starry sky is especially beautiful in the summer.On clear nights, hot amount of light over his head striking.However, there are pictures of heaven, which is best observed in the cold season.These include the constellation Orion.The scheme includes 209 of its stars, observable to the naked eye.Orion is famous precisely because of the large number of bright space objects in its composition, is easily distinguishable from the Earth.The ideal time for their observations - from November to January.
recognizable anywhere in the world
What is the constellation of Orion, known to almost all the inhabitants of our planet, as it is seen in both hemispheres.This is facilitated by the location of the star is almost on the line of the equator.
In the Northern Hemisphere pattern of the constellation Orion is especially noticeable in winter late at night in the southern sky.At this time, the three stars forming Orion's belt, and located almost perfectly flat line, are close to the horizon at a slight angle to it.Recognizable silhouette form eight well-marked bodies.Heavenly figure since antiquity associated with the image of Orion the hunter with a sword on his belt, a club in one hand and a shield in the other.
Legend
constellation of Orion for the first time described by the children are not the lessons of astronomy, and in the course of acquaintance with the legends of ancient Greece.According to legend, the hero, then placed the sky, was known as a skillful hunter, whose heart was slain by the beauty of the Pleiades - the nymphs of the goddess Artemis.Orion Attempts to speak to them were unsuccessful: confused nymphs fled away and called for help from his patron.Artemis turned seven Pleiades doves.They flew high into the sky, where he soon became a constellation.
Orion quickly ceased to mourn because of the nymphs and fell in love with Merope - the daughter of the king of the island of Chios Oynopiona.The father asked the hero to perform a feat worthy of the hand of his daughter.However, Orion decided to act on his own, he set out to steal the Merope.King learned about the intentions of the hunter, and in revenge blinded him.
Death of a Hero
Orion long time alone wandering the earth in search of someone who could restore his sight.In the end, he felt sorry for one encountered the Cyclops and led to Helios.The sun god was able to make the hero once again seeing.Orion, without thinking twice, he returned to his favorite occupation.During the pursuit of his prey and saw Diana herself who loved to hunt.Orion soon became her lover that his brother is very upset goddess - Apollo.He decided to ruin cunning hunter.Apollo, Artemis knew pride in conversation questioned the accuracy of its archery and for testing suggested that she try to hit a distant dark point, flashed in the waters of the sea.Goddess easily cope with the task, not knowing that a point has been the head of Orion, who decided to take a dip.
Soon Artemis knew that was the murderer of his beloved.Lamenting Orion, she made a vow always remember him and placed him among the stars.So Orion shone in the sky - the constellation.Myths tell about the fate of another embodiment of the hero.According to one version, hoping to become her husband beauties Merope, he bravely fought with wild beasts, threatens the inhabitants of the island of Chios.Defeat all, however, he did not get the girl, and was captured and blinded by her father.After meeting with Helios restored Orion sight, but after a while was killed by an angry Artemis - patron of animals.
well marked
So, it looks like a constellation of Orion today is seen and many thousands of years ago.This is one of the celestial figures included in the catalog of the "Almagest" of Claudius Ptolemy compiled about 140 AD.Attention given to the ancient Orion is no accident: the constellation is full of bright elements, perfectly visible from the Earth, and this attracts the curious eyes.Modern scholars have also bypassed celestial drawing side.Many of the objects, which are located here, a fairly well understood.
Two of the brightest stars in the constellation Orion - Rigel and Betelgeuse is.Focusing on these two points, it is easy to find in the sky silhouette of a hunter completely.
Alpha Orionis Betelgeuse
in Arabic means "the armpit".Name Stars clearly describes its location.The bright point is placed on the hunter's right armpit.By their brightness Betelgeuse fifteen thousand times greater than the sun.Dimensions stars over the orbit of Mars.This is a red supergiant, separated from us at a distance of 540-650 light years.It belongs to the semiregular variable stars change over time its visual brilliance.The period of such a change for Betelgeuse - from 0.4 to 1.3 magnitude and the main period lasts for 6 years.
Beta Orionis
Although Alpha is just Betelgeuse, that's not the brightest point, which contains a picture of the constellation Orion.Rigel (Arabic for "foot") surpasses it in this parameter.The luminosity of a star more solar at about 130,000 times the distance from us to it is (according to various estimates) between 700 and 900 light years.Rigel - the closest star to Earth, which has such a huge luminosity.The visual magnitude - 0.12.
Rigel - a blue-white supergiant, part of the solar system.His companion in Rigel is considerably inferior in brightness: Its apparent magnitude estimated at 6.7.The distance between the two components is about 2200 AU.The proximity to the bright supergiant Rigel allows consideration only in a telescope.The system has a third component - S. Rigel
short life
Such stars in the constellation Orion is Betelgeuse and Rigel, because of its massiveness and great luminosity doomed to relatively short existence.Age of both objects is estimated at about 10 million years: they are much younger than the Sun, which has more than 4.5 billion. Years.Up to the age of our world, they will not be able to survive.The huge mass that creates significant value for pressure, promotes very rapid domestic fuel burn-star.As a result, over time the core collapses, turning into a neutron.With him will face interaction and bounce with great speed outer shell.There will be a second type of supernova explosion.
similar fate awaits Rigel and Betelgeuse.During explosions drawing hunter in the sky will undergo a major change compared to the look of the constellation Orion is now.Collapse Rigel will be visible from Earth during the day and at night.The star will be similar to the largest quarter of the moon, gradually fading and becoming a inconspicuous spot.Betelgeuse, according to scientists, will live for at least two thousand years after the explosion, and its size will rival the Moon.As such, the star will last no longer than a few weeks, and then also extinguished.However, these events - in the distant future, while the bright stars in the constellation Orion continues to delight us with its light.
