Sky & Telescope - January 2023 - 4

SPECTRUM by Peter Tyson
Treasures of Orion
IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE one constellation to represent the multifarious
wonders of the night sky, you might well choose Orion.
The celestial Hunter contains myriad objects you'd want to show a
beginner or return to again and again as a serious hobbyist.
For starters, the constellation is one of the most recognizable.
How many of us could pick out Orion's Belt even as children? The Hunter is
also one of the few star patterns that actually resembles its namesake. With a
bit of guidance, most people can discern the mythological giant facing us, with
his right arm upraised and his left arm holding a shield towards the charging
Bull, Taurus.
If you're just getting into astronomy, Orion offers an ideal way in, particularly
at this time of year. Throughout January, the constellation is nicely placed
in the evening sky (see Beginner's Space, page 72). Novice
observers quickly learn to use asterisms like Orion's
Belt to navigate around the sky: Extend that line of
three stars left to find Sirius or right to reach Aldebaran.
Orion's stars comprise a diverse stellar sampler.
Betelgeuse, the red supergiant and supernova-to-be,
blazes from Orion's right shoulder. Rigel, a blue supergiant,
shines from his left foot (or left knee, in some
depictions). Small telescopes easily split the Belt's rightmost
star, Mintaka, into a double, while Sigma Orionis,
a multiple star near the left end of the Belt, is a gravitationally
bound system of five stars.
For larger telescopes, the constellation's nebulae
From red-orange Betelgeuse
in upper left to
blue-white Rigel in lower
right, Orion welcomes
endless exploration.
offer limitless investigation. Brian Ventrudo guides you
to some of Orion's best in his article about targets in
the Radcliffe Wave on page 26. They include the Flame
Nebula, the Horsehead Nebula, and Barnard's Loop.
(For a sneak peek, see the image on page 30.)
The showpiece, of course, is the Great Orion Nebula, which graces our cover
this month. As Ken Hewitt-White writes in his meticulous unsheathing of
Orion's Sword on page 54, the Orion Nebula is " arguably the finest deep-sky
object visible from northern latitudes. " For astronomers, it's a cornucopia of
captivating marvels: newborn stars and bow shock waves, brown dwarfs and
protoplanetary disks - all of which have been and continue to be objects of
intense scientific study.
In sum, one could spend a lifetime - and many do
- investigating this storied constellation and its myriad
gems. Why not dive in this month?
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Sky & Telescope - January 2023

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