In the last days, the word “Orion” It is for us, inhabitants of the city of Lima, synonymous with traffic accidents caused by irresponsible "drivers" who seem more like predators of human beings, behind the wheel of dilapidated vehicles from which they give free rein to their most brutal spirits. However, the name that has become sadly famous in our capital, thanks to these disrespectful characters who enjoy permanent impunity despite the innumerable violations of traffic and urbanity regulations that they commit every day, is actually the name of a god from Greek mythology, who is mentioned in classic literature such as the Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer and which, moreover, was for years the stellar constellation most admired by astronomers of ancient civilizations. Also known as "The Hunter", this conglomerate of stars has also been a source of inspiration for artists and musicians of all genres and eras, as well as for modern scientists, computer programmers and astronauts. Let's get to know, in this note, the Orion constellation , the largest in our galaxy.
Orion It is a constellation that stands out, when compared to the others, because it is a set of stars that can be seen much more easily. The stars of Orion They can be seen from both hemispheres, with winter nights being the best times to observe them from the northern hemisphere and summer nights in the southern hemisphere. The stars in this amazing constellation are far apart from each other.
This constellation has a belt formed by three bright stars, located in a straight line. The star Rigel, one of the brightest in the night sky, forms one of the legs of Orion . It is a young, supergiant star, 40 thousand times brighter than the sun that gives life to our planet. The shoulders of this remarkable constellation are formed by the stars Bellatrix and Betelgeuse, the latter being such a bright star that it is not necessary to use a telescope to see its intense red color. It is said that the arms of the hunter, as it is also known Orion They hold a shield and a staff and are made up of two other stars.
There are multiple clusters and nebulae that can be seen in this amazing constellation. NGC 2169 is the name of an open cluster found in the middle of the Betelgeuse arm. Next to NGC 2169 is NGC 2194, another cluster containing an incredible 100 stars. Suspended from the Orion belt , and on his sword, is his nebula. Another of the Orion nebulae it is that of the Horse's Head, positioned on the lower right if we take the constellation's belt as a reference (the belt is also known as The Three Marys or The Three Wise Men and is made up of the stars Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka).
The Orion molecular cloud complex it is a prominent system composed of hydrogen, dust, plasma, and stars. This system comprises most of the constellation. This framework of stars is located at a distance of 1,500 light years from our planet Earth and is, in turn, made up of emission nebulae, reflection nebulae, dark nebulae and HII regions. Among the nebulae that make up this system we can mention:M42, the Orion nebula; M43, the Mairan Nebula; the nebula M78, Barnard's Loop, IC 434 and the aforementioned nebula, Horsehead, as well as the also mentioned NGC 2023 and NGC 2024, the molecular cloud of Orion 1 and the molecular cloud of Orion 2 .
Orion it is symbolized by a warrior holding a sword or club in his right hand and a shield in his left. Next to him are his hunting dogs Canis Major and Canis Minor. Greek mythology holds that Orion He was a giant that was born from the mixture of the gods Zeus, Poseidon and Hermes.
According to this mythology, Orion it was the product of a visit from the gods to an old man named Hirieus, who wished to have a child but could not. The gods, being very grateful for the hospitality provided by the old man, decided to grant his long-awaited wish, an objective they achieved by urinating on the skin of the ox they had tasted. The order for the old man was to bury the ox skin and dig it up after nine months, after which the old man dug up the skin and found that his son had been born, whom he decided to call Orion in relation to the divine urine that had engendered it.
Orion he died from the sting of a scorpion, so in the sky his escape is also represented, so that Orion disappears in the west before Scorpio appears in the east.
Among the constellations that are close to Orion Not to be missed are:Auriga, directly north of Orion; Canis Major, near the southwest corner of Orion; Canis Minor, just to the right of the hunter; Eriadnus, exactly in the southwest corner; Gemini, near the northwest corner of Orion; Hare, south of the brightest constellation; Monoceros, west of Orion; and Taurus, located exactly on the northwest corner of Orion .
The Hunter was spotted in the sky by very ancient civilizations such as Sumer (the first human civilization on record). In ancient Egypt they also met Orion , in addition to the Aztecs who had knowledge about the existence of the bright constellation. It is believed that in ancient China they also dealt with the constellation. Orion It is, without a doubt, the constellation that is most easily observable by men from earth, which is why it has given rise to different speculations and stories that have made Orion a fascinating subject of study for astronomers.