click on the image to enlarge it

Lat. Name Orion
(gen.: Orionis) Reduction Ori Symbol Orion Right ascension from 4h 37m to 6h 18m Declension from −11° to +22° 50′ Square 594 sq. degrees
(26th place) Brightest stars
(value< 3m)

• Crossbar (β Ori) - 0.12m
• Betelgeuse (α Ori) - 0.2-1.2m
• Bellatrix (γ Ori) - 1.64m
• Alnilam (ε Ori) - 1.69m
• Alnitak (ζ Ori) - 1.74m
• Saif (κ Ori) - 2.07m
• Mintaka (δ Ori) - 2.25m
• Hatisa (ι Ori) - 2.75m

Meteor showers

• Orionids
• Chi-Orionids

Neighboring constellations

• Twins
• Taurus
• Eridanus
• Unicorn

The constellation is visible at latitudes from +79° to −67°.
The best time for observation in Russia is January.

Orion(Greek Ὠρίων) - a famous constellation in the region of the celestial equator. Named after the hunter Orion from ancient Greek mythology.

• 1 Brief description
• 2 Betelgeuse
• 3 Rigel
• 4 Other objects
• 5 Asterisms
• 6 Observation
• 7 History
• 8 See also
• 9 Notes
• 10 Links

Short description

In this constellation there are two stars of zero magnitude, 5 stars of second and 4 of third magnitude, and among the brightest stars there are variables. In general, according to data for 2011, Orion ranks second among the constellations in terms of the number of variable stars - there are 2777 of them. The constellation is easy to find by three blue and white stars, depicting the belt of Orion - Mintaka (δ Orion), which in Arabic means “belt”, Alnilam (ε Orion) - “pearl belt” and Alnitak (ζ Orion) - “sash”. They are spaced from each other at the same angular distance and are located in a line pointing with the southeastern end to blue Sirius (in Big Dog- from the side of Alnitak), and with the northwestern end - to the red Aldebaran (in Taurus). The brightest stars are Rigel, Betelgeuse and Bellatrix. Orion is home to the Great Orion Nebula, visible to the naked eye.

The constellation contains many hot stars of early spectral types O and B, which form a stellar association. The Orion constellation also contains many Orion variables. These include variables of the T Tauri type, forming three T-associations and fuoras in the constellation Orion, the prototype of which is FU Orionis.

Betelgeuse

Main article: Betelgeuse

Red supergiant Betelgeuse (α Orionis), Arabic. "Bayt Al Jauzza" means "Hand of the Central" (the distorted form has led to the spread of the interpretation "armpit") - an irregular variable star, the brightness of which varies from 0.2 to 1.2 magnitude and averages about 0.7m. The distance to the star from Earth is 650 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 instead of the Sun, then minimum size it would fill the orbit of Mars, and at maximum it would reach the orbit of Jupiter. Betelgeuse's volume is at least 160 million times that of the Sun.

Rigel

Main article: Rigel

Rigel is a bright near-equatorial star, β Orionis. Blue-white supergiant. The name means "foot" in Arabic (referring to Orion's foot). It has a visual magnitude of 0.12m. Rigel is located 860 light years from the Sun. Its surface temperature is 12,130 K (spectral class B8I-a), its diameter is about 103 million km (that is, 74 times larger than the Sun), and its absolute magnitude is 7.84m; its luminosity is about 130,000 times higher than the Sun, which means it is one of the most powerful stars in the Galaxy (in any case, the most powerful of the brightest stars in the sky, since Rigel is the closest star with such a huge luminosity).

The ancient Egyptians associated Rigel with Sakh, the king of the stars and patron of the dead, and later with Osiris.

Other objects

"Star Factory" in the center of the constellation Orion

The middle star in Orion's Sword is θ Orionis, a known multiple star system: its four bright components form a small quadrangle - the Trapezium of Orion. In addition, there are four more fainter stars. All of these stars are very young, having recently formed from interstellar gas in an invisible cloud that occupies the entire eastern part Orion constellation. Only small piece this cloud, heated by young stars, is visible under Orion’s Belt in a small telescope and even in binoculars as a greenish cloud; this is the most interesting object in the constellation - the Great Orion Nebula (M42), located approximately 1500 light years away from us and having a diameter of 20 light years (15,000 times the diameter of the Solar System). It was the first nebula photographed by astronomers (Henry Draper, 1880).

0.5° south of the eastern Belt star (ζ Orionis) is the well-known dark Horsehead Nebula (B 33), which is clearly visible against the bright background of the IC 434 nebula.

Asterisms

Asterism Sheaf, which determines the characteristic shape of the constellation, includes stars - α (Betelgeuse), β (Rigel), γ (Bellatrix), ζ (Alnitak), η (Mintaka), κ (Saif). An alternative name for asterism is Butterfly.

The four asterisms are associated with parts of the traditional constellation figure.

Orion's Belt- the stars Mintaka, Alnilam and Alnitak (δ, ε and ζ Orionis, respectively). Also known as Three Kings, Three Magi (Wise Men), Three Marys, Rake.

Sword of Orion- an asterism that includes two stars (θ and ι) and the Great Orion Nebula.

Shield of Orion- an asterism, which represents six stars arranged in an arc: π1, π2, π3, π4, π5 and π6. Ancient name - turtle shell.

