Orion Constellation Facts, Distance, Stars, Map and Myth of the Hunter (2025)

The Orion constellation is the easiest to find in the night sky. The three stars of the belt are bright enough to be recognisable. Once you have seen Orion, you can use the constellation as a point to others such as Gemini and Taurus.

Betelgeuse, the second brightest star in the constellation, is a large red giant that would extend out past Earth if it were in the solar system. It is a dying star that is expected to explode as a supernova sometime soon.

Orion Facts

• Orion is a constellation you can see in the equatorial hemisphere of the night sky. Being in the equatorial hemisphere means it can be seen in both hemispheres.
• Orion is one of 14 constellations in the equatorial hemisphere.
• The Orion constellation was created by the ancient astronomer Claudius Ptolemy, who lived in the 2nd century in Alexandria, Egypt.
• Orion is a Latin word; the English meaning/translation is the Hunter.
• Orion's pronunciation is Ore-i-on.
• The genitive form is Orionis, which means any object with Orionis at the end of its name implies a relationship to the constellation.
• Orion can be shortened or abbreviated to Ori.
• Orion (Constellation) takes up 594.12 sq. degrees of the night sky, equating to 1.44% of the night sky.
• Orion is the 26th largest constellation in the night sky.
• Orion is not a member of the Zodiac group of constellations.
• The following constellations border Orion:-
  • Taurus
  • Eridanus
  • Lepus
  • Monoceros
  • Gemini

Orion has seventeen stars that make up the constellation's shape. You can see two hundred and twenty-five stars with the naked eye.

Gliese 205 is Orion's nearest star, about 18.45 light-years from the Earth.The nearest star in Orion to the Earth with an exoplanet is HIP 22627, about 40.08 light-years away.

Betelgeuse

Betelgeuse is the star that is most likely to go supernova soon. However, given that we are so far from the star, it will not affect life on Earth. There is uncertainty about when it will happen. Some estimates put it at tens of years, others at thousands. We would not know about it if it had happened due to the vast distance and how slow light travels. It is one of the largest stars out there in the Milky Way. Although it is the Alpha star of the constellation, Rigel is brighter.

No Extrasolar Planet have been discovered. It is believed that when it left the main sequence phase of its life, it grew to encompass them. Spotting any planets orbiting such a large star is very difficult.

BI Orionis

BI Orionis is known as a Cataclysmic Variable Star, meaning its brightness increases and decreases sporadically. They can be the result of a star going supernova or an instability.

CVSO 30

The cryptically named star is one of the first to have an exoplanet imaged. CVSO 30 is located slightly north of the Belt of Orion, but you cannot see it with the naked eye as it is too far away.

FU Orionis

FU Orionis are a rare type of star called a FU Orionis. FU Orionis stars are named after the first star of their type. There are only two FU Orionis stars on this, the other being V1057 Cygni. It does not mean there are only two; I know only two at the time of writing.

GP Orionis

GP Orionis is an example of an S Star. These are post-Main Sequence and have an equal amount of Oxygen and Carbon in their atmospheres.

Rigel

Orion's brightest star is Rigel, about 862.87 light-years from the Sun.The star is designated as Beta Orionis rather than Alpha Orionis. Alpha stars tend to be the brightest in the constellation.

Like the man's name, Nigel, Rigel is a blue-white star and one of the brightest in the night sky. The Witch-Head Nebula is located east of the constellation, a nebula resembling a head. The Witch-Head Nebula is illuminated by light from Rigel. Although close to Rigel, the Witch-Head Nebula is located within the neighbouring Eridanus constellation.

T Orionis

T Orionis is a Herbig Ae/Be Stars. Herbig stars are pre-Main Sequence Stars that are blue stars of A or B spectral type. They are still embedded in their gas-dust origins and will typically have a circumpolar disk.

Other Major Stars

This is a list of other stars that make up part of the constellation but have been detailed above yet. Other visible stars in the constellation can be found Orion Star List page.

Using Orion as a Guide

It is one of the easiest constellations to spot in the night sky, partly due to the three stars that make up the Belt of Orion. Once you have spotted Orion, spotting other constellations should be easy. To the upper right of the constellation is Taurus, the bull. To the upper left of the constellation is the twins' constellation of Gemini.

Belt of Orion

The belt makes Orion one of the easiest constellations to spot in the night sky due to the alignment of the three stars, Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka. Once you have located the belt, working out the other stars should be easy.

