Hunting the Hunter: Orion’s Myth and Marvels

• Episode 49 on YouTube
• Sky map for week starting January 26, 2025

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Howdy stargazers and welcome to this episode of Star Trails. I’m Drew, and I’ll be your guide to the night sky for the week starting January 26th through February 1st.

This week’s winter sky offers up some familiar favorites, and with Orion prominent in the sky, we’re going to take a closer look at the celestial treasures of this familiar constellation. I’ll tell you how to find its notable nebula and we’ll tour its brightest stars.

So, grab a comfortable spot under the night sky, and let’s get started!

We begin this week with the Moon in a waning crescent phase, with the New Moon arriving on January 29th. The Moon is essentially invisible, making this an excellent period for deep-sky observations.

There’s still a bit of a parade of planets happening. You aren’t likely to catch Mercury, as it’s very close to the sun, but Venus and Saturn are still dominating the southwest sky just after dusk. Look for Venus, the brightest object in that portion of the sky, with Saturn, a good bit dimmer, hanging out below and to the left. Saturn’s rings look amazing right now, and you should be able to make out its moon, Titan, and even some cloud bands, with a decent instrument.

Look towards the south to catch Jupiter already rising high after dusk. It will be visible in Taurus near the red star Aldebaran until about 3 a.m., when it finally dips below the western horizon. A keen observer may be able to spot a moon or two with good binoculars, but in a small telescope you should be able to see all four Galilean moons, along with some cloud bands on the Jovian surface.

The real standout continues to be Mars. Having reached opposition the week before last, it’s still big and bright in Gemini. Look for it as a bright, ruddy star near Castor and Pollux. If you can observe it with a higher powered scope, you’re likely to see a polar ice cap in contrast to its red color.

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We often mention several of the prominent constellations – Orion (more on him later), Gemini and Taurus. For something different, check out Canis Major (the big dog) and Canis Minor (the little dog). Canis Major is low in the southeast in the early evening, but will rise throughout the night. Follow Orion’s belt of three stars downward until you see a bright star. That’s Sirius, the brightest star in our night sky. The deep sky object, M41, is also located nearby. It’s an open cluster just southeast of Sirius, and is a good target in binoculars. 

Look roughly 10 degrees to the west of Sirius to encounter Procyon, a bright star in Canis Minor forming the Winter Triangle with Sirius and Betelguese.

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It’s hard to think of a more recognizable constellation than Orion. With its three distinct “belt stars” and easily recognizable shape, it’s a familiar sight in the winter, even to non-astronomers, who are probably familiar with at least some of its lore.  

Known to many cultures as a mighty hunter or warrior, Orion is a treasure trove of astronomical marvels—from brilliant stars on the verge of stellar death to newborn suns still swaddled in glowing nebulae. We’ll journey through the mythological roots, the bright stars, the sprawling nebulae, and the star-forming secrets of this mighty constellation.

Orion has captured imaginations for millennia. In Greek mythology, Orion was a gifted hunter—so skilled he boasted he could slay every creature on Earth. Depending on the version of the legend, his fate was sealed by a scorpion sent by the Earth goddess Gaia or by Artemis in a tragic twist of events.

In many retellings, Orion and Artemis shared a mutual love of hunting and became companions. Some versions hint at a romantic or at least a very close bond—one that concerned Apollo, Artemis’s brother, who worried Orion might threaten Artemis’s vow of chastity.

In one account, Apollo tricked Artemis into shooting an unidentified figure swimming far out at sea, claiming it was a villain she needed to slay. Only after loosing her arrow did Artemis realize she had killed Orion.

In other versions, Gaia (Earth) grew angry at Orion’s boast that he could kill every animal, and she sent a scorpion to dispatch him. This scorpion killed Orion, and Artemis placed him among the stars to honor his hunting prowess and her fondness for him.

In the sky, Scorpius (the scorpion) now rises in the east just as Orion sets in the west, ensuring the two never share the heavens.

Many other cultures also recognized Orion’s distinctive pattern. The ancient Egyptians associated Orion’s Belt with the god Osiris, and the three stars of the Belt were linked to the pyramids on the Giza Plateau. In China, parts of Orion formed various asterisms used in astrology and folklore, while the Norse saw Orion as a reminder of their heroic tales. 

Let’s survey the brightest stars of Orion:

Betelgeuse, or Alpha Orionis, marks Orion’s “shoulder.” It’s a red supergiant, more than 700 times the diameter of our Sun, and among the largest visible stars in the night sky. Betelgeuse is nearing the end of its life, destined to explode as a supernova—though it could be in a hundred thousand years or more. Its brightness is also variable; sometimes it dims noticeably, reminding us that star behavior can be surprisingly dynamic.

Directly opposite Betelgeuse in Orion’s “foot” or “knee” is Rigel, Beta Orionis, a blue-white supergiant. Despite its beta designation, Rigel is often the brightest star in Orion. It emits tens of thousands of times more light than our Sun and represents a star still burning its fuel at a furious rate. Rigel’s intense luminosity makes it a valuable anchor for navigators in the Southern Hemisphere.

Bellatrix, Gamma Orionis, or the “Amazon Star,” is another blue giant, though smaller and dimmer than Rigel. It forms Orion’s other shoulder. The name “Bellatrix” translates from Latin as “female warrior,” which seemingly conflicts with Orion’s masculine persona. No one really knows why, but over centuries, astronomers adopted a grab-bag of ancient, medieval and Renaissance naming conventions, and perhaps ages ago, this star’s relationship to Orion wasn’t perfectly aligned with the Greek mythos.