Orion's Club- an asterism in the northern part of the constellation, including five stars χ2, χ1, ν, ξ and 69.

The next two asterisms contain, in fact, the same stars.

Mirror of Venus. The Belt of Orion asterism, the star - the handle of the Sword and the star η of Orion form a diamond-shaped mirror, and the Sword of Orion asterism itself acts as the handle of the mirror. Thus, the asterism includes the stars η, δ, ε, ζ, θ and ι Orionis.

New asterism Pot originated among Australian astronomy enthusiasts. In the southern hemisphere of the Earth, celestial objects, in particular constellations, are visible in an inverted position, relative to their visibility in the northern hemisphere. Thus, the Mirror of Venus asterism turns out to be inverted: its handle acts as the handle of the Pan, the rest of the stars make up the Pan itself. The asterism includes the stars η, δ, ε, ζ, θ and ι Orionis.

Observation

In the middle latitudes of the northern hemisphere, the constellation can be visible in late summer (starting from mid-August), autumn, winter and the first half of spring (until mid-April), best conditions for observations in November - January, when the constellation is visible from its sunrise to its sunset. The constellation is visible throughout Russia. According to the seasonal classification, it is considered autumn-winter.

Story

Orion constellation on Armenian stamp Inverted Orion above VLT (approx. 24.5 degrees south latitude)

In the arrangement of the stars of the constellation, a human figure can be easily guessed. In ancient Egypt, the constellation Orion was called Sah and was revered as the embodiment of Osiris and the “king of the stars”; in the New Kingdom era, Orion-Sakh is depicted sailing his boat to the stars. In ancient Babylon it was called “The Faithful Shepherd of Heaven.” Jewish (and biblical - Amos. 5:8) tradition corresponded to the constellation Orion Kecil or Kesil (Hebrew ‏כסיל‏‎‎‎, literally “fool”), the origin of which has not yet been explained in any way (possibly from the Hebrew month Kislev (occurring in November-December), the name of which, in turn, comes from the Hebrew root K-S-L, as in the words “kesel, sour” (כֵּסֶל, כִּסְלָה, hope), that is, hope for winter rains).

In Ancient Greece, the great hunter Orion was seen in the constellation, according to Greek myth, the son of Poseidon and Euryale. Placed in heaven by Father Poseidon after the death of Orion from the arrows of the goddess Artemis (according to another version of the myth, from the bite of Scorpio).

The constellation is included in the catalog starry sky Claudius Ptolemy "Almagest".

In Ancient Rus', the constellation was called Kruzhilia or Kolo.

In Armenia, the constellation of Orion is called Hayk in memory of the patriarch-ancestor of the Armenians, the light of whose soul, according to traditional beliefs, ascended and froze in the sky in the form of the constellation of the same name.

Among the Incas, the constellation was called Chakra, while the belt of Orion among the inhabitants of the kingdom of Chimu, which was part of the Incan Empire, was called Pata, that is, “Captured,” since it was believed that the Moon sent the two extreme stars to seize the middle star, like a thief and criminal, and they handed it over to the “Vultures,” that is, the four stars located lower and higher in the constellation.

The popular names of Orion are often addressed not to the entire constellation, but only to its belt. This group of stars has the Russian names Koromyslo, Koromyslitsa, Rake, Grabeltsy, Kichigi (kichiga is a curved stick for threshing), Koryaga. Ukrainian names are Mowers, Mowers, Police, Chepigi (chepigi and police are parts of the plow). Romanian names - Rake, Scythe, Sickle, Plow. Estonian names are Flails, Brook Stars, Row Stars, Spear Stars. Other names for these stars include Three Zebras (among the Hottentots), Three Deers (among the North American Indians), Three Horses and Three Maralukhi (among the Khakass), Three Argali (among the Kazakhs), Three Sisters (among the Belarusians), Three Plows (among the Germans ), Three Girls (among the Khakass), Three Men (among the Eskimos), the Georgian name for the Sastsari Belt, the Armenian Ksherk and the Kazakh Tarazy mean “scales”. Also in the collection of names of Orion are Churek (in the Caucasus), Boat (Oceania), Cross (among the Bashkirs), Table Leg (among the Udmurts), Dog of Shaitan (among the Mordvins), Shepherd (among the Germans).

Orion, together with the Sun, Cassiopeia, Cygnus, Gemini, Pegasus and the Pleiades, is depicted on a ceramic vessel from the Vučedol culture, found near the Croatian city of Vinkovci (3000-2600 BC).

see also

• List of stars in the constellation Orion

Notes

1. Siegel F. Yu. Treasures of the starry sky: A guide to the constellations and the Moon. - 5th ed. - M: Nauka, 1987. - P. 119. - 296 p.
2. 1 2 Antonio de la Calancha. Corónica moralizada del orden de San Augustín en el Perú. (Barcelona, ​​1639). - Tomo 3. - p. 15.
3. Sakh - constellation and god
4. Sreznevsky I.I. Materials for the dictionary of the Old Russian language based on written monuments. T. 1. St. Petersburg. 1893. Pp. 294-295, 1334.
5. https://www.google.ru/search?tbm=bks&hl=ru&q=%D0%BA%D1%80%D1%83%D0%B6%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B5+ %D0%B8+%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BE&gws_rd=ssl#hl=ru&newwindow=1&q=%D0%BA%D1%80%D1%83%D0%B6%D0%B8% D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%8F+%D0%B8+%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BE&tbm=bks
6. Pablo José de Arriaga. La extirpación de la idolatría en el Pirú. - Lima: Geronimo de Contreras, 1621. - p. 130.
7. Karpenko Yu. A. Names of the starry sky. - M.: Nauka, 1985. pp. 45-46.
8. Oldest European calendar "deciphered", May 22, 2001, Independent Online

Links

• Orion (constellation): topical media files on Wikimedia Commons
• WIKISKY.ORG: Orion
• Orion. Astromyth. Retrieved March 24, 2013. Archived from the original on March 27, 2013.

