On a late winter evening, on the southern side of the sky, it is impossible not to notice three bright stars. They are located very close, as if, lining up in a straight line, slightly inclined to the horizon. This constellation Orion, or rather, its central part. It is very large. Eight bright stars of Orion form a figure that, to many amateur astronomers, resembles a giant bow. But in ancient times, people, looking at him, imagined a mighty hunter, armed with a fighting wooden club and a large shield. Three stars in a row - this is the so-called "belt" of Orion, from which a quiver of arrows hung. This constellation has several bright, notable stars. Their names — Betelgeuse and Rigel — are translated from Arabic as “giant's shoulder” and “leg”, respectively.
In Greek mythology, the constellation Orion is associated with stories of a handsome young man. He was the son of the lord of the seas of Poseidon and the young oceanida Euryale. Orion was famous for its gigantic growth and incredible beauty, in addition, it was one of the best hunters who was allowed to be in the retinue of the goddess Artemis herself.
Once he saw the beautiful daughter of King Enopion, the ruler of Chios. Orion asked for the hands of the beautiful Meropa, and her father agreed with the condition that the mighty hunter would rid their island of wild dangerous animals. Of course, the young man completed the task, but upon returning to the king was refused. Coming into a frantic rage, he burst into the bedroom to the failed bride and took her by force. Demanding revenge, Enopion appealed to his father - the god Dionysus. When, having calmed down and drunk with satyrs, Orion fell asleep soundly on the seashore, the treacherous king blinded him, gouged out his eyes. A lot of tests fell on the young man. Just reaching the most remote shore of the mighty ocean, he regained his sight. There, the beautiful goddess of the morning dawn, Eos, saw the mighty Orion and abducted him in her chariot.
The constellation Orion is also associated with another myth. Once, while hunting in the forest forest, Orion saw the seven sisters of the Pleiades, the daughters of the giant Atlas. The ardent young man immediately fell in love without memory and tried to approach them. But the nymphs of Selena were extremely shy and timid. And at the hunter's first attempt to speak with them, they ran away. Frightened that he would not see them again, Orion began the persecution, but the young pleiades rushed without looking back until the forces left them. Then they prayed to their patroness Selena. The goddess heard them and turned the sisters into snow-white doves, placing them in the sky in the form of the
constellation Pleiades.There are several myths associated with the death of a mighty hunter. The constellation Orion tells of one of them. According to this legend, he was stung by a giant scorpion called by the goddess Artemis for the fact that during the hunt, a brave young man dared to touch her ashes. But the goddess Selena, who loved the young man, appealed to Zeus, and he brought him to heaven, where to this day the mighty Orion hunts. Its constellation is never found on a heavenly slope with a giant scorpion.
Undoubtedly, the area of ​​Orion in the night sky is the most beautiful and bright. When it rises high above the horizon, you can see the seven brightest stars of the first magnitude, forming a hexagon, in the center of which there will be Betelgeuse. These stars include Capella, Procyon, Rigel, Pollux, Sirius and Aldebaran. Many people, even those not related to astronomy, can easily find the constellation Orion in the winter sky, a photo of it can be seen in all astronomical encyclopedias.