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The Bright Stars of Orion
By Tim Hunter
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Figure 1. Orion and its environs. Ten-minute exposure on Kodak
Ektachrome 800 slide film using a 50mm f/2 lens. Note NGC2024
and the Horsehead Nebula near Alnitak (Zeta Orionis) in Orion’s
belt, Barnard’s Loop in the Eastern part of the constellation,
and the red Rosette Nebula in Monoceros to the east of Orion. |
Introduction
In the Northern Hemisphere, Orion typifies the essence of dark,
cold, clear nights with bright shimmering stars. It is the most
widely known constellation after the Big Dipper. It is also one
of the brightest constellations, and it contains two of the top
ten brightest stars in the sky (1-9). The contrast between the
orange red of Betelgeuse and the blue white of Rigel is striking
and one of the most evident contrasts of star colors in the
entire sky. A similar contrast in the Northern Hemisphere is
that of Spica and Arcturus. |
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