Constellation stars Orion
Bayer	α (Betelgeuse) β (Rigel) γ (Bellatrix) δ (Mintaka) ε (Alnilam) ζ (Alnitak) η (Algeiba) θ¹ (Trapezium of Orion: θ¹ A θ¹ B θ¹ C θ¹ D) θ² ι (Hatsia) κ (Saif ) λ (Meissa) μ ν ξ ο¹ ο² π¹ π² π³ (Tabit) π4 π5 π6 ρ σ τ υ (Thabit) φ¹ φ² χ¹ χ² ψ ω b c d e f¹ f² g h i k l m n ¹ n² o p A
Flamsteed	1 (π³, Tabit) 2 (π²) 3 (π4) 4 (ο¹) 5 6 (g) 7 (π¹) 8 (π5) 9 (ο²) 10 (π6) 11 12 13 14 (i) 15 16 (h ) 17 (ρ) 18 19 (β, Rigel) 20 (τ) 21 22 (o) 23 (m) γ (Bellatrix) 25 26 27 (p) 28 (η, Algeiba) 29 (e) 30 (ψ) 31 32 (A) 33 (n¹) 34 (δ, Mintaka) 35 36 (υ, Thabit) 37 (φ¹) 38 (n²) 39 (λ, Meissa) 40 (φ²) 41 (θ¹, Trapezium of Orion: θ¹ A θ¹ B θ¹ C θ¹ D) 42 (c) 43 (θ²) 44 (ι, Hatsia) 45 46 (ε, Alnilam) 47 (ω) 48 (σ) 49 (d) 50 (ζ, Alnitak) 51 (b) 52 53 (κ, Saif) 54 (χ¹) 55 56 57 58 (α, Betelgeuse) 59 60 61 (μ) 62 (χ²) 63 64 65 66 67 (ν) 68 69 (f¹) 70 (ξ) 71 72 (f²) 73 74 (k) 75 (l)
Immediate	GJ 3379 HD 36395 Gliese 205 Ross 47 Gliese 223.2 Gliese 1087 π³ (Tabit) χ¹
Other	FU Oriona S Oriona HD 290327 HD 36960
List

88 modern constellations
48 constellations of the Almagest catalog by Claudius Ptolemy
Andromeda Gemini Big Dipper Dog (Great Dog) Claws (Libra) Aquarius Charioteer Beast (Wolf) Bootes Raven Kneeling (Hercules) Water Serpent (Hydra) Virgo Dolphin Dragon Censer (Altar) Hare Ophiuchus Serpent Ophiuchus (Snake) Cassiopeia Whale Capricorn Argo (Ship Argo) Bird ( Swan) Leo Lyra Ursa Minor Head of a Horse (Small Horse) Procyon (Small Dog) Aries Eagle and Antinous (Eagle) Orion Horse (Pegasus) Perseus Cancer Pisces Northern Crown Scorpio Arrow Sagittarius Taurus Triangle Centaur (Centaurus) Kepheus (Cepheus) Chalice River (Eridanus) Southern Crown Southern Pisces

Betelgeuse- a red supergiant with a luminosity that exceeds on average the luminosity of the Sun by 100,000 times. The diameter of Betelgeuse during pulsations ranges from 500 to 1000 solar diameters, however, the mass of this red star is only 13-17 times that of the Sun, while the volume of Betelgeuse is 250-300 million times that of the Sun. The brightness also varies over 2070 days (it is the ninth brightest star in the night sky). This semi-regular variable star is located at an average distance of 570 light years from us.

Betelgeuse is part of the so-called winter triangle, which in addition to it is formed by the stars Procyon with Canis Minor and Sirius with Canis Major.

Bellatrix is a blue-white giant that is one of the brightest stars in the night sky and is known as the “star of the Amazons,” personifying the “warrior woman.” This is the third brightest star in the constellation Orion, which was also one of the navigational stars of antiquity. Being one of the hottest stars in the sky with a surface temperature of 21,500 K and having a luminosity exceeding the Sun by about 4,000 times, the radius of Bellatrix is ​​only about 6 times greater than the radius of the Sun, and its mass is 8-9 times greater than the Sun.

Mintaka- a variable hot star visible in the night sky with the naked eye with high temperature surfaces. The brightness of this blue supergiant changes over a period of 5.37 days. It is located in Orion's belt and is approximately 900 light years away from us. The main component of the system is a spectroscopic binary star, consisting of two blue-white giants, each of which is on average 80,000 times brighter than our Sun and 20 times heavier. The name means "belt" in Arabic.

Alnilam- the central star in Orion's belt. It belongs to the blue supergiants. It is one of the three stars in Orion's belt. The name has Arabic roots and means “string of pearls”.

