of the visibility of stars and their location on an almost straight line.

Zeta

The leftmost star of the asterism is Alnitak (translated as “sash”). It is located closest to the Sun among all the luminaries in the belt: it is separated from us by 817 light years. Alnitak is a triple star system. Zeta Orionis A is a blue supergiant of spectral class O. It exceeds the Sun in mass by twenty-eight times, and in diameter by twenty. Its companion, Alnitak B, was discovered in 1819. It is a giant star orbiting Zeta Orionis A with a period of 1500 years.

The third component of the system was not known to scientists for a long time. Alnitak S was opened quite recently, in 1998. He turned out to be a tenth magnitude star.

Epsilon

The second luminary among those encircling Orion is the star Alnilam. Translated from Arabic, the name means “string of pearls.” Alnilam is a blue supergiant and in its luminosity it is ahead of many other stars. In the sky hunter image, it ranks fourth in brightness after Rigel, Betelgeuse and Bellatrix.

Alnilam is used in celestial navigation to determine the coordinates of ground objects, as well as to orient spacecraft. In addition, the middle luminary of the belt, thanks to its rather simple spectrum, tells scientists a lot about the interstellar medium.

Alnilam is gradually moving towards the final phase of its cycle. Scientists predict that within one million years it will become a red supergiant and then explode as a supernova.

Delta

The third star that makes up Orion's belt is Mintaka (the name means "belt" in Arabic). It is also a blue supergiant. It ranks seventh in brightness in the constellation.

Mintaka is a multiple system. One of the companions of the main element, a white star of 7th magnitude, is easy to distinguish even with a small telescope. A less visible participant in the system is located much further away from him. This star was 14th magnitude.

The main and brightest component of the system is, in addition, a spectral binary. It is composed of two blue-white giants orbiting a common center of mass in 5.73 days. Both luminaries exceed the Sun in mass by twenty times. Their luminosity is approximately 80,000 times greater than that of our star. As the two components rotate, they partially eclipse each other, causing Mintaka's brightness to fluctuate.

Nebulae

Several very interesting objects surround Orion's belt. The constellation is famous for the nebulae located in it. Just below the belt is the M42. This is an emission nebula, visible in the sky even with the naked eye. This visibility of the object was the result of the light of four young stars located here in the form of a trapezoid. The Orion Nebula is home to many interesting cosmic bodies, including several brown dwarfs discovered here.

A relatively small area is separated from M42 by a dark stripe. This is the M43 nebula, where a large amount of ionized hydrogen was discovered. The process of birth of new stars is constantly going on here. The ideal period to observe this object is winter.

The Flame Nebula is located near Alnitak. A beautiful object, resembling a fire or a torch, is 3000 light years away from the Sun. Young stars are also constantly being born here.

Thus, Orion’s belt is a place where there are many interesting objects for both professionals and amateur astronomers. The huge constellation today beckons with its beauty, attracting the eye no less than it did during Antiquity. Thanks to improving equipment, Orion has become modern people a little closer and clearer. However, we still don’t know everything about outer space this constellation. Nebulas, luminaries and other space objects located on its territory are in no hurry to reveal their secrets.

The constellation Orion is the door for guests from the Unibrong universe to planet Earth

02.12.11 The constellation Orion, apparently, is the place from which brothers in mind, or, more simply put, aliens, fly to Earth.

The constellation Orion, is the most beautiful of all observed constellations, is located quite high above the horizon and is clearly visible from December to March. This constellation is distinguished by the extraordinary brightness of the stars located in it and the size of the visible area.

On a moonless and clear night from the ground, you can observe up to 120 stars of this constellation. Particularly attractive are the red Betelgeuse and the blue Rigel (these are stars of zero magnitude). Together with two other second magnitude stars they form geometric figure Orion constellation is a large irregular (elongated) quadrangle. In the middle of it are three stars of the second magnitude, forming the “belt” of Orion.

In addition to them, in the constellation Orion there are ten more stars brighter than the fourth magnitude. However, a great effort of imagination is required to see in this configuration of stars the legendary hunter Orion, raising high with his right hand a huge club, with a lion's skin thrown over his left hand. On Orion's right shoulder is the star Betelgeuse, and in the foot of his left leg is Rigel.

Betelgeuse is a supergiant, its diameter is 400 times the diameter of the Sun. The distance from us to this supergiant star is 650 light years.

Rigel is a giant star, its radiation is 23,000 times stronger than the radiation of the Sun. The distance from us to Rigel is 1076 light years.

This scientific facts, and now let's move on to mentions of this constellation in ancient world, myths, chronicles and legends and its connection with numerous pyramids, which are still stunning ancient structures.