Belt
Constellation includes a large number of asterisms (well-marked groups of stars with some historical names).Thanks to one of the constellation of Orion for both children and adults become easily recognizable in almost any time of year.This is the belt of the hunter, consisting of three fairly bright stars Mintaka (delta, from the Arabic "belt"), Alnitak (Zeta, translated means "pearl belt") and Alnilam (Epsilon, "girdle").Asterism is also called as "Three Kings" or "rake".Three bright points form an almost perfect straight line, and are separated by an equal distance.If the south-eastern edge of the line to continue, it will point to Sirius - the brightest star of the night sky.The northwestern part of the line can be extended to Aldebaran - a red star in Taurus.
Sheaf
recognizable silhouette is created by the constellation asterism called the Sheaf or butterfly.It consists of several bright stars Betelgeuse, Rigel, Bellatrix (gamma), Alnitak, Mintaka and Saif (kappa).
Gamma Orion - the third brightest star of the celestial figure.It belongs to a class of white and blue giants, has apparent magnitude of 1.64.The luminosity of the space object exceeds the solar time in 4000, but its mass and radius is not so impressive.The first is about 9 solar masses, and the second parameter is greater than the corresponding characteristics of our star just 5.7 times.By age similar to Bellatrix Rigel and Betelgeuse.This young star already shines 10 million. Years.Scientists are predicting her transformation into a red giant has a few million years.
white and blue star Saif is approximately the same distance from Earth as Rigel, but it seems much fainter due to the fact that a large part of its energy is emitted in the invisible range.Saif more solar luminosity in 5500 times the diameter - 11 times.
main weapon
Sword is no less well-known asterism, which boasts the constellation Orion.The circuit includes two of its stars - θ and ι (theta and iota) and Great Nebula in Orion.
Theta is a multiple star system consisting of four bright components and the same number of less visible.They form a small rectangle, known as the Trapezium.This pretty young space objects formed from interstellar gas and dust.The material for the light comes from an invisible cloud, which occupies the eastern part of the constellation.This is the Great Nebula of Orion.
«stellar nursery»
formidable weapon in the hunter is the cradle of future stars.The Orion Nebula or M42 - the birthplace of a large number of space objects.It lies about 1,500 light-years, but if desired, it can be seen with the naked eye.To do this, look at the area under the belt of Orion.M42 looks like a small speck resembling a comet.The images also made with the help of powerful telescopes, the nebula is striking in its beauty.While it is known not only for its impressive dimensions and a reddish glow.There are many so-called stellar nurseries, where shaping the future star.It's the closest to us like the area.From other stellar nurseries Great Nebula in Orion is characterized by the fact that there is a cloud of gas and dust hardly hamper the study of the processes of star formation.Because of this almost all the current knowledge about the formation of stars drawn from observations of M42.
Black Hole
Map Orion recently supplemented by another interesting object located near the Trapezium.Studies have shown that in the evolution of the nebula M42 is a big number of collisions of stars, which could cause the formation of a black hole, exceeding the sun by weight one hundred times.This assumption is perfectly consistent with the data on the high-speed characteristic of stars that make up Orion Trapezium.If the existence of a black hole is confirmed, it will be the closest to the solar system similar object.
head stallion
forms resembling animals, differ only in the constellation in the sky.Orion nebula is famous for another, called "Horsehead" (or B33).She really resembles its shape the horse's head.The ability to see a clear outline of our duty lighting, which creates another nebula, serving the backdrop for "Horsehead".B33 itself does not emit light, it relates to an absorbent nebulae.Accordingly, in the absence of a bright background, it would be very bad noticeable.And in the current circumstances with the task of finding it manages every device, because "Horsehead" made a kind of marker serviceability and accuracy of the equipment.
reflects light
description of how the constellation Orion appears to be incomplete, if not to mention even a number of nebulae are often ignored by researchers because of its lower outer expression.This so-called reflection nebulae.Of course, they lose against the bright M42, but nevertheless are of some interest.Nebula NGC 1977, NGC 1975 and NGC 1973 are located in the north of the Sword of Orion several M42.Due to the reflection of cosmic dust light bright young stars, these nebulae have a bluish color in the pictures.Photographs taken by telescopes, three nebula separated by dark areas on the edge backlit reddish emission of hydrogen atoms to form a silhouette of a man running - another easily recognizable image in the constellation Orion.
comes light
looks extraordinarily beautiful nebula "flame" (its other name - "Torch").This is another place where new stars are born constantly in the constellation Orion.In the pictures it looks like a flaming fire: glowing clouds with dark patches resemble flames.Nebula "Torch" is located near the Sigma Orionis and it is highlighted.The distance from us to the cradle of the young stars is about a thousand light-years.
constellation Orion, the description of which was given above, is considered one of the most beautiful celestial images.Bright stars that constitute it, allow the silhouette of the mythical hunter almost always be noticeable.Thanks to them the same, once calculating the location of the observer will never ask questions about how to find the constellation of Orion.For the amateur astronomer in this heavenly figure is valuable, and that many of its elements available for direct study of the naked eye.Other components, such as part of the Great Orion Nebula can be seen with a small telescope or even binoculars.
