![]() The cluster is positioned about 14 degrees northwest of orange giant star Aldebaran (mag. Located in the large and prominent zodiac constellation of Taurus, this showpiece object is best seen during the Northern Hemisphere Winter and the Southern Hemisphere Summer months.įinding M45 is easy. It's a breathtaking site, known since antiquity and easily visible to the naked eye. M45, commonly known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters, is the finest open cluster in the sky. Messier 45 - M45 - The Pleiades (Open Cluster) Positioned just 5 degrees south of the belt is the Orion Nebula itself, which is part of the Hunters Sword.įinder Chart for M42 - pdf format (credit:- freestarcharts) Three of the second magnitude stars (Mintaka, Alnilam and Alnitak) form the famous belt of Orion. The constellation is filled with bright stars, including first magnitude Rigel and Betelgeuse plus a further five second magnitude stars. Located on the celestial equator, it's visible throughout the World and best seen during the months of December, January and February. Orion is a prominent constellation and one of the most recognizable and familiar sights. This emission / reflection nebula and star forming region spans more than a degree of sky and is therefore one of the largest and brightest objects of its type. With an apparent magnitude of +4.0, it's easily visible to the naked eye. M42, also known as the Great Orion Nebula or Orion Nebula, is the prime deep sky attraction in the constellation of Orion and a showpiece deep sky object. Messier 42 - M42 - The Great Orion Nebula (Emission/Reflection) Orion Star Chart - pdf format (credit:- freestarcharts) Orion is best seen during the months of December, January and February. More recently, the film company Orion Pictures used the constellation's main shape as its logo. For the Aztecs, Orion rising in the east signaled the time to perform the "New Fire" ceremony, a ritual designed to postpone the end of the World. They also aligned part of the Great Pyramid of Giza with Alnitak, one of the stars of the belt. The Egyptians associated Orion with Osiris, the god of death, afterlife, resurrection, regeneration and rebirth. ![]() In old Hungarian tradition, Orion was a magic Archer or Reaper and in China the constellation was one of the 28 lunar mansions that reflect the movement of the Moon. In medieval Muslim astronomy, Orion was known as al-jabbar, the giant. When Scorpius rises in the east, Orion is setting in the west. The resulting outcome is that the hunter and the scorpion are placed on opposite sides of the sky. Various versions exist, but generally Orion brought the wrath of goddess Artemis who sent the scorpion to kill him. Many myths surround the character particularly involving his death. In Greek mythology, Orion was a handsome strong hunter, born to Euryale the daughter of King Minos of Crete and Poseidon, the god of the sea. The earliest linking is an ivory carving found in a cave in the Ach valley in Germany, which is estimated to be at least 32,000 years old. The distinctive pattern of Orion has been used historically and in the modern World extensively. Its most famous inhabitant, the Orion Nebula, is one of the most spectacular deep sky objects in the sky. Named after a great hunter in Greek mythology, it contains two first magnitude stars, many other bright stars, a famous belt, spectacular nebulae, some impressive multiple stars and fine open clusters. Straddling the celestial equator it can be seen from all locations on Earth. Orion is a prominent constellation that's one of the brightest and most familiar sights in the night sky. It has a radius of 1.7 times that of the Sun and is 25 times more luminous. This star is the one visible to the naked eye. The primary component is a white main sequence star of spectral type, A1V, named Sirius A. To the naked eye Sirius appears as a single star, but it's actually a binary system. In practice, all stars do twinkle and to a lesser extent the planets as well. Of course, the colour variations are only a result of the Earth's unsteady atmosphere. 0.72) and four times more brilliant than Arcturus, the brightest star in the northern section of sky. It's noticeably brighter than its nearest rival Canopus (α Car mag. Located in the constellation of Canis Major, Sirius shines with an apparent magnitude of -1.46. However, none can rival the brilliance of Sirius, the brightest night time star. Under dark skies, up to about 3,000 can be seen at any one time (since one half of the Earth is in daylight). ![]() There are at least 6,000 stars bright enough to be visible with the naked eye.
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