Alnitak- the third star in Orion's belt, which is a triple star and is located at a distance of about 800 light years from us. The blue supergiant, which is the main star of the system, has two blue-white satellites, one of which - Alnitak B itself is also a double giant star.

Orion's trapezoid, discovered by the famous Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, is a cluster of a large number of stars inside the Orion Nebula. The four brightest stars form a trapezoid and are spaced at approximately the same distance. The motion of stars in this system is very complex and unstable. If they were not held by gravity, they would break up into individual stars within 100,000-1,000,000 years. The stars move away from each other for a while and then come closer again. It turns out that the entire system seems to be constantly pulsating all the time. Orion's trapezoid is approximately 1,300 light years away from us.

Saif, Meaning "giant's sword" in Arabic, it is a blue supergiant, one of the hottest stars in the constellation Orion. Located more than 600 light-years away, this star has a temperature of about 26,000 K and a luminosity almost 60,000 times greater than that of our Sun.

Meissa or Heck or Lambda Orionis- a double star classified as a blue giant, the second component of the system of which is in turn a double star. The original Arabic name of the star means " White spot"We are separated from this star by a distance of approximately 1,100 light years.

Orionids- a meteor shower, located in the northeastern part of the constellation and formed from a swarm of meteorite bodies. The earth passes through it twice every year. In the fall we consider it as the Orionids, in the spring as the Aquarius in Aquarius. The Orionids have a five-day peak around October 21, with an average of about 25 meteors passing per hour. Largest quantity meteorites - 50 per hour - was recorded in 1936.

Great Orion Nebula(M 42, NGC 1976) is a gas-dust nebula located at a distance of about 1300 light years from us. It is one of the most famous and interesting deep space objects. Nebulae are one of the most important objects in the starry sky for gaining knowledge about the formation and evolution of stars. Objects with very low temperatures have already been discovered within its composition, emitting most of their energy in the infrared part of the spectrum.

Orion and the Egyptian pyramids

In 1994, Robert Bauval, in his book The Orion Mystery, outlined the theory that the Fourth Dynasty pyramids were built as an earthly reflection of the constellation Orion. The Egyptian god Osiris was identified with the constellation Orion. Probably because of this, cemeteries were built in a number of pyramids corresponding to the position of the stars of a given constellation.

Bauval and Hancock, through computer calculations, established that the location and size of the three main Egyptian pyramids, namely Cheops, Khafre and Mikerin, coincide with the three stars that form Orion's belt. According to researchers, this means that although the construction of the pyramids was completed around 2500 B.C. However, the plan for the entire complex was built long before this.

Around 10,500 BC Orion passed through the lowest position. At that time, the Earth was warming, the last ice age was ending. The climate in Egypt has become dry. Today, the five remaining intact pyramids are an earthly replica of the constellation, and the famous Pyramids of Giza are a perfect reflection of the three stars of Orion's belt. The two pyramids at Dashur, built by Sneferu (Khufu's father) are part of the map of the sky. Bauvel claims that they are stars of the constellation Taurus, Aldebaran and e-Taurus. Even during the Fifth Dynasty, fewer pyramids were built.

This is an earthly reflection of the sky to allow the passage of the pharaoh into the afterlife of Osiris. It can be assumed that the pyramids were truly an expression of the faith of the entire society, and not the whim of one ruler. Funeral ceremonies held inside the Great Pyramid carried the souls of the pharaohs to the afterlife, and the same pharaoh's pyramid served not one, but many generations of Egyptians.

Orion among the Chinese

Chinese astronomers knew Orion as Shen - a great hunter or warrior. This is one of the rare cases where a constellation has been visualized almost identically to Europa. Shen was at the center of a great celestial hunting scene, for the full moon is in this part of the sky during the hunting season, in November and December.

The main body of Shen consists of 10 stars: four that make up traditional scheme Orion (alpha, beta, gamma and kappa), three belt stars and three sword stars. The sword stars had a dual identity as they also formed a subconstellation, Fa. In keeping with Shen's identity as a master warrior, the 10 stars were the generals of his army.

The triangle of stars that form the head of Orion (Lambda, Phi 1 and Phi 2) was known as Zoo - the beak of a turtle or bird - perhaps a falcon for hunting. Zuy is also the name of the 20th lunar house, the narrowest of all houses (barely 2° wide). Since it is close to the 21st house, Shen.

As one of the oldest Chinese constellations, Shen has accumulated many different and conflicting identities over the centuries.

Mesoamerica

Despite the fame of the Egyptian pyramids at Giza, Central America actually has more such structures than the rest of the planet. Civilizations such as the Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs all built pyramids to house their gods, as well as the funerals of kings.

In many of their large city-states, the pyramid temple formed the center of public life, and was the site of sacred ritual, including human sacrifice.

The most famous pyramids are the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacan, the Castillo in Chichen Itza, the Great Pyramid in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, etc.

Hopi

From time immemorial, the Hopi Indian tribes believed that the gods flew to Earth precisely from the constellation Orion, and they live on the star Pi-3, which is located 26 light years from our planet, which is not so far, scientists say. Hopi shamans, portraying gods, still dress in the costume of Kachina - a creature or spirit that flew to Earth from the Blue Star. The shaman cannot take off his mask in front of children - the Indians believe that if this happens, the faith of the tribe will die, and no one will save the world.

