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Stars and Sticks| Abbreviation | Ori |
|---|---|
| Meaning | The Hunter |
| Pronunciation Guide is based on “Pronouncing Astronomical Names,” published in 1943 by the American Astronomical Society. | oh-RYE-un |
| Genitive The genitive is the Latin possessive form used in star names. For example, Alpha Orionis means “the Alpha of Orion.” | oh-RYE-oh-nis |
| Best Month | January |
| Visibility | Global |
| Origin | AncientThese figures are rooted in the classical Greek and Mesopotamian traditions cataloged by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD. |
| Author | PtolemyPtolemy, a 2nd-century Greco-Egyptian astronomer, cataloged the 48 classical constellations in his landmark work, the Almagest. These form the core of the 88 modern constellations recognized today. |
| Type | constellation |
| Difficulty | Easiest |
| Description | The Great Hunter is the most universally recognized constellation, identifiable from virtually every inhabited location on Earth due to its position straddling the celestial equator. The son of Poseidon, Orion was so boastful of his hunting prowess that he claimed he would kill every creature on Earth, prompting Gaia to send a scorpion to slay him. In death Zeus placed both hunter and scorpion on opposite sides of the sky so they can never meet. The constellation contains two of the ten brightest stars in the sky: the blue supergiant Rigel and the red supergiant Betelgeuse — so enormous that if placed at the Sun's position it would engulf everything out to Jupiter's orbit. At its heart lies the Orion Nebula (M42), the nearest stellar nursery to Earth at 1,344 light-years. |
| Asterism | Orion's Belt and Sword: Three stars in a straight line (belt) with a fuzzy line (sword) below. |
| Meteor Shower | Orionids |
| Peak Month | October |
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Monthly sky charts courtesy of What's Out Tonight? — Copyright ©2026 Ken Graun. Star charts are optimized for mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Click a chart to view or download the PDF. For guidance on using the chart, or to purchase a planisphere and astronomy books, visit kenpress.com.
Images: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/E. Slawik · IAU and Sky & Telescope · Stellarium — Full credits →