The Hopi Indians believed in gods who flew to Earth from the constellation Orion. Modern descendants This tribe still believes that the gods lived on the star Pi-3 Orion. This planet is terrestrial and is located only 26 light years from the earth, which, by scientific standards, is a completely acceptable distance for space travel.

This is how Hopi shamans dress when they portray the gods who visited their tribe in ancient times:

Kachinas - a creature from the Blue Star

The Dogon tribe and the Egyptians also worshiped the gods from the constellation Orion, just like the Mayan Indian tribe. The pyramids of Teotihuacan - the Sun (225 m at the base and 65 m in height) and the Moon (about 150 m at the base and 42 m in height) and the temple of the Mayan god himself - Quetzalcoatl, are located in such a way that it is impossible not to notice their relationship to the stars in Orion's Belt .

Special meaning was given to this constellation in Ancient Egypt. The god Osiris was identified with him - the ruler of the kingdom of the dead and the great pyramids of the Giza valley, as follows from the works of R. Bauval and G. Hancock, are nothing more than a projection of the three stars of Orion’s belt at the lowest point of the precessional movement, that is, in 10500. BC.

The Pyramid of Menkaure, the Pyramid of Khafre, the Pyramid of Khufu - All of them were built before the Flood.

There is a mention of the constellation Orion and bible book Job. The three stars of Orion's belt are often found under such names as the Three Magi, the Three Magi, and Jacob's Staff.

IN Central Asia, in the territory of Mongolia, Tuva, Altai, the symbolism of Orion is well known - these are three parallel lines at the top of most deer stones.

On the territory of the Altai Mountains, images of the constellation Orion can be found in Kara-Oyuk, also known as Chaganka. The place is located in the Kosh-Agach region of the Altai Mountains Republic, 10 km from the village of Beltyr.

The word Orion itself is translated as guardian of the limit, border, etc.

The threshold role of Orion is confirmed by the discovery of R. Bauval in the study of astral cults Ancient Egypt. While examining the ventilation shafts of the Great Pyramid of Giza, Bauval came to the conclusion that they were precisely targeted at certain stars in the night sky, including Orion. But he went further, drawing attention to a certain topography of the location of the three Great Pyramids on the surface of the Earth, and put forward his theory of correlating them with the three stars of Orion’s belt.

Using the astronomical computer programs Sky Globe and Red Shift, it was possible to simulate the precession cycle to pinpoint when the stars of Orion corresponded to their pyramidal counterparts on Earth. This is quite possible, since the precession shift interval earth's axis relative to the celestial sphere has never changed for many thousands of years. Every 72 years there is a shift of 1 degree. Thus, for 2160 years the Sun is strictly in one constellation, gradually passing through all of them (a full circle of 12) in 25920 years.

R. Bauval found that during the precessional cycle, the three stars of Orion's Belt slide up and down along the meridian: 13,000 years up (that is, they gain height above the horizon at the moment of passage of the meridian) and 13,000 years down (that is, they lose height above the horizon when passing the meridian ). The lowest point of this cycle occurs around 10,500 BC, and the highest will occur sometime after 2000 AD.

The computer program showed that it was in 10500 BC. the three stars of Orion's belt corresponded exactly to the three pyramids of the Giza valley. This date is also confirmed by the famous Sphinx of the Giza Valley. He faces directly east, where the sun rises. On the day of the vernal equinox 10500 BC. it rose in the constellation Leo.

The extreme point of the precessional movement of the constellation Orion clearly coincides with the period of global climate change on Earth. At this time, there is a mass death of mammoths and other animals. The level of the world's oceans is rising, which has affected the flooding of some land areas and, as a result, has given rise to numerous legends and tales about the Flood. Esoteric tradition connects the disappearance of the island of Atlantis with this period. By the way, at one time Academician V.A. Obruchev reason global warming believed precisely the disappearance of Atlantis, which by its absence allowed the warm waters of the Gulf Stream to penetrate the region of the Arctic Ocean.

Thus, the constellation Orion, with its movement, marked Sunset, the end of an entire era in the history of the Earth. Orion became the guardian of the threshold separating one period of time from another. In essence, Orion is a mediator between, relatively speaking, the past and the future, the kingdom of shadows and the world of the living.

"Eye of God" in the constellation Orion



Svyatoslav Nikolaevich Roerich, painting “The Sacred Casket” (1928)

Nicholas Konstantinovich and Svyatoslav Nikolaevich Roerich each wrote four works, the plot of which in one way or another included the Casket. In their paintings, it symbolizes a unique world relic - the sacred Chintamani Stone. This Stone is known under different names in the sacred traditions of almost all nations. Suffice it to say that the rich literature about the Holy Grail is directly related to the appearance of this Stone.

