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The Scorpion's Sting: The Myth of Orion
Orion was known to all of the Gods as the great hunter in Greek mythology. Orion told everyone that he had the power to kill every animal on the entire planet. When Gaia, the Goddess of Earth, heard that Orion was planning to kill all of the animals that roamed the planet, she became very angry, and sent Scorpius, the giant scorpion, to sting and kill him. Scorpius used all of its power and killed Orion with its poisonous sting. Separated to prevent any more fights and wars, Orion and Scorpius can now be seen living harmoniously on opposite ends of the night sky. These warring constellations are never visible at the same time.
Location: between the constellations Canis Major and Taurus
Shape: three bright stars close together form the "belt" of Orion, the hunter
Significance: constellation easily found from the Northern Hemisphere
Distance: stars range from 520 to 2,100 light-years from Earth
Betelgeuse is one of Orion's brighter stars. What does the name Betelgeuse mean?
the color of blood
giant's shoulder
beetle spit
Correct!
In Arabic, the name Betelgeuse means "giant's shoulder."
If you look beyond and below Orion's "belt," you can find a:
belt buckle
black hole
nebula
Correct!
With a good pair of binoculars, the Orion Nebula resembles a hazy, white cloud. On a clear night you can even make out the nebula without binoculars!
Orion looks the same no matter where on Earth you view it.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fiction
Orion will look different if you're south of the Equator. From the Southern Hemisphere, the hunter appears to be standing on his head!