At the lower-right corner of the constellation—diagonally opposite Betelgeuse—is Saiph, Kappa Orionis, another brilliant blue supergiant. Though it shines less brightly to the naked eye than Rigel, Saiph’s luminosity is enormous by stellar standards, just partially veiled by distance and interstellar dust.

But perhaps the most famous part of Orion is the trio of stars that form his Belt: Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. Lined up in a near-straight line, these stars serve as a cosmic signpost. They can guide observers to brilliant Sirius in Canis Major or to Aldebaran in Taurus. Each Belt star is, in fact, a large, luminous star in its own right. Alnitak, for example, is another hot, young, blue supergiant.

Hanging “below” the Belt, you’ll spot Orion’s Sword—an asterism made of a few bright stars and the glowing Orion Nebula (M42). Even to the unaided eye under decent skies, this region can appear slightly fuzzy or cloudy, hinting at the nebula’s presence. 

At the heart of Orion’s visual splendor lies a vast and complex region of dust and gas called the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. This colossal structure is home to some of the sky’s most photogenic nebulae and active star-forming zones.

The Orion Nebula is the showstopper of the constellation. Located in Orion’s Sword, the nebula glows with a soft, diffuse light. In astrophotos, swirling clouds of magenta and violet hydrogen gas cradle young stars. Check it out in binoculars or a telescope. Even in light-polluted skies, you can see details.

At its heart lies the Trapezium Cluster, a group of hot, massive stars whose intense ultraviolet radiation illuminates the nebula. The Orion Nebula is one of the closest and most active star-forming regions to Earth, giving us a direct window into how stars and planetary systems are born.

Just north of M42 and technically part of the same cloud is M43, De Mairan’s Nebula, separated by a dark lane of dust. While it often gets overshadowed by its more famous neighbor, M43 is a wonderful emission region in its own right—another cradle for newly forming stars.

Perhaps the most iconic dark nebula in the sky, the Horsehead Nebula, Barnard 33, is a small, horse-shaped silhouette set against the bright emission nebula IC 434. Located near the leftmost Belt star, Alnitak, this target typically requires a telescope with good filters or a long-exposure photograph to really see the characteristic horse head shape.

Also near Alnitak is the Flame Nebula, NGC 2024, a region of hydrogen gas and dark dust lanes. The bright glow is largely due to ionization from a nearby young star. In images, it appears like a cosmic bonfire, living up to its evocative name.

A bit farther north is M78, a reflection nebula. Unlike the emission nebulae that glow with their own light, reflection nebulae shine by reflecting the light of nearby stars. Through a modest telescope, M78 appears as a patchy, luminous cloud with a few embedded stars.

Spanning much of Orion is a vast, faint arc called Barnard’s Loop. It’s believed to be a remnant of supernova explosions and powerful stellar winds from massive stars formed in Orion’s past. In long-exposure images, Barnard’s Loop forms an elegant semicircle framing many of the constellation’s other features.

Just north of the Orion Nebula lies the Running Man Nebula, NGC 1977, another region of mixed emission and reflection. Astrophotographers often note a dark shape in the gas that resembles a running figure—hence the name.

Orion is a stellar nursery on a colossal scale. The Orion Molecular Cloud Complex houses massive clouds of hydrogen gas and interstellar dust. Under the force of gravity, these clouds can collapse, heating up and eventually igniting nuclear fusion to form new stars. This process is vividly on display in the Orion Nebula, where astronomers have catalogued proplyds—protoplanetary disks swirling around young stars. These disks may one day coalesce into fully formed solar systems, offering us a live-action look at the same processes that shaped our own Sun and planets billions of years ago.

Even if you have modest gear, Orion is an astrophotographer’s paradise. You can effectively photograph the entire Molecular Cloud Complex with something as simple as an 85mm lens on a DSLR or mirrorless camera, using stacking techniques. You’ll have better success with long, guided exposures though. 

With such a setup, you can capture the glow of Orion’s Belt and Sword, and, under dark conditions, you might even catch hints of Barnard’s Loop.

A mid-Level telephoto in the 135mm to 200mm range can frame the Belt stars, Horsehead Nebula, Flame Nebula, and Orion Nebula all in one shot.

Through a small telescope, M42 is stunning. With filters like an H-alpha or UHC filter, the nebula’s intricate structure becomes more apparent. Exposure stacking and various processing techniques are often used to preserve the bright core around the Trapezium, while still capturing enough data to bring out faint outer details. If you’re beginning your journey in astrophotography, M42 makes a captivating first target. I’m planning to talk more about some of these techniques in a future episode.

For visual observers, Orion is full of challenges and rewards:

To the naked eye, under moderately dark skies, the Orion Nebula appears as a faint patch in the Sword. A small telescope at low power reveals at least four bright stars in M42’s heart – the Trapezium. With excellent seeing conditions and a larger telescope, you can spot additional fainter members.

Finding the Flame Nebula can be tricky. Try using a narrowband filter, and keep the bright star Alnitak just outside the field of view to reduce glare.

For an additional challenge, try logging Betelgeuse’s variability. Make note of its brightness changes over weeks or months. You’ll want to compare it to other stars of known magnitudes to estimate its current brightness.

Orion is sort of a universe in miniature, and delivers one of the richest and most awe-inspiring experiences the sky has to offer. There’s something here for everyone. It’s one of the most studied and photographed areas of the entire sky, and for good reason! It’s a grand cosmic stage where stars are born, live their brilliant lives, and eventually die in spectacular fashion. 

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If you found this episode helpful, let me know, and feel free to send in your questions and observations. The easiest way to do that is by visiting our website, startrails.show. This is also a great way to share the show with friends. Until next time, keep looking up and exploring the night sky. Clear skies, everyone!