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Orion: Not Just a Constellation
Consisting of many bright stars and several deep-sky objects, the Hunter is a recognizable constellation in the winter sky. In Greek mythology, Orion died from the sting of a scorpion, hence why he and Scorpius are set so that they never appear in the sky at the same time.
Orion's bright stars include: Rigel, Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, and Saiph, plus Alnilam, Alnitak, and Minitaka which form his belt. The most famous object in this constellation is M42, the Great Orion Nebula. One of the brightest deep-sky objects, this diffuse nebula is a massive star-forming region. The Horsehead Nebula, IC 434, is another popular feature of Orion, located near the star on the farthest left of the belt, Alnitak. The constellation of Orion is best viewed in January at 9:00 p.m.
Orion is mentioned in the Bible three times:
* Job 9:9- "He is the maker of the Bear and Orion…
* Job 38:31- "Can you loose the cords of Orion?"
* Amos 5:8- "He who made the Pleiades and Orion…"
Orion is also host to the Orionids meteor shower, which occurs annually in late October. This meteor shower is caused when the earth encounters dust particles from Halley's Comet. There are usually ten to fifteen meteors per hour during the peak of the Orionids.
But Orion is not just a constellation or a meteor shower; it is now a multi-purpose spacecraft designed to send humans to the moon and beyond. Orion is, ironically, part of the Constellation Program, intended to carry people and cargo to the International Space Station or to the moon or, eventually, to Mars.
The craft takes after Apollo, yet it contains the latest technology and is large enough to support a six-man crew. On top of the capsule is a "launch abort system," which will propel the crew to safety in the case of an emergency during a launch. As part of the program, NASA is also redesigning its spacesuits. Orion was approved in August of 2006 and should be ready for its first manned mission in 2014, followed by its first trip to the moon in 2020.
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