The constellation of Orion has enormous importance within the firmament, since it is known anywhere in the world. For this reason we tell you what it means and when its stars are seen.
Likewise, it is possible to admire the constellation of Orion from any latitude or hemisphere in which people are. And in certain places it can be observed almost all year round. Within this constellation, the figure that stands out the most is Orion the hunter, being a character to whom various civilizations have attributed myths and legends.
What is the Orion constellation about?
As mentioned, the stars of the Orion constellation can be seen from anywhere on the planet. It is located towards the celestial equator and is known as the largest and brightest constellation of the Milky Way. His name was given to him as a way to honor a hunter named Orion. Which belonged to Greek mythology, but there are many versions about how it came to heaven to be a constellation.
Similarly, the Orion constellation is covered by an interstellar region made up of hydrogen gas, plasma, and a combination of nascent stars. Which are at a distance of about 1500 light years, being a phenomenon known as the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex.
Relationship between the constellation of Orion and Taurus
Looking towards the east, the figures of the Hunter and the Bull will be observed. That, according to some civilizations, the Bull is the representation of the god Zeus, who is in charge of defending the Pleiades and also the bull Eneo who fought with said warrior.
The hunter has a club or a sword, a shield and is accompanied by his hunting dogs. Can Mayor and Can Menor, who help to defend themselves against the bull. Although nearby there is also a hare.
Both the bull and the hunter face each other over the Pleiades, who are the seven daughters of Atlas the Titan and Pleyone. Who had been sent to heaven in order to escape the harassment of the hunter Orion. Because of this, the bull gets in the way, but Orion, armed with his club, is about to hit the bull on the head, thus reaching his beloved Pleiades.
What are the stars in the Orion constellation?
There are several stars found within the Orion constellation. Although the best known are in Orion’s belt.
Rigel
Rigel, within the stars of the Orion constellation, is the brightest of all. Made up of triple stars, the main star being supergiant, blue and white. Its mass exceeds 18 times the mass of the sun, the star is of spectral class B8lab1. Located about 800 light years away and it is believed that it will disappear in a few million years.
This star is known for shaping the left foot of the figure of the hunter Orion. Its name comes from the words Rijil jauza al-Yusra, which in Arabic means the left foot of the center. In China, the star Rigel is known as Shēnxi ù Qī, which means the Seventh of the Three Stars and may be an allegory for Orion’s belt.
In Japan it is known as Genjiboshi, which when translated means the star of the Genji Clan. With the light it gives off, some dust clouds near the star Rigel take on luminosity. However, the star Rigen presents certain variations in its brightness.
betelgeuse
It is a red supergiant that, after Rigel, is the second brightest in the Orion constellation. Figured as number nine in the sky for its brightness. It has a diameter that exceeds the sun 887 times in size. It has a reddish color, which is caused by the minimum temperatures on its surface, which is approximately 3,000 ° Kelvin.
This star is still evolving, after having exhausted all its fuel. It increased its size, presenting variations in the light it generates due to its enormous size. Considered the largest within those that have red and infrared light. Using interferometric techniques, the star Betelgeuse was the first that could be measured accurately and precisely. With a diameter that oscillates between about 290 and 480 million kilometers.
Bellatrix
Known for being the third star that stands out for its brightness within the stars of the Orion constellation. To understand the meaning, it is good to know that Bellatrix means the Warrior and is located at a distance of about 240 light years.
It is found within the main sequence, as a hot blue supergiant star, of type B2V3. And inside its core is a fusion of hydrogen, with a temperature of 21,750 ° Kelvin.
Orion’s belt
As is well known, the best known stars in the world are those that make up Orion’s Belt. And they are between about 700 and 1350 light years away from the planet. The stars that belong to Orion’s belt are Alnilam or Epsilon Orionis, Alnitak or Deseta Orionis and Mintaka or Delta Orionis.
They have a linear shape in the sky that is related to a geometric figure, forming an asterism. Located in the central part of the constellation. All these stars are hot and have luminosity.
Alnilam is a supergiant that is quite far from its set, its light is greater than that of the sun and it heats up like Bolab. Alnitak is made up of a blue supergiant and a binary O star. Mintaka has two binaries, the brightest is a blue giant, which is in conjunction with a B star, also binary and eclipsing.
tabit
It is a yellow and white dwarf, both its luminosity and its heat surpasses that of the sun. Since it has 2.7 more luminosity and an apparent magnitude of +3.60, with a temperature of 6,420 ° Kelvin. It rotates on itself and is 2.2 billion years old. Within the Orion constellation it is the star that is closest to Earth, being about 17.2 light years away.
trapezium cluster
It was discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1617. This cluster is located in the Orion Nebula in its central zone, it has four components, three of them were classified by Galileo as stars A, C and D. Component B was classified by some observers to the year 1673. Years later, four more were classified, obtaining a total of eight components for the year 1888. Where the stars were classified as binary.
The four components form a fairly bright asterism. C is the one that offers more brightness to the asterism. On the other hand, A and B are stars that have an orbital plane guided by the planet Earth.
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What is the spiritual significance of the Orion constellation?
To understand the meaning of the constellation of Orion, it is necessary to understand that it is represented in the Pyramids of Gizeh, called Khafre, Cheops and Micerino. There is a belief that they are a scale representation of the stars that make up Orion’s belt. Since for the year 10,500 BC, they were located in the sky.
Those gods that were worshiped by the Egyptians were considered creators of the Earth and humanity. Osiris and his wife, the goddess Isis, were represented with Orion and the star Sirius. With respect to literature and mythology, Orion appears in various ancient cultures of great importance, such as those of Rome and Greece. Where the constellations were associated with the different gods they worshiped.
Huge forces and various powers were assigned to them, with which the settlers felt attracted to worship them. Spiritually, it is also offered the connotation of the number 14. Which is reflected in the 14 stars that make up the most visible stars that can be observed in the Orion constellation from planet Earth. As well as the 14 generations that have elapsed until the arrival of Jesus.
According to the Bible, there are 14 generations that go from Abraham to David, from David until they left Babylon, and from the departure from Babylon to, finally, the arrival of Jesus. Therefore, the meaning of the Orion constellation is quite broad if you take into account the many cultures that exist in the world and the history that makes them up.
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