Orion Constellation

Observation Notes:

This is my first naked eye constellation sketch. I had some trouble getting the angles on Orion’s left arm correct. Clouds were brushing across, so I had to skip around while sketching. Betelgeuse was the one obvious bit of color–orange-red. The M42/M43 nebula region glowed softly in the sword. After checking later, the dimmest star I sketched was Mag 5.78 (SAO113124) marked in the sketch.

Subject Orion
Classification Constellation
Date/Time 01/01/05 – 09:00 PM
Observing Loc. Flagstaff, AZ – Home [111°39′ Long / 35°12′ Lat]
Instrument Naked eye
Eyepieces/Mag. N/A
Conditions P.Cloudy, breezy, 34°F
Seeing ~4/10
Transparency Mag 5.8 (Based on SAO113124 in Orion)

*Based on published data.

12 Replies to “Orion Constellation”

  1. I think it is very good I have not seeen a better interpretation of Orion..
    Do you have any of Vega?

  2. Hi DMC, thank you. I don’t have a sketch that includes Vega. Although I do have a photo when comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann passed through the constellation Lyra. You can find the image at the bottom of this post.
    Jeremy

  3. Rushan, im using this 4 sca-hi-ense project too. this is a wicked awesome and detailed pic. This is gonna help. Have 1 of scorpius?

  4. Hi! I am about to get a tattoo and I was thinking about getting the Orion constellation on my back (my favorite one) and your interpretation looks fantastic! I was wondering if I could use it for my tat? Of course, it would be done without the words…Thanks!!!

  5. Hi Kat, thanks very much for such a huge compliment. For personal use, you’re welcome to use the image as you would like. Although I have to admit that for something so permanent, it’s not a very refined drawing…star positions and magnitudes aren’t terribly precise…so somebody who is an Orion expert might look at it and say ‘uh…those stars over there aren’t quite right…’ 🙂 Your call! Thanks for the message.
    Jeremy

  6. this is really helpful for me i actualy have the orion constilation on my face its really cool

  7. I have been trying to identify a diamond or lozenge shaped constellation visible in the night sky in the northern hemisphere looking south or south-west at an elevation of about 30 degrees around 22:00 GMT [U.C.T]. This constellation appears to be part of Orion.I am assuming that the word ” constellation ” is the correct term for a group of prominent stars.

  8. Hi William,
    The star pattern you are describing would be called an “asterism”. Constellations are themselves “asterisms” but each constellation can contain other sub-groupings of stars that are also asterisms. It is difficult to say what exactly you are looking at without some more details. If you have a few minutes, you may want to take a look at the Star Chart at the Astronomy Now website. Then try to relate the asterism you see to the major features in the chart…is it to the left, right or inside of Orion…above, beside or below…is it partway between Orion and another constellation…and also of importance, how large is it in comparison to Orion? Once we know a few of those, we can look more closely and see if it has a name.
    Jeremy

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