The area where the Hopi live is called the Four Corners, because the borders of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado meet at a 90° angle here. Nevada is adjacent to them. Archaeologists report that the same type of people live in the Hopi cult village of Oraibi as they did 5,000 years ago.

A traditional Hopi hut has no windows, and residents climb onto the roofs of their shacks to see what's going on around them.

Indian legends say that after a natural disaster, “high and revered initiates” from Toonaottekhi came to their aid from the sky. It was them who the Hopi nicknamed Kachina. Kachin was taught local residents to process metal, introduced them to the basics of medicine and astronomy. Local tribes depict kachinas in the form of dolls.

The Dogons, Egyptians and Mayans also worshiped the gods from this constellation. This can be seen from the location of the pyramids of the Moon, the Sun and the temple of the Mayan god; they are oriented towards Orion’s belt.

The constellation Orion is located in the northern hemisphere of the celestial sphere. In its beauty it is second only to the constellation Ursa Major. In the night sky, this majestic cluster of distant stars can be easily found by Orion's Belt. It consists of three blue-white stars arranged at an angle in a row. If you draw an imaginary straight line through them, then its lower end will be directed to the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius. And the upper end will touch the brightest star in the constellation Taurus Aldebaran.

Around Orion's Belt are brighter stars, as well as the Great Orion Nebula, which is easily visible through binoculars. All this cosmic beauty forms a constellation, and the brightest star in it is red supergiant Betelgeuse. From Arabic it is translated as “armpit”.

Betelgeuse is a semi-regular variable star. That is, its luminosity changes periodically. At maximum it exceeds the luminosity of our Sun by 105 thousand times, and at minimum by 80 thousand times. Its mass is 15 times that of the sun. The diameter of the star during the pulsation process either decreases or increases. On average, it exceeds the diameter of our star by 600-700 times. The distance to this cosmic giant from Earth is approximately 650 light years.

The red supergiant is located above the lower end of Orion's Belt and is clearly visible in the cosmic abyss. And the second brightest star is called Rigel. It can be found below the upper end of three stars stretched out in one line. Translated from Arabic, "crossbar" means "leg". This is a blue supergiant with a luminosity 130 thousand times higher than the Sun. There is no other such bright star in visible space. It is located 870 light years from Earth. It was this star that the ancient Egyptians associated with the god Osiris.

It must be said that the constellation Orion has seven of the brightest stars. We have already considered two, three form Orion’s Belt. These are the stars Mintaka, Alnilam and Alnitak. The topmost one is Mintaka. This star is multiple. That is, it consists of four luminaries located close to each other. From Earth, they naturally appear to be one cosmic body. In reality, the main ones are two blue and white giants. They rotate around a common center. And two dimmer stars revolve around them.

This is how the constellation Orion looks in the night sky from Earth

In the middle is Alnilam star. It is a blue supergiant, and in terms of brightness it ranks 4th in the constellation. It is 2 times farther from the Sun than its counterparts, but in terms of its luminosity it is in no way different from them. Alnilam means "string of pearls" in Arabic.

The lowest star in Orion's Belt is Alnitak. It is a multiple triple star and is about 800 light years away from Earth. The main one in this trinity is the blue supergiant. Two blue brothers revolve around him. To the south of the belt are the “sword” stars. They are much paler than the 7 bright stars. And next to them is the Great Orion Nebula. But let's first look at the 2 remaining bright stars. These are Saif, located below Alnitak, and Bellatrix, located above Mintak.

Saif refers to the right leg of Orion, and is similar in size to Rigel, who chose her left leg. In terms of brightness, it ranks 6th in the constellation. It is separated from our blue planet by a distance of 650 light years or 198 parsecs. It exceeds the solar mass 17 times, and its radius is 22 times greater than the solar radius.

And finally, Bellatrix, which ranks 3rd in brightness among its peers, and among all the stars of the night sky it is ranked 27th. The luminary is 6 times the radius of our Sun. It has been a blue giant for 20 million years. That is, all this time it is evolving from the Main Sequence into a giant star. It is separated from Earth by 250 light years.

Now it's time to look at the Great Orion Nebula. It is located near the middle star, forming the “sword” of a formidable giant. Cold gas and dust clouds absorb the sun's rays, and therefore look like impenetrable black holes. And next to them are clouds of ionized plasma that emit light. Due to this, this nebula is considered the brightest in the sky visible to the human eye. From edge to edge, its distance is 33 light years. But it is separated from Mother Earth by outer space equal to 1334 light years.

The center of this formation is called the Trapezium. It received this name due to 4 big stars, arranged in the form of a trapezoid. The central part glows with a bright light, but it quickly fades towards the edges. The shape of the nebula is arcuate. That is, it seems to have wings, but they are characterized by a weak glow. In the place where they converge there is a black hole. It's called Fish Mouth. The wings are covered by a pale stripe called the Sail.

Thus, we examined the main cosmic bodies that are included in the constellation Orion. It, as already mentioned, is second only in beauty Ursa Major. And people have known this cluster of stars for as long as many other clusters that mysteriously shine in the night sky of the Earth.

