The astral image depicts the Orion constellation in the night sky right over the Pyramids of Giza (Menkaure, Khafre, Khufu). A constellation basically is a group of stars which upon seen from earth appear to form a pattern. This pattern, however, is not new to the inhabitants of this blue planet. Orion constellation appears periodically calling attention to winter seasons every year, along with that it’s rising on a specific period of the year heralded the annual flooding in the Nile.

In Greek mythology, a giant hunter ‘Orion’ lived who was placed on the celestial sky upon the orders of Zeus, which continues to be a part of the sky for eternity. This star constellation lies 1,344 light-years from home...The left shoulder of the cluster consists of a red supergiant star known to be ‘Betelgeuse’ in astronomy, one of the largest and most luminous star known. It’s considerably enormous in diameter compared to our sun; about 700 times greater than the sun. While upon looking at the bottom right foot of this cluster has a prominent star called ‘Rigel’ which is the 7th brightest star over the sky and size roughly 18–20 times greater than the sun.

Where to look for Orion Constellation?

The ‘Orion Constellation’ is fairly easy to spot even in a light populated city, the three stars called ‘orion belt’ are captivating and often the first ones to catch. The constellation can be seen towards the south for observers residing in Northern Hemisphere, meanwhile, observers in Southern Hemisphere will find the hunter standing on his head. As you already know this constellation appears in the winter season, so having a blanket or a campfire to accompany you would be recommended.However, the sight would be worth the cold winter night!

(Article Originally written by Nasir Rizwan for Army Public School on 6 June,2019)