The arm is often depicted as holding a weapon of some sort, often a club.
If you are viewing Orion from a dark location, you’ll be able to see his arm rising upward from Betelgeuse. Although we call it the Belt, this asterism (unofficial star pattern) has many names in various cultures and religions, including the “yardstick,” the “wand,” and the “Three Kings” (after the Christmas story). These stars span the midsection of the Hunter, forming a straight bright line. The three stars of Orion’s Belt are a prominent feature of Orion. This is another supergiant star, 22 times the mass of our Sun. Bellatrix (the star) is even bluer than Rigel, but because Bellatrix is dimmer, its color is less apparent except on especially clear, dark nights.Ĭompleting the main outline of Orion is Saiph, marking the Hunter’s right knee. On Orion’s left shoulder lies the very blue star Bellatrix, meaning “female warrior.” It’s no coincidence that the Bellatrix Lestrange character in the Harry Potter books is extremely warlike (and not in a good way!). Where Betelgeuse really excels, however, is in its sheer size-as much as 1,000 times larger than our Sun! In general, the colors of stars are very subtle, but the colors of these two bright stars are easy to see.īetelgeuse and Rigel are both classified as “supergiant” stars, having about 8 and 21 times the mass, respectively, of our Sun. At a glance, it is easy to see that Betelgeuse is a yellowish orange star while Rigel is a dazzling blue-white. Both are among the sky’s 10 brightest stars, and they have distinctly different colors. The brightest of these are Betelgeuse on his right shoulder and Rigel on his left knee. The main figure of Orion consists of seven bright stars. This month’s Sky Map includes a close-up view of Orion on the right-hand side of the map. When you look to the south in February, your view is dominated by Orion, standing tall and proud. And there is no better time to view Orion than an early evening in February, so bundle up! There is no brighter constellation in the night sky than Orion, the Hunter. And there is no better time to view Orion than an early evening in February, so bundle up! See our February Sky Map (Star Chart)! Just click here or on the image below to open the printable map-then bring outside!įebruary Sky: All Hail the Mighty Hunter!
0 kommentar(er)
