Orion the Hunter

stars · winter sky · mythology

Super recognizable pattern. Orion is one of the easiest constellations to spot in the night sky, especially during winter months in the northern hemisphere. Its brightest stars form a shape that looks like a person with a belt and sword.

Hunter from myths. Ancient Greeks named this constellation after Orion, a legendary hunter in their stories. Different myths told different tales about who he was and how he ended up in the stars.

Really, really old. Orion was one of the 48 constellations that the astronomer Ptolemy listed way back in the 2nd century AD, making it one of the oldest known star patterns that people still recognize today.

Packed with bright stars. Orion contains some of the brightest stars you can see from Earth, including Betelgeuse and Rigel. It also has a famous nebula (a cloud of gas and dust) that you can sometimes spot through binoculars.

Winter sky superstar. In the northern hemisphere, Orion is easiest to see during winter months when it rises high in the evening sky. People all over the world have used this constellation to navigate and tell stories for thousands of years.