Orion

Orion is the great hunter and one of the most recognizeable constellations. In the late Summer he rises late in the night, and his rising in the evening after sunset is a sure sign of Fall and the coming of Winter. His belt runs parallel to the Celestial Equator, and therefore perpendicular to the horizon. The Orion region of the sky contains a large molecular cloud complex, and therefore some of the most famous nebulae are visible within the constellation, such as M42 (the Orion Nebula, visible to the naked eye as the middle sword star, a star-forming region) and M## (the Horsehead Nebula, a molecular cloud core).

In Greek mythology Orion was a hunter. His figure in the sky is often depicted has having a short sword hanging from a belt, a bow in his left (correct) hand, and brandishing a club over his head. Orion's bow is aimed West towards Taurus, the bull, and he is followed in the East by Canis Major and Canis Minor, his large and small hunting dogs. One myth tells that he was killed by a scorpion, and another that he also hunted the scorpion, either story resulting in Scorpio being located on the opposite side of the sky so that the two are never above the horizon together.