Latest / Star Trails: From Backyard Astronomy to Cosmic Wonder / Night of the Hunter: A Deep Dive into Orion

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Night of the Hunter: A Deep Dive into Orion · Star Trails: From Backyard Astronomy to Cosmic Wonder

0:07
Howdy Star Gazers and welcome to this episode
0:10
of Star Trails. My name is Drew and I'll be your
0:14
guide to the night sky for the week of January
0:16
the 11th through the 17th. This week we're going
0:20
to focus on a single constellation, Orion, and
0:25
explore how to use it as a signpost to the night
0:28
sky. We'll look at its lore, its relationship
0:31
to ancient civilizations, its deep sky objects,
0:35
stars, and its secrets. We'll also travel back
0:39
thousands of years to Egypt where an intriguing
0:41
theory involving Orion and the pyramids has captivated
0:45
archaeologists and astronomers for ages. Later
0:50
in the show, we'll take a look at this week's
0:52
sky and go over some recent space news, the discovery
0:56
of an unusual object astronomers are calling
0:59
Cloud 9. Whether you're tuning in from the backyard
1:03
or the balcony, I'm glad you're here, so grab
1:06
a comfortable spot under the night sky and let's
1:09
get started. I know it sounds like a tagline
1:14
or something tuning in from the backyard or the
1:17
balcony, but both of these locations are fine
1:21
places to conduct astronomy from. Here at home,
1:24
I keep a pair of binoculars at the ready right
1:27
beside my balcony door so I can slip out and
1:30
do a little stargazing. I have a view to the
1:33
south, so it's great to catch the moon making
1:36
its way across the sky and some prominent constellations.
1:40
Of course, the backyard is better, as it opens
1:43
up the rest of the sky. But whichever of these
1:47
locations I choose, there's one constellation
1:49
that stands above all else in the sky, and that's
1:53
Orion, the mighty hunter. It's likely one of
1:56
the first groups of stars that fills observers
1:59
with wonder, and he's been doing that for millennia.
2:04
Orion is one of the oldest figures humanity ever
2:08
traced into the stars. In Greek myth he was a
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giant hunter, strong, confident, sometimes noble,
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sometimes reckless, depending on who's telling
2:17
the story. In some versions Orion boasts no beast
2:23
alive can defeat him, earning him the wrath of
2:26
the gods. In others, he's a tragic figure, killed
2:29
by a scorpion sent by Gaia or Artemis, then placed
2:33
in the sky as both a warning and a memorial.
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Orion was a mirror, a way for ancient people
2:41
to project ideas about strength, pride, punishment,
2:45
and fate onto something vast and dependable.
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In the night sky, the constellation depicts Orion
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mid -stride, frozen in an eternal hunt. One arm
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is raised, often imagined holding a club or a
3:00
bow, while the other carries a shield. His belt,
3:06
those three unmistakable stars, cuts cleanly
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across his waist, anchoring the entire figure.
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His shoulders and feet blaze with uneven intensity,
3:18
giving the figure a sense of motion and imbalance,
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as if he's caught in the act rather than posing
3:24
for display. Orion doesn't rest in the sky, he
3:28
advances across it, rising in the east, dominating
3:32
winter evenings and eventually slipping away
3:35
into daylight, forever chasing, forever just
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out of reach. As a kid, I remember gazing at
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the three bright belt stars from the backseat
3:47
of the car on rides home at night. Those three
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stars in a nearly perfect line, all bright, seemed
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almost overbearing for the rest of the night
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sky. Why were they so prominent? And what did
4:00
they mean? What were they trying to say, if anything?
4:04
It wasn't long before I read a little night sky
4:07
guide and learned that these were the three belt
4:10
stars of Orion, or Orion, as my child's mind
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thought it was pronounced. It didn't take long
4:17
to realize Orion was a special constellation.
4:21
This wasn't just a random grouping of stars,
4:24
and unlike most of the constellations, it actually
4:27
resembles what it's representing. If you kind
4:30
of imagine it as a stick figure in the sky. Digging
4:35
deeper, I learned Orion was home to some of the
4:37
most beautiful deep sky objects in the cosmos.
