Tuesday, April 18, 2017

The Letter O: Orion (and a bit about Ophiuchus)


Today in my A-Z challenge, we’re looking at things in sky that beings with the letter “O”.  There are three constellations u fitting this bill: Octans, Ophiuchus, and Orion.  Unless you live pretty far south of the equator, you’ve probably never heard of Octans, as it is around the Celestial South Pole.  It’s a more recent constellation, named for the tool used to determine latitude before sextants came into use.   It also doesn’t have a bright start like Polaris.  Ophiuchus, the snake handler, is found along the zodiac and is better known, but Orion is perhaps the best known constellation in the sky.   Of course, you probably didn’t know that Ophiuchus is in the Zodiac, but it is between Sagittarius and Scorpius.  It was in the Zodiacs of the Greeks and Romans and the modern scientific community, but not the one of fortune-tellers who have only 12 signs.   Although a neat constellation, it pales when compared to Orion, the most beautiful constellation in the winter sky.  
I have spoken of Orion several times in this tour, as we’ve looked at Betelgeuse   and this at Canis Major, his famous dog in the sky.  Orion is a huge constellation and from it you can find many other constellations in the winter sky.   I expect this constellation may be the most popular one in the sky, surpassing even the Big Dipper, because its position around the equator allows it to be seen by so much of the earth.

Orion drew my interest into astronomy.   As a child, I spent many nights fishing on beach during the fall.  In October, you’d see Orion rise, on his side, around 9 PM.  Later in the fall, it was early and by Christmas he’d cleared the horizon well before dark.  You can still see Orion now, shortly after dark, dropping in the Western horizon.  The most distinguishable feature of Orion are the three stars of his belt.  It’s easy to see the knife hanging off the belt, his arms and legs.  There are many bright stars in the constellation including Betelgeuse (12th brightest star in sky) and Rigel (his left foot and the 8th brightest star).


Almost every culture has a story about Orion, along with a different name.  The most common myth is that Orion was the son of Neptune and Euryale (a nymph).  He was a huge and fearless hunter who boasted that he was exterminate the animals of the earth.  Hearing this, Gaia, the goddess of earth, sent a scorpion that bit Orion, causing a mortal wound.  But he was saved by Ophiuchus, the snake handler who was also a physician.  This is all played out in the sky, as Orion is never present when the scorpion (Scorpius) is in the sky.  Furthermore, as Scorpius sets, Ophiuchus stands over the insect, trampling him.   In another story, Sagittarius, the archer, was sent to avenge Orion’s death and the archer’s arrow is pointed at the scorpion.  

Although he is not in the sky, Samuel Clemen's (Mark Twain's) brother was also named Orion.  Supposedly, their mother was interested in the stars and thereby decided to name her older son for the constellation.  The constellation Orion also appears three times in the Bible (Job 9:9 and 38:31   and Amos 5:8).

23 comments:

  1. Orion is my favorite probably because it is the only other one I can spot besides the Big Dipper and the North Star.

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    1. ditto ... also know the Southern Cross though ... Love, cat.

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  2. I'm reminded of the folk song we learned in elementary music class "Orion Is Arising," which all about the nostalgia of sleeping under the stars (here's a YouTube rendition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEuOalGvLdg)

    Happy A to Zing!
    http://laurelgarver.blogspot.com/2017/04/o-optimism.html

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  3. Orion and his belt was among the first constellation that I learned to recognise. I studied astronomy as a general subject in my degree course almost 60 years ago. I'm ashamed at how much I have forgotten in the time.

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  4. I’ve actually seen this constellation. Usually the sky just looks like a big mess of stars to me.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  5. Orion is a personal favorite of mine because I can easily recognize it most times.

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  6. Your posts are bringing me such Battlestar Galactica flashbacks. :-) I'm wondering which of those stars is the original home of the Lords of Kobol.

    Also, it was the longest time after I read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy before I realized Betelgeuse was a real star.

    O - The October Crisis

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  7. Yay! My favorite! Not only do I love to view him in the sky, he's mentioned in a movie quote I always liked.

    "I've seen things... seen things you little people wouldn't believe... Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion bright as magnesium... I rode on the back decks of a blinker and watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate. All those moments... they'll be gone." (name that film!)

    I'll have to come back and revisit these posts next winter when it will be easier to try and find all the related constellations you've shared.

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  8. Orion's belt and the Big Dipper (or as my mom would say, Sapta Rishi- the seven sages) are the only bunch of stars I recognize. I always tell myself that I'd learn a few more but get so lost in gazing at the moon, I give up.
    O is for Observing the Ordinary

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  9. Wow, the things I learn from you. That's very interesting about Twain's brother and his mother, I didn't know that. I wish the stars were out around here like they were when I was growing up, and I get way more here then many places in my town.

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  10. I didn't know the full story about Orion. The Big Dipper, followed by the North Star and the Little Dipper were my first known spots in the sky. Next was Cassiopeia that big W in the sky. Orion definitely came later, but it's such a favorite constellation for me because I can usually still spot it when the light pollution in our area overwhelms many others. Have a good one!

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  11. Ah yes! Orion is one of my favorite things to look at in the sky. As I child I didn't quite get how the stars rotated, and so it puzzled me to no end when I would go out and not be able to find Orion during certain parts of the year. ;)

    Visiting from the A to Z Challenge. See my "O" post here: https://lydiahowe.com/2017/04/18/o-is-for-outsider-atozchallenge-plus-a-vlog/

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  12. Interesting factoid about Mark Twain's brother.

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  13. I didn't realize Orion was connected with so many other constellations, and that's an interesting tidbit that Orion's in the Bible 3 times. Thank you for sharing your wisdom, Sage.

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  14. I have only heard of Orion as a constellation. Orphiuchus was a snake handler as well as a physician? That's where the term snake oil as a curative potion might have come. Very interesting info here. I love to star gaze. My Virtual Vineyard

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  15. Astronomy certainly comes with fabulous names: Octans, Ophiuchus, and Orion. I enjoy the stories that accompany the constellations.

    Thanks for visiting my post: O for Occupation
    Shari

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  16. Orion is one of the constellations I remember learning about when I was growing up. I always look for it in the night sky when I can see the stars. :)

    I hadn't heard of the Octans or Ophiuchus. So fun to learn about them today! Great post.
    ~Jess

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  17. I didn't know the story about Orion and Scorpius. I love it when mythology ties different constellations together. :)

    A to Z 2017: Magical and Medicinal Herbs

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  18. Interesting to read these details.
    Another great post, thanks.

    All the best Jan

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  19. I didn't know that about Mark Twain's brother. Fun trivia facts!

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  20. Always loved this constellation, and now my daughter has named her son after it1 Ori for short. :-)

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  21. I wish I could recognise Orion! I see references to him everywhere.

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