'''Orion''' is a major [[constellation]] in the northern celestial hemisphere, and named for the mythical hunter of Greek mythology. One of the most familiar constellations, Orion contains several bright stars and famous nebulae; among them the red variable star Betelguese or Alpha Orionus; Bellatrix; and Rigel, the bright star in the hunter's leg. Three stars make up the hunter's belt, and from the belt hangs the sword containing the Horsehead Nebula, a redish dust cloud bearing the figure for which it is named, and the great Orion Nebula, and emission nebula visible to the naked eye that is considered by astronomers to be a "birth place" of young stars. The emissions from the Orion Nebula are so extensive that they have been detected to span the entire constellation. | '''Orion''' is a major [[constellation]] in the northern celestial hemisphere, and named for the mythical hunter of Greek mythology. One of the most familiar constellations, Orion contains several bright stars and famous nebulae; among them the red variable star Betelguese or Alpha Orionus; Bellatrix; and Rigel, the bright star in the hunter's leg. Three stars make up the hunter's belt, and from the belt hangs the sword containing the Horsehead Nebula, a redish dust cloud bearing the figure for which it is named, and the great Orion Nebula, and emission nebula visible to the naked eye that is considered by astronomers to be a "birth place" of young stars. The emissions from the Orion Nebula are so extensive that they have been detected to span the entire constellation. |