Now is a good time to enjoy probably the most spectacular constellation in the sky: Orion, the Hunter.
Look directly south shortly after sunset to see Orion, associated with a number of legends.
According to one legend, the great Greek hunter angered the deities by boasting that he was invincible.
After Orion was killed by the sting of a scorpion, now known as Scorpius, the gods placed both in the sky — but separated them. Scorpius does not fully rise until Orion has set.
Perhaps Scorpius is chasing Orion or Orion is chasing Scorpius, looking for his revenge.
I like Orion because of its many bright, colorful stars and its many nebulae and star clusters that are visible through binoculars and telescopes.
The stars in Orion are the brightest and largest in a part of the sky with giant gas clouds (nebulae) where dust and gas condense into newborn stars.
People are also reading…
The closest stars in Orion are hundreds of light-years away but are bright, because they are supergiants, stars much larger and brighter than the sun.
They have interesting names and contrasts in colors. Betelgeuse is a red supergiant on the verge of exploding as a supernova, while Rigel is a blue supergiant that is one of the brightest stars in the galaxy.
The stars in Orion's belt, Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka, are also blue supergiants. Saiph is so hot much of its output is ultraviolet light.