Siberian State Geodetic Academy

Institute of Geodesy and Management

Department of Astronomy and Gravimetry

Topic: Orion Constellation

Completed:

St. gr. PG-11

Astrakhantseva Maria

Checked:

Assoc. Caf. astronomy and gravimetry

Gienko E.G.

Novosibirsk 2009

Introduction

Orion constellation

Stars and other objects

Myths and legends

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

On a dark, cloudless night, many stars and constellations are visible in the sky. But there is no other constellation in the entire sky that would contain so many interesting and easily accessible objects for the observer as Orion.

Orion is one of the oldest constellations. This is understandable: it is simply impossible not to see this constellation in the winter sky - and it is impossible to interpret it otherwise than as the figure of a giant towering over the southern horizon with a whole host of bright characteristic stars.

Orion constellation

Orion (Greek Ὠρίων) is an equatorial constellation, which is located in the winter seasonal hemisphere, in the autumn square. The best time for astronomical visibility in Russia is December, and best time evening visibility – January.

This constellation can be observed across the entire geographic latitude, but full visibility is south of 79

north latitude and north of 68S. Its area is 594 sq. degrees.

The constellation is easy to find by three blue-white stars depicting the belt of Orion - Mintaka (δ Orionis), which in Arabic means “belt”, Alnilam (ε Orionis) - “pearl belt” and Alnitak (ζ Orionis) - “sash”. They are spaced from each other at the same angular distance and are located in a line pointing with the southeastern end to the blue Sirius (in Canis Major), and with the northwestern end to the red Aldebaran (in Taurus).

In this big and beautiful constellation there are many bright stars with names, most of which are associated with the colossal figure of the giant hunter rising into the winter sky. The number of stars visible to the naked eye: bright (4m) – 15, dim (5m) – 49, faint (6m) – 120, faintest (6.5m) – 196. The brightest stars: Rigel, Betelgeuse and Bellatrix. The Great Nebula of Orion, visible to the naked eye, is located in Orion. The constellation contains many hot stars of early spectral types O and B, which form a stellar association.

There are many double stars in this constellation - this is Rigel, the duality of which can be detected already in a telescope with a lens diameter of about 5 cm; Betelgeuse with its satellite 9m is bluish in color; The top star in Orion’s “belt” is Delta, accessible for observation with the weakest telescope: one star is 2.5m, the other is 7m. In the Orion Nebula you can see the famous sixfold system of young stars, the so-called Trapezium of Orion (Orion's star).

Stars and other objects

In the constellation Orion 8 brightest stars(value< 3m), каждая из которых по-своему интересна.

β (beta) Rigel.

Translated from Arabic - giant's shoulder. The color of this star is bluish-white, the surface temperature is about 13,000 K. The apparent brightness of Rigel is quite significant (0.18m), and yet it is difficult to believe that this star emits light 64,000 times more intense than our Sun. The reason for Rigel's exceptionally high luminosity is not only that Rigel is very hot, but also because of its size. It is 40 times larger in diameter than the Sun. Rigel is rightfully considered a supergiant.

Rigel is a triple star. In a large school refractor without special labor you can see a white hot star 7m next to it at a distance of 9”. Judging by the spectrum, this satellite of Rigel, in turn, is a close pair of stars, making a full revolution around a common center of mass in almost 10 days. Rigel and its satellites are very far from Earth - we are separated by 773 light years.

α (alpha) Betelgeuse.

Betelgeuse, a red supergiant, closes the top ten brightest stars in the sky. Its surface temperature is about 3000 K, and its luminosity is almost 15,000 higher than the sun. The first star (besides the Sun, of course) whose disk was photographed. Betelgeuse is also one of several stars whose radius was measured for the first time using a stellar interferometer. For the first time, a photograph of a surface with spots was also obtained - the same as on our Sun (though their sizes are comparable to the distance from the Earth to the Sun). Scientists have discovered a mysterious hot spot on the surface of the star. It is about 2000 K hotter than the surface of the star. Betelgeuse is 300 times larger in diameter than the Sun. Taking the place of the Sun, it would swallow the planets up to and including Mars. Although Betelgeuse is designated α, it is the second brightest star in the constellation: generally brighter than Rigel. Why "usually"? The fact is that Betelgeuse is a semi-regular variable star. Its apparent magnitude ranges from 0.2m to 1.2m. In the change in its brightness, two fluctuations can be distinguished - with periods of 180 and 2070 days. Observations have shown that during pulsations its radius changes from 700 to 1000 solar radii.

Betelgeuse has almost completely exhausted its hydrogen fuel and is nearing the end of its life. Typically, stars with a mass like Betelgeuse's (about 20 solar masses) live for about 10 million years and swell to gigantic sizes before they die, turning into red supergiants. But, what is most interesting, such a star, dying, explodes as a supernova.

γ (gamma) Bellatrix.

The star Bellatrix is ​​a blue-white main sequence giant, one of the hottest stars visible to the naked eye: its temperature is about 21,500 K. In the Middle Ages it was called Bellatrix, that is, in Latin, “warrior”. The luminosity of this star is 1.64m.

ε (epsilon) Alnilam.

Its apparent magnitude is 1.69m.

The stars δ (delta) Mintaka and ζ (zetta) Alnitak belong to the rare spectral class O, and their surface temperature even slightly exceeds 25,000 K. The apparent brightness of Mintaka is 2.25m, and that of Alnitak is 1.74m.

κ (kappa) Saif.

