orion

Orion is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible from most of the inhabited world. It is one of the most recognizable patterns in the night sky, notable for Orion's Belt—the three bright stars Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka—and for the bright shoulder and foot stars Betelgeuse and Rigel.

Name and history: The name comes from Greek mythology, where Orion is described as a hunter. The constellation has been recognized since ancient times and appears in many cultures as a familiar figure in the sky; it has been depicted in star charts and lore for centuries.

Notable features: Betelgeuse marks Orion's shoulder, a red supergiant. Rigel marks the opposite knee, a blue-white supergiant. Other bright stars include Bellatrix and Saiph. The Belt stars sit roughly along a straight line, serving as a convenient guide to the rest of the figure. The Orion Nebula (M42) lies in Orion's sword and is a stellar nursery visible to the naked eye under dark skies. The broader Orion Molecular Cloud Complex contains numerous star-forming regions and reflection nebulae.

Observing: The constellation is most conspicuous in the evening sky during the Northern Hemisphere winter and is visible from most latitudes. It straddles the celestial equator, so it can be seen from both northern and southern hemispheres, though its orientation changes with the seasons. Distances to its major stars range from hundreds to many thousands of light-years.

Other uses: Orion also refers to NASA's Orion spacecraft, developed for the Artemis program to transport astronauts to lunar vicinity and beyond. The vehicle has undergone uncrewed and crewed flight tests, with Artemis I conducted as an initial test flight in 2022 and subsequent missions planned.