Happy February! This month, to celebrate the release of my book Gallery of Myth under the penname TA Page, all our Fun Fact Fridays will be about constellations.
First up is one of the most recognizable: Orion! With his distinctive three-star belt, he’s often easy to spot in the sky. He’s made up of many stars whose names we know: Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, Rigel, and others. He also encompasses the Orion Nebula, which is visible even to the naked eye, and frequently photographed.
Mythology-wise, Orion has a less stellar record. Despite his status as the Great Hunter of Greek myth, today he’s usually eclipsed by Hercules (thanks, Disney!). And he has a rough time with the zodiac, too: some say he is up in the sky struggling with the nearby Taurus, the bull. Others say he was killed by Scorpio (the scorpion), and that this is why the two constellations are never above the horizon at the same time.
On a personal note, I use Orion as a sort of touchstone when I’m stargazing. His belt is so bright that even in the city you can usually see it. As soon as I find it, I know that the Milky Way is nearby (though hidden) and from there can find Gemini and Taurus, or Cassiopeia and her entourage.
Stay tuned for more about them on future Fridays!
Selected Sources
All info this week came from my own experience and from Antonin Rukl’s Constellation Guidebook, published 1996.
