Now is a great time to study the brighter stars in Orion the Hunter, thanks to a relatively dark sky.
Orion is directly south at 8:30 p.m. and a little more than halfway up from the southern horizon. Remembering stars names is challenging, but the brightest stars in Orion are easy to see. They have interesting names and contrasts in color, and they represent enormous supergiant stars far larger and brighter than the sun. Large stars are like mythical heroes who die young. Their furious lives last only a few million years. The sun is already nearly 5 billion years old, and will live billions of years more.
Star colors are subtle, but with practice, you can distinguish different colors. Red stars have low temperatures compared to the sun, while blue stars are very hot. Betelgeuse in Orion’s right shoulder is a red supergiant star, while Rigel in his left foot is a blue supergiant star. The stars in Orion’s “belt,” Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka, are supergiant blue stars. Saiph in his right foot is so hot much of its output is ultraviolet light, which is not visible to human eyes. Bellatrix in his left shoulder is unique, because it is not associated with the other stars in Orion. It is much closer to us, and is a foreground star, but interesting and beautiful nonetheless.