This star is a hot giant with a surface temperature of about 25,000 K and a luminosity of 2.07m. By physical properties The star Alnilam is very similar to it.

ι (Iota) Hatisa.

The apparent magnitude of this star is 2.75m.

Asterisms:

The Sheaf asterism, which determines the characteristic shape of the constellation, includes the stars - α (Betelgeuse), β (Rigel), γ (Bellatrix), ζ (Alnitak), δ (Mintaka), κ (Saif). An alternative name for the asterism is Butterfly.

Orion's belt - the stars Mintaka, Alnilam and Alnitak (δ, ε and ζ Orionis, respectively). Also known as Three Kings, Three Wise Men (Wise Men), Rake.

The Sword of Orion is an asterism that includes two stars (θ and ι) and the Great Nebula of Orion.

The Shield of Orion is an asterism consisting of six stars arranged in an arc: π1, π2, π3, π4, π5 and π6. The ancient name is Tortoiseshell.

Orion's Club is an asterism in the northern part of the constellation, including five stars χ2, χ1, ν, ξ and 69.

The next two asterisms contain, in fact, the same stars.

Mirror of Venus. The Belt of Orion asterism, the star - the handle of the Sword and the star η of Orion form a diamond-shaped mirror, and the Sword of Orion asterism itself acts as the handle of the mirror. Thus, the asterism includes the stars η, δ, ε, ζ, θ and ι Orionis.

The new Pan asterism arose among Australian astronomy enthusiasts. In the southern hemisphere of the Earth, celestial objects, in particular constellations, are visible in an inverted position, relative to their visibility in the northern hemisphere. Thus, the Mirror of Venus asterism turns out to be inverted: its handle acts as the handle of the Pan, the rest of the stars make up the Pan itself. The asterism includes the stars η, δ, ε, ζ, θ and ι Orionis.

Nebulae:

Great Orion Nebula.

The Great Orion Nebula was first seen by the German astronomer Johann Cisat in 1618. It is also designated M 42 (Messier 42). It is a luminous emission nebula with a greenish tint and lies below Orion's Belt. Through binoculars, the nebula is clearly visible as a smeared light speck of vague outlines. Average density this gaseous or, as is often said, diffuse nebula is 1017 times less dense room air. This is the brightest diffuse nebula, its surface extends over approximately 80 x 60 arcminutes, which is more than 4 times the area of ​​the full Moon, hence its good visibility in the night sky with the naked eye, and its position on the celestial equator makes this nebula visible almost at any point on Earth. It is located about 1,600 light years from Earth and is 33 light years across.

In the northern part of the nebula there is a dark strip of dust, separating its northeastern part, cataloged as M43, from the main part of the nebula. M43 (Messier 43) is an emission nebula in the constellation Orion. It is a region of ionized hydrogen where active star formation processes occur, visible through a telescope next to the Orion Nebula in the form of a comma.

The Orion Nebula glows brightly. But this light is “cold”, caused mainly by luminescence processes, which are excited by hot stars close to the nebula or even immersed in it.

The middle star in Orion's Sword is θ Orionis, a known multiple star system: its four bright components form a small quadrangle - the Trapezium of Orion. Scattered star cluster in the center of the Great Orion Nebula, from which it, in fact, was formed. In addition, there are four more fainter stars. All of these stars are very young, having recently formed from interstellar gas in an invisible cloud that occupies the entire eastern part of the constellation Orion. Only a small piece of this cloud, heated by young stars, is visible under Orion’s Belt in a small telescope and even in binoculars as a greenish cloud; This is the most interesting object in the Great Orion Nebula.

In 1780, Pierre Méchain discovered a complex of rather bright reflection nebulae M78 (Messier 78) in the constellation Orion. It consists of three nebulae located northeast of ξ.

Half a degree northeast of the Orion Nebula lies the blue reflection nebula Running Man (NGC 1977). Running Man is a complex of a nebula and a star cluster.

0.5° south of the eastern Belt star (ζ Orionis) is the well-known dark Horsehead Nebula, which is clearly visible against the bright background of the nebula. It was first discovered in 1888 in photographs from the Harvard Observatory. The dark clouds of dust against the backdrop of red glowing interstellar gas truly resemble a horse's head. The red glow is explained by the ionization of hydrogen gas located behind the nebula under the influence of radiation from the nearby bright star ζ Orionis. The nebula's dark background is largely due to the absorption of light by a dense layer of dust, although there are areas to the left that are shadowed by the base of the Horsehead's neck. The gas flowing from the nebula moves in a strong magnetic field. The bright spots at the base of the Horsehead Nebula are young stars in the process of formation. The nebula, approximately 3.5 light-years in diameter, is part of the Orion Cloud.

The Orion Cloud is a collection of interstellar matter (nebula) in the constellation Orion. The Orion Cloud is located in the Milky Way galaxy at a distance of 1600 light years. years old and has dimensions of the order of several hundred St. years.

The Orion Cloud occupies a vast area. Within the boundaries of this area there are a large number of famous objects various types, which contain the substance of this cloud and can be observed with binoculars, amateur telescopes: Orion Nebula (M42), M78, M43, Horsehead Nebula, Barnard's Loop, Flame Nebula, complex of reflection nebulae Running Man and others.

The Flame Nebula (officially designated NGC 2024) is an emission nebula located near Horsehead.

