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Orion: Winter Sky Hunter
| Article
# : |
10769 |
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Section : |
NATURAL SCIENCE
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| Issue
Date : |
1 / 1986 |
1,169 Words |
| Author
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Frederick D. Atwood
Frederick Atwood teaches biology at St. Stephen's School
in Alexandria, Virginia, and has been a nature enthusiast
since childhood. |
The night is crystal clear. There is no moon. You are bundled up snug and warm in your scarf, coat, and mittens. The biting winter wind invigorates your sleepy cheeks and as you breathe in the fresh, deep draughts of crisp air, your nose and lungs are startled in top excitement. You are psyched. You and a friend have set aside the evening to do a little stargazing. Tonight the subject is Orion, the Hunter, the most spectacular and easily seen of the winter constellations.
Even before your eyes have adjusted to the darkness you have picked out Orion's brilliant landmark stars in the southern half of the sky…the three stars representing his belt falling right below the celestial equator straight above you, the four corner stars representing the hands and feet of the hunter, and the sword dangling from the belt.
You have seen it all before--it brightens up your evening every time you step outside on a clear winter night. But you never tire of looking at Orion. The incredible mind-boggling distances and energy of the stars awe you into a relaxed, peaceful state as you admire its beauty and immensity. Tonight you and your friend have brought binoculars for an even closer look.
By now your eyes have adjusted to the darkness and the sky is spangled with stars, like a thick star soup that seems to envelop you. And there straight above you, outshining almost all of the other stars, stands Orion.
In Greek mythology, Orion was a hunter, perhaps the mightiest of all time. He had remarkable powers given to him by his father, the god Poseidon. He could walk under water and on top of it. He was so handsome that the huntress Artemis, also know as the moon goddess, fell in love with him.
But her brother, the god Apollo, was alarmed by this union. One day when Orion was swimming in the ocean in the distance, Artemis and Apollo were together on the shore. Apollo, knowing where Orion was, and knowing Artemis' pride about her prowess in archery, challenged her to hit the object floating in the sea just barely visible in the distance. She successfully hit the target which was, of course, the head of Orion bobbing up and down as he swam.
When Artemis realized her terrible deed, she memorialized Orion by placing him in the sky as a constellation. To this day Orion stands with his club and shield raised ready to kill a charging bull (the
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