What is the Orion?

Orion is one of the 48 constellations first cataloged by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the second century. It is a large constellation filling an area 594 square degrees. It ranks 26th in size among the 88 constellations. It is bordered by Taurus to the northwest, Eridanus to the southwest, Lepus to the south, Monoceros to the east, and Gemini to the northeast. It was named after the hero of Greek mythology who was killed by Scorpius, the Scorpion. It is one of the oldest constellations with roots in many ancient cultures. It has been depicted on ivory carvings that are believed to have been fashioned over 32,000 years ago. The ancient Babylonians saw it as the Heavenly Shepherd. In Greek mythology, the stars represent the great hunter Orion. He was the son of the sea god Poseidon and Euryale, the daughter of King Minos of Crete. Orion boasted that he would kill every animal on Earth. This angered the goddess Gaia so she sent a scorpion to kill him. The gods felt sorry for Orion, so they put him and his dogs in the sky as constellations, along with all of the animals he hunted. Scorpius, the Scorpion, was placed on the opposite side of the sky so that Orion would never be hurt by it again. To this day, Orion is never seen in the sky at the same time as Scorpius.

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