Do you recognize this
constellation? Setting past the Central Bohemian
Highlands in the Czech Republic is Orion, one
of the most identifiable star groupings on the sky and an icon familiar to humanity
for over 30,000 years. Orion has looked pretty much
the same during this time and should continue to look the
same for many thousands of years into the future. Prominent Orion is
high in the sky at sunset this time of year, a recurring sign of (modern)
winter in Earth‘s northern hemisphere and
summer in the south. The featured picture is a composite of over thirty images
taken from the same location and
during the same night last month. Below and slightly to the left of Orion’s three-star
belt is the Orion Nebula,
while four of the bright stars surrounding
the belt are, clockwise, Sirius (far
left, blue), Betelgeuse (top,
orange, unusually faint), Aldebaran (far
right), and Rigel (below).
As future weeks progress, Orion will
set increasingly earlier.
Image & info via APOD
Image Credit & Copyright: Vojtěch Bauer
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