orion | EarthSky

Star-hop from Orion to Sirius: See them before they go!

Star-hopping is going from stars you know to stars you don't know. Star-hop from the constellation Orion to Sirius, sky's brightest star, before they're gone.

Star chart showing constellation Orion with brightest stars Rigel and Betelgeuse labeled.

Notice the westward shift of Orion and all the stars

As Earth makes its grand tour around the sun each year, the stars and constellations all do a westward shift in our sky. Orion is a good one to notice.

A star chart with white dots representing stars connected by light blue lines to trace the shape of the constellation. It is against a blue backdrop.

Orion the Hunter is easy to spot in January

Orion the Hunter is one of the easiest constellations to identify thanks to Orion's Belt, the 3 medium-bright stars in a short, straight row at his waist.

A large, bright, blue-white star in a field of many stars.

Blue-white Rigel is Orion’s brightest star

Blue-white Rigel shines as the brightest star in the constellation Orion the Hunter. It's a hot massive star, that someday will explode as a supernova.

Crisply outlined swirls of 3 glowing, multicolored gas clouds with stars embedded in them.

The Orion Nebula (M42) is a starry nursery

You can see the Orion Nebula as a fuzzy spot in the sky using just your eyes. It's really a vast cloud in space where new stars are forming. Learn more.

Orion the Hunter, the most recognizable constellation

Orion the Hunter may be the most recognizable constellation, visible from both hemispheres. It's best in winter from the north and summer from the south.

Star chart of big 19-star constellation Orion with stars, Belt, and a nebula labeled.

Orion the Hunter is back in the evening sky

In November, the famous constellation Orion is back in the evening sky! Its most recognizable feature is its belt of 3 medium-bright stars.

Chart of Orion with a red arrow leading from the Belt of Orion to Sirius.

Orion’s Belt points to Sirius on September mornings

Sirius is the sky's brightest star. But sometimes bright planets outshine it. Orion's Belt is your ticket to identifying Sirius.

Return of Orion the Hunter, ghost of the summer dawn

Orion the Hunter returns to the east at dawn at this time every year. Here's how to watch for this most noticeable of constellations.

A deep space scene with a wispy, semicircular length of red cloud nearly as big as the constellation Orion.

Solar system passed through Orion, says intriguing new study

About 14 million years ago, our solar system passed through a dense region of dust and gas in the constellation Orion, possibly affecting Earth's climate.

Star chart showing constellation Orion with Rigel, Betelgeuse and Bellatrix marked.

Bellatrix is Orion’s 3rd-brightest star

Orion's shoulder star Bellatrix has a name that means "female warrior." Bellatrix is one of the hottest stars you can see without optical aid.

Orion's Belt or the Celestial Bridge is found in the east at mid-evening.

See Orion’s Belt as a celestial bridge between hemispheres

Many know Orion's Belt, a short, straight row of 3 stars. Orion's Belt is considered a celestial bridge between the sky's Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

2 small bright dots close to each other in center of image, with larger bright dot to the upper left.

Mystery in the Orion Nebula: Pairs of rogue planets?

The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered something unexpected in the Orion Nebula: pairs of unusual planet-like 'binary objects' drifting freely in space.

Orion the Hunter and the Milky Way on December evenings

The constellation Orion the Hunter is very easy to find. If you have a dark sky, you can also see the luminous band of the Milky Way running behind it.

Use Orion’s Belt to find 4 bright stars in the sky

How to use Orion's Belt to find 4 bright stars - Betelgeuse and Rigel in Orion - Aldebaran in Taurus the Bull and Sirius in Canis Major.

A composite made of 3 images of molecular clouds in space.

Life’s building blocks found in Orion Nebula

Scientists have found carbon compounds - life's building blocks - in a planet-forming disk, encircling a star in the famous Orion Nebula.

Star chart: Orion with magenta arrow pointing toward Sirius and two small labeled constellations beneath Orion.

Hare and Dove at Orion the Hunter’s feet

If you have a dark sky, you can see constellations representing a Hare and Dove. They're 2 faint constellations near easy-to-find Orion.

Gibbous moon moves above Orion and near Mars.

Nearly full moon near Orion, January 4 and 5

See the nearly full moon near Orion the Hunter, a hallmark of January skies. Bright, reddish Mars is nearby in the constellation Taurus the Bull.

Splashdown! Artemis 1 Orion returns from its trip around the moon

The uncrewed Orion moonship has traveled around the moon and returned safely to Earth. The Artemis 1 splashdown was in the Pacific Ocean on December 11, 2022.

Orion moonship imaged: Streaks of light form star trails with a tiny dot in their midst, which is the Orion spacecraft.

Epic! Orion moonship imaged from Earth

Orion moonship imaged when it was still more distant from Earth than the moon on November 27, 2022. Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project reports.

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Star-hop from Orion to Sirius: See them before they go!

Notice the westward shift of Orion and all the stars

Orion the Hunter is easy to spot in January

Blue-white Rigel is Orion’s brightest star

The Orion Nebula (M42) is a starry nursery

Orion the Hunter, the most recognizable constellation

Orion the Hunter is back in the evening sky

Orion’s Belt points to Sirius on September mornings

Return of Orion the Hunter, ghost of the summer dawn

Solar system passed through Orion, says intriguing new study

Bellatrix is Orion’s 3rd-brightest star

See Orion’s Belt as a celestial bridge between hemispheres

Mystery in the Orion Nebula: Pairs of rogue planets?

Orion the Hunter and the Milky Way on December evenings

Use Orion’s Belt to find 4 bright stars in the sky

Life’s building blocks found in Orion Nebula

Hare and Dove at Orion the Hunter’s feet

Nearly full moon near Orion, January 4 and 5

Splashdown! Artemis 1 Orion returns from its trip around the moon

Epic! Orion moonship imaged from Earth