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Constellation
Orion
The shape: an hourglass with three stars in a row (the belt).
Orion was a giant hunter who boasted that he could defeat any animal. So the goddess Gaia sent a scorpion, which stung him. That is why the two stand opposite each other in the sky: when Scorpius rises, Orion sets. Betelgeuse at his shoulder is a red giant star; Rigel at his foot shines bluish-white.
The stars of the figure
From bright to faint. Brightness is given in magnitudes (mag): the smaller the number, the brighter the star.
- Rigel · 0.13 mag
- Betelgeuse · 0.5 mag
- Bellatrix · 1.64 mag
- Alnilam · 1.69 mag
- Alnitak · 1.77 mag
- Saiph · 2.09 mag
- Mintaka · 2.23 mag
- Meissa · 3.33 mag
Shooting stars from the constellation Orion
Orionids: these shooting stars seem to come from this part of the sky. More under Meteor showers.
In the 3D model
In the 3D model, under “Explore”, the sky dome shows when the constellation Orion can be seen above Switzerland. “Constellations in 3D” shows how far apart its stars really are.
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