THE USM SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
207-780-4249 www.usm.maine.edu/planet
70 Falmouth Street Portland, Maine 04103
43.6667° N 70.2667° W
Altitude: 10 feet below sea level
Founded January 1970
Julian date: 2458598.35
"Don't panic! It is only the Sun..."
THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Orion Will Shrug
when he'll vanish into the Dusk in mid-May His departure doesn't occasion
him the same grief that so profoundly affects the rest of us. After all,
Orion has been milling about the sky for more than a century of centuries:
he loomed high in the firmament when the Stonehenge builders convened their
first meetings on the English plain; looked upon the flames and revelry of
Rome's Saturnalia festivals; was largely ignored by the Bayeux tapestry
weavers; revered by Doctor Faustus; studied by Thomas Jefferson and
observed by Harry Potter. And, he lingered about thousands of years before
Stonehenge was just a blue print just as he will be traipsing through the
heavens centuries after Harry becomes a figure of ancient literature. To
Orion, this imminent departure is just the latest go around in an
interminable circuit through Earth's skies. (As Orion's stars are quite
distant, he is likely poised high above many nearby alien planet scapes, as
well.)
Tonight, Orion will lurk low in the western evening sky. One can find
the grand hunter on its side, as though in repose, just above the western
horizon.
[image: orion_constellation.jpg]
A large rectangle enclosing a diagonal three star belt comprises his main
pattern. Two star lines curling out from his northeastern rectangle star,
Betelgeuse, form a bronze club. A semi circle of stars surrounding the
northwestern rectangle star, Bellatrix, represents a lion skin shield. A
faint sword dangles from his belt. A solitary star marks his head.
Mythologically, Orion has assumed various identities: the Egyptian Death
God Osiris; the grand Hebrew hunter Nimrod; the Sioux warrior Long Sash;
and in some traditions was Feryja, a Nordic Goddess. One will find other
Orion incarnations in various African, Asian and other cultural folklore
around the world. Since the celestial equator -the projection of Earth's
equator onto the sky- passes just above the belt, Orion is wholly visible
to more than 99% of the world's population. (Only the chest and shoulder
section appear around the North Pole; whereas a South Pole observer sees
only the belt and legs.) His widespread visibility. his stark
resemblance to a standing human, and his collection of brilliant stars have
assured Orion a global fame surpassing that of any other single star
pattern.
[image: the-constellation-orion-marc-ward.jpg]
Of all his other identities, he is now principally known as Orion,
considered the greatest hunter in Greco-Roman mythology, superior even to
Artemis, Goddess of the hunt and the Moon. One tale portrays Orion as
reckless and boastful. So proud was he of his hunting prowess that he
openly proclaimed himself capable of slaying any beast, no matter how
formidable. Appalled by Orion's impertinent attitude -such irrational
arrogance was only deemed proper in Olympus- Artemis deployed Scorpius the
Scorpion onto Earth. The Scorpion promptly found Orion and nipped his
ankle, killing him instantly. Curiously, Artemis then foisted Orion's
spirit into the sky and bejeweled him with bright stars as a tribute to his
superb hunting skills. He was perhaps also set into the stars as a warning
to other gifted mortals that it is best for one to remain quiet about one's
exceptional abilities.
[image: orion_engraving.png]
And there he remains on full display as he has for such a long time. We
should point out that even Orion is ultimately mortal. His component
stars all move through the galaxy in various directions and after tens of
thousands of years, the pattern will become noticeably distorted and
ultimately unrecognizable. For us mortals, Orion's life is interminable.
However, by galactic time periods, Orion is a fleeting configuration: just
one of the myriad star patterns through the galaxy that form and dissolve
in deep time.
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