What is this Stone, called the “Treasure of the World”? According to Legend, the birthplace of the Stone is the constellation Orion, which is connected in a special way with our planet. In 1923, astronomers recorded the so-called pink rays in this constellation. In the same 1923, the Stone fell into the hands of the Roerichs, and since then they have become bearers of a special Testament, carrying out the instructions of the Brotherhood of Teachers of Humanity, promoting the evolution of the planet.

In very ancient times, the Stone from Orion served as the foundation of the Great Community of Light on Earth, which received the name Shambhala in the East. Since then, the main body of the Stone has been kept in this Brotherhood, and its fragment is sent into the world. The cosmoplanetary connection between the distant constellation Orion, the Stone in the Brotherhood of Light and a fragment of this Stone wandering around the world begins to intensify at certain times, and then great historical shifts occur.

Why is the ancient legend about the stone connected with the concept of Shambhala? Is it real? Such questions have been asked by more than one generation of people fascinated by the mysteries of history. Serious answers to them can be found only in the books of H. P. Blavatsky and the Roerichs, which are parts of a single teaching transmitted to humanity by the spiritual Teachers of the East. “Throughout the entire history of mankind there is this belief in the Holy Stone, which protects the country in which It is located. The Brotherhood of the Grail keeps the Stone sent from Orion, and it was accepted by the Great Teacher Jason, who laid it at the foundation of the Brotherhood. The Stone itself is kept in the Community, but its fragments are sent into the world to accompany great events,” says one of Helena Roerich’s letters.

According to Slavic tradition, the constellations of Orion and Eridanus represent a single constellation of Yarila, who fights with the snake of the god Siwa Lamia. I note that Christians replaced Yar with Saint Yuri, or Yegory. And songs about him began to be sung during the celebrations of the ancient Yarilin days (in autumn and spring). The constellation Orion is located on the border of the constellations Gemini and Taurus. Orion is adjacent to the constellation Taurus, or the Bull, Tour. Therefore, Tur was the sacred animal of Yarila. Tour in Rus' has always been a symbol of rage, strength and courage. Buy-Tur - this is what the Russians called great warriors.

All-seeing eye

The UFOs, the appearance of which is recorded on video and photo materials, are, in my opinion, guests from the parallel universe of Unibrong, the door to which is located in the constellation Orion.

Unibronga is a Universe parallel to us, located in another dimension. This universe is older than ours, more developed and powerful. It is also three-dimensional. Connected with ours through the stars of the Orion constellation, which came from Unibronga.

The bases used are the Sun and the Moon.

1. NEUROFLIGHTS. Medusoid forms. They use the energy of topological self-closure of higher and lower forms of organization of matter.
2. HOLOLETS. Self-teleporting humanoid forms.
3. ENDOLETS. Mimicking technical forms. Unibrongi ambulance ships. They use the energy of the regenerative memory of systems that have entered an entropic state.
4. MMN. Chains of lights in the sky. They use the energy of anamnesis. (ontological remembering). Ensure the preservation of information in space.
5. NOOLETS. Magnetosphere anomalies. Systems that block chaotic radiation from the Earth's noosphere in Space.
6. CREALS. Pear-shaped or teardrop-shaped. Systems that control evolution.
7. PLASMOIDS. Energy forms that control all processes occurring on Earth, smoothing out and minimizing the damage caused to the planet. They also control the state of the psi-field and aura.

Visits are permanent, because they are necessary to regulate the activities of our planet and the space associated with it in the overall unified activity of the Universe.

All-seeing eye

Since our Earth is a large “cell” of a single organism, special attention is paid to it. Shambhala and the Orions are treating her. But because Since the spiritual illness of earthly humanity has taken on severe and threatening forms, the attention to us, which intensified during the Second World War, has increased in last years with particular noticeable intensity everywhere.

Why from the constellation Orion? The answer was given more than clear:

Video speed is slowed down 4 times

The flight path of one of the plasmoids looks like this:

الجوزي

al-jawza
Orion constellation

The word "Betelgeuse" is of Arabic origin. The history of its origin is not completely clear, but all experts agree that the second part of this word “Elgeuse” comes from the Arabic “al-jauz” (الجوزاء), this is what the entire constellation of Orion was called in ancient times, this was the name of the heroine of one of ancient Arabian tales.

The number of individual contacts with “humanoids” is increasing. Unfortunately, contact on a more or less global scale is still impossible due to the unpreparedness of earthly humanity as a whole.