When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.The constellation of Orion is a key target for stargazers. . | Credit: VW Pics / Getty ImagesThe sky is never clearer than on a cold, starry midwinter night. It is on such occasions, thanks to winter’s exceptional atmospheric transparency, that fainter stars can be seen throughout the sky. And the dazzling array of bright stars and constellations which dominate our late-evening skies are led by the brightest of all the star patterns: Orion the Mighty Hunter.As darkness falls this month, we can watch Orion with giant strides climbing across the southeast part of the sky. He then arrives in full prominence — in pursuit of the Bull which backs steadily away from him — high toward the south at around 8 p.m. local time and then he descends to below the western horizon at around two the following morning, only to make the trip again the next night.AdvertisementAdvertisementIn his book “Introducing the Constellations” (Viking Press), astronomer Robert H. Baker (1883-1964) noted: “The same drama will be repeated next winter, and the next. Each year it will be watched by vast and appreciative audiences as it has been watched since man first turned intelligent eyes to the heavens.”Belt stars were renownedOrion is the brightest constellation but is not unique in this respect. Along the southern Milky Way, from Orion to Scorpius, there are several other lustrous groupings, of which the Southern Cross (Crux) and the Centaur (Centaurus) each contain two stars of the first magnitude, just like Orion.ZWO ASI533MC ProProduct photo of the ZWO ASI533MC Pro cameraThe ZWO ASI533MC Pro camera is the best dedicated astro camera out there, in our opinion. It features zero amp glow, 80% quantum efficiency and a 20FPS frame rate. It also features a 9MP sensor and you can check out our ZWO ASI533MC Pro review for a more in-depth look.AdvertisementAdvertisementHowever, Orion is unique in the fascinating trio of second magnitude stars that form his belt. Indeed, there is probably no catchier star pattern in the entire sky. All three are second-magnitude stars quite similar in brightness and are nearly equally spaced in a line, spanning an angular size of 2.3 degrees.Those three belt stars also have poetically catchy names: going from left (east) to right (west): Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. To some old cultures, these stars were a mini constellation by themselves. The people of Greenland, for example, considered them to be bewildered seal hunters who were lost at sea; the Chinese saw them as a weighing beam; Australian aborigines believed they were three young men dancing to the music played by nearby maidens (the Pleiades).They are even mentioned in the Bible in Job 38:31: “Canst thou bind the sweet influences of the Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?” This is the King James version: some of the later translations clearly mention “the belt of Orion.”The belt of Orion glows in the night sky. | Credit: VW Pics / Getty ImagesDazzling components of OrionThese three stars are all blue supergiants, rare stars that are among our galaxy’s most luminous members: h …