How to find Orion Constellation

Northern Hemisphere

Orion can be viewed best in the winter months. The constellation can be seen as soon as it gets dark in the east, rising overnight and over successive months. You can only see it in the early evening of June, but in summer, you cannot. At about 10 pm, April is the best time to see the constellation.

Southern Hemisphere

In January, it can be seen close to the horizon from about 7 pm but rises in the sky overnight and over successive months from an easterly direction. Its journey will take it west, where it will disappear in May or late in the night in April. The earlier you can see it, the better. In November, Orion will be viewable from about 10 pm, but you will need to wait until later in the year for it to be viewable earlier.

Orionids Meteor Shower

From late September to late November, we can see the Orionids meteor shower. The meteor shower occurs when the Earth passes through a debris field of tiny particles left over from the passing of Halley's Comet. The shower's peak, when it is most prominent, is around the 21st of October.

Orion Mythology

Orion was a strong hunter who attracted the eyes of many women and goddesses. The attractiveness caused much jealousy. When he looks after Zeus one night, he is created from a poor shepherd. The goddess Artemis was besotted with the Hunter, who made Apollo angry. Apollo sent Scorpius to kill Orion. The scorpion fled, and Orion followed. Apollo tricked Artemis into killing Orion with her bow. Apollo put him, along with his dog Sirius, into the sky.

The Pleiades represent the seven daughters of Atlas, the Titan. When Orion started his infatuation with them, Zeus turned them first into doves and then stars to keep Atlas company.

Thanks to the three stars of the belt, Orion is one of the easiest constellations to identify in the night sky. It would be best if you looked south in the northern hemisphere to spot the constellation.

The picture above is taken from Stellarium showing Orion holding a cub. Other pictures of him show him holding a shield to go into battle.

Deep Space Objects (e.g. Galaxies) in Orion Constellation

Charles Messier catalogued three deep-space object(s) within the Orion's boundary.

Black-Eye Nebula

The Black Eye Nebula should not be confused with the Black Eye Galaxy, which is the more famous of the two Black Eyes. It is a reflection nebula and does not generate light by itself. The likely source of the light is V380 Orionis, located in the same constellation. V380 Orionis is a Variable Star.

Caspar, the friendly ghost cluster

You must use some artistic licensing on this one. The Caspar, the Friendly Ghost Cluster is a star cluster which is different to the nebula of the same name.

HH 502N3

HH 502N3 is a Herbig-Haro Object. These bright areas of space are associated with star-forming and newborn stars.

Orion Nebula (M42)

Orion Nebula is a large star-forming area with many smaller nebulae. Both the Flame and Horse Head Nebulae are part of this larger nebula. The Orion Nebula and the De Mairan Nebula are part of the Orion Molecular Cloud area near Altinak in the Belt of Orion.

Horsehead Nebula

Horse Head Nebula is a small section of the Orion Nebula. It is a Dark Nebula as it reflects no light. The name should explain why it is so called.

Flame Nebula

The Flame Nebula is a both an Emission Nebula where it generates its own light and a Reflection Nebula, reflecting light from nearby Altinak in the Belt of Orion.

Monkey Head Nebula

Although it might be hard to see, the Monkey Head Nebula is supposed to resemble a Monkey's Head, hence its name. It is an Emissions Nebula, meaning its light source is within the nebula rather than powering it from outside.

NGC 2022

NGC 2022 is a Planetary Nebula, the remnants of a dead star that was not massive enough to explode in a supernova. Eventually, the stellar winds will fade away, leaving a White Dwarf Star as the only evidence of the star's existence. The nebula is located between Meissa and Betelgeuse on a 2D plane.

De Mairans Nebula (Messier 43)

Named after Jean-Jacques d’Ortous de Mairan, who discovered it in 1731, it is a Reflection/Emission Nebula. The nebula is to the right of the dark strip running down the middle. As a result of the dark strip, it is seen as distinct from the Orion Nebula. First catalogued by Charles Messier, it is known as Messier 43 and NGC 1982 is a HII Region.

Running Man Nebula

Running Man Nebula is an HII (ionised) region located in the nebulous area below (northern) or above (southern) Mintaka. Rather than referencing the Arnold Schwarzenegger film of the same name, artistic licensing is needed to see why it has called it.

Trapezium Star Cluster

The Trapezium Star Cluster, also known as simply Orion Cluster is a Star Cluster located near the De Marians Nebula on a 2D plane.

Orion Constellation Facts

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