Orion - The Hunter

Learn about the constellation Orion - The Hunter, location, facts, mythology, meteor showers and deep space objects.

Orion, a constellation often referred to as The Hunter, is a prominent constellation, perhaps the best-known in the sky. Its brilliant stars, on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world, make this constellation universally recognized.

Location: Northern Winter 5h RA -5° Dec

The 'belt and sword' of Orion are frequently referred to in ancient and modern literature and even found recognition as the shoulder insignia of the 27th Infantry Division of the United States Army during both World Wars, probably because the division's first commander was Major General John F. O'Ryan.

Mythology

Artemis, the goddess of hunting and the moon, fell in love with Orion. She was so entranced by him, she forgot her divine duty of illuminating the night sky. Her twin brother Apollo, seeing Orion swimming in the sea, dared his sister to strike what only appeared to be a spot on the waves. Not knowing it was Orion, Artemis shot an arrow and killed him. Later, when she found out what she did, she placed his body among the stars. The grief she felt explains why the moon looks so sad at night.

Deep Space Objects

Hanging from Orion's belt is his sword, consisting of the multiple stars called the Trapezium and the Orion Nebula (M42). This is a spectacular object that can be clearly identified with the naked eye as something other than a star. Using binoculars, clouds of nascent stars, luminous gas, and dust can be observed.

M78 (NGC 2068) is a nebula in Orion. With an overall magnitude of 8.0, it is significantly dimmer than the Great Orion Nebula that lies to its south.

Another fairly bright nebula in Orion is NGC 1999, also close to the Great Orion Nebula.

Besides these nebulae, surveying Orion with a small telescope will reveal a wealth of interesting deep-sky objects, including M43, and M78, as well as multiple stars including Iota Orionis and Sigma Orionis. A larger telescope may reveal objects such as Barnard's Loop and the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024), as well as fainter and tighter multiple stars and nebulae.

In this table, the observation month represents the month in which the object reaches its highest point in the sky. It can also be viewed a few months before and after depending on your location. Direction is the compass direction in which the object is located, with Z meaning Zenith or overhead.

#		Common Name	Constellation	Month	Coords	Direction	Mag	Size (arcmin)	Type	Star Chart
M42 NGC 1976		The Orion Nebula	Orion	Dec	05h 35.4m RA -05° 27m Dec	S	4.00	65x60	Diffuse Nebula	🔍︎
M43 NGC 1982		de Mairan's Nebula	Orion	Dec	05h 35.6m RA -05° 16m Dec	S	9.00	20x15	Diffuse Nebula	🔍︎
M78 NGC 2068		Casper the Friendly Ghost Nebula	Orion	Dec	05h 46.7m RA 00° 03m Dec	S	8.30	8x6	Diffuse Nebula	🔍︎