Witch's Head (IC 2118) is a nebula formed by supernova remnants illuminated by the nearby star Rigel.

Barnard's Loop covers almost its entire eastern-southern part (and almost the entire constellation Orion) in a wide semi-ring. The loop is the remnant of a series of supernova explosions: active star formation processes are taking place in the Orion molecular cloud, it is full of young stars; the most massive of them quickly go through all stages of life and explode like supernovae, not having time to leave their own maternity hospital. And young hot stars, not yet reaching their stormy finish, continue to illuminate the Barnard Loop.

In the constellation Orion there is also the Italy nebula (NGC 2024, Flame Nebula) - a complex of emission nebula and dark nebula.

Astronomy enthusiasts are still making scientific discoveries. For example, in 2004, on January 23, amateur astronomer Jay McNeil from Kentucky pointed his 3" telescope towards the constellation Orion to photograph the surroundings of the M78 nebula. And what a surprise he was when, while processing the results of the survey, he noticed a bright but unknown nebula. Now This nebula is called the “McNeil Nebula.” At the edge of this nebula there is a noticeable star that illuminates it.

Myths and legends

Orion is a handsome Boeotian hunter, tall, slender and powerful, so he was mistaken for a giant. The most beautiful man who lived. Judging by the legends, he was a great womanizer, which was the reason for his death, which is written about in detail in the Orioniad.

In Greek mythology, Orion was the son of Poseidon and became a famous hunter. He boasted that there was no animal that he could not defeat, for which Hera sent Scorpio to him. Orion cleared the island of Chios from wild animals and began to ask the king of this island for the hand of his daughter Merope, but he refused him. Orion tried to kidnap Merope, and the king decided to take revenge on him: after getting drunk, he blinded Orion. Helios restored Orion’s sight, but Orion still died from the bite of the Scorpio sent by the Hero. Zeus placed him in the sky in such a way that he could always escape from his pursuer, and indeed, these two constellations are not visible in the sky at the same time.

Most Indian tribes also have myths about the brightest stars and constellations. Legends about such constellations as the Pleiades and Orion are especially popular among South American Indians. The constellations of the Pleiades and Orion among the Indians of Australia were formed as follows.

Once upon a time there lived seven Emu sisters from the Makar clan. They lived peacefully, flew from place to place, and collected food. In those distant times, Emus had large, strong wings that easily lifted their heavy bodies into the air. However, the quiet life of the beautiful sisters lasted only until men saw them - the Vanjins from the Dingo totem. They decided to get the sisters to become their wives. But none of them wanted this. To finally get rid of unwanted suitors, the women flew to a remote area, where they built themselves a home under a boulder at the foot of a towering cliff.

The Emu Sisters believed that now they would be out of danger, and they got rid of the Wandjin for good. But the men from the Dingo totem had a keen sense and soon found the shelter where the sisters were hiding.

The Vanjins understood that the sisters would not leave their home voluntarily, and that they would not be able to lure them out of there. And then they decided to set the forest on fire so that the smoke from the fire would drive Ema out of his home into the open. And when they run out, the fire will burn their wings, and they will not be able to take off. And so they did.

Soon, a forest fire began to burn around the Emu sisters’ shelter and quickly approached the rock where the girls were hiding. As soon as the women got out of the shelter, they immediately found themselves on fire. But when they tried to take to the air, they lost their wings.

However, the Vanjins' hopes were not justified. When the sisters realized that they could not take off, they tried to step over the burning grass and jump over the burning forest. With great persistence, the Emu made efforts to overcome the fire. Suddenly they felt that their legs began to lengthen, become stronger and stronger. With a big leap they overcame the burning strip and, pursued by the Vanjins, rushed to the edge of the earth, thinking of getting rid of the fans they hated. But the men did not lag behind them. Then the Emu, driven to despair, left the Earth and rose into the sky. There they turned into a group of stars - the constellation of the Seven Sisters. Following the Emu sisters, the men of Wandjina also took to the skies. There they turned into the constellation Orion.

Traveling across the sky, the Vanjins still do not give up hope of catching up with the seven Emu sisters, but they are always the first to reach the western horizon and hide from their pursuers.

And on Earth, emu birds, descendants of sisters, cannot fly, but they run the fastest on their long legs.

Conclusion

Can the abundance of hot giants in one specific area of ​​the sky - the constellation Orion - be considered random? Of course not. This is a typical stellar O-association, and its core is a “sixfold” theta star. Hot giants have one characteristic feature- they are unusually wasteful. For example, Rigel every second transforms about 80 billion tons of its substance into radiation, into dazzling streams of light. With such a waste of substance, Rigel would be completely “bankrupt” in 10 million years. But the brilliance of Rigel suggests that this star is far from “bankrupt”, which means its age does not exceed 10 million years.

The Orion constellation contains three T associations, of which the richest (220 stars) is concentrated in the region of the star T Orionis, near the brightest part of the Orion Nebula. The constellation Orion is some kind of boiling “heavenly cauldron”, where even in the present era worlds are born and stars are created. The gigantic Orion Nebula, the O- and T-associations immersed in it - all this gives the impression of something young, recently born, far from equilibrium.

Bibliography

1. www.shvedun.ru

2. www.astrogalaxy.ru

3. www.astromyth.tau-site.ru