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Even today, when I look up at the winter sky,
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I first check on Orion. So today, in keeping
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with our January plan aimed at new stargazers,
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we're going to take a closer look at this iconic
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constellation. Orion isn't just our destination,
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he's our guide. He shows up clearly early in
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the evening at a time of the year when many people
5:08
are just beginning to look up again. You don't
5:11
have to hunt for him, he finds you. And that
5:15
alone makes Orion special. But Orion also does
5:19
something else. Once you learn his shape, he
5:22
teaches you how to move through the sky, how
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stars point to other stars, how patterns lead
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outward, how the night sky stops being just a
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scattering of lights and starts becoming an organized
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place. So let's turn our gaze upward and look
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for Orion's belt, that line of three bright stars,
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almost evenly spaced. Once you see it, you'll
5:47
never unsee it. Follow the belt downward, away
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from Orion's shoulders, and your eye will land
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on Sirius. Sirius is the brightest star in the
5:59
entire night sky, and it often flickers wildly
6:03
near the horizon, flashing colors as Earth's
6:06
atmosphere bends its light. Many people mistake
6:09
it for a planet. In reality, it's simply close
6:13
and luminous. And congratulations, that's a successful
6:18
star hop. You didn't need a chart, and you didn't
6:21
need an app. Now follow the belt in the opposite
6:25
direction, upward, and you're led toward Aldebaran,
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a warm orange star marking the eye of Taurus
6:32
the Bull. Keep going up and you'll arrive at
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the Pleiades, a small misty clump of stars that
6:40
people often mistake for the Little Dipper, because
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it does sort of resemble that shape. While you're
6:46
there, look at the Pleiades with your binoculars.
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It basically explodes with stars. So following
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the same line gave us two completely different
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destinations, and we can keep going. Beetlejuice
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marks Orion's shoulder and glows with a deep
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reddish hue. Rigel, at the opposite foot, burns
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icy blue -white. If you look at Orion's upper
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body, his shoulders and raised arm, and extend
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that line upward, you're naturally led toward
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the constellation Gemini. There, you'll find
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the twin stars Castor and Pollux, sitting side
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by side like a pair of beacons. Once you know
7:31
where to look for them, Gemini becomes one of
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the easiest winter constellations to recognize,
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and it feels almost as if Orion is gesturing
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in their direction. Orion can also help you complete
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one of the most useful shapes in the winter sky,
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the Winter Triangle. You already know one corner
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of it. Sirius. Another corner is Betelgeuse.
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Draw an imaginary line between those two and
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the third point of the triangle appears almost
8:01
automatically. Procyon in the constellation Canis
8:05
Minor. Look downward instead toward Rigel and
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you'll find something quieter. Just below is
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the constellation Lepus, the hare, placed quite
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literally at the hunter's feet. Lepus is fainter
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and easier to miss, especially from light polluted
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skies, but Orion tells you exactly where to look
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for it. And if you follow Rigel's line away from
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Orion, the sky opens into something much larger,
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Eridanus, the river. It winds away in a long
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meandering path across the sky, far larger than
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most people realize. Star hopping away from Orion
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like this turns the constellation into basically
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a roadmap for the sky. Suddenly, large swaths
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of the sky feel navigable, and you're well on
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your way to becoming a seasoned naked eye observer.
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Now, let's turn our attention back to those three
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belt stars. They are Alnitak, Alnilum, and Mentaka.
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Despite their neat alignment, they are separated
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by vast distances in space, with Al Neelum being
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the most distant. That alignment is just a happy
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accident, and reminds us that the sky isn't a
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flat plane, but these stars are at varying distances
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from us. Hanging from the belt is Orion's sword,
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and this is where the constellation quietly changes
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character. At the sword's center lies the Orion
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Nebula, a vast stellar nursery visible even without
9:47
optical aid under dark skies. Nearby is the Running
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Man Nebula, a faint reflection nebula shaped
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by young energetic stars whose light is still
9:59
carving paths through the surrounding dust. Deep
10:04
inside the Orion Nebula is a group of stars that
10:07
appear to have been violently ejected from a
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once stable system thousands of years ago. Studies
10:15
suggest a gravitational interaction or stellar
10:18
collision flung these stars outward at high speed,
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leaving behind shock waves still visible today.
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Orion isn't just birthing stars, it's occasionally
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throwing babies out of its nursery. Along the
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eastern belt star, Alnitak, sits the Flame Nebula,
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glowing with hydrogen excited by nearby stars.
10:43
And just beside it, etched in silhouette rather
10:45
than light, is the Horsehead Nebula, a dark knot
10:49
of dust standing starkly against a luminous background.
10:55
Speaking of Alnitak, it's not a single star at
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all, but a multiple star system, with at least
11:01
three components. The primary star is a massive
11:05
blue supergiant whose intense ultra -violent
11:08
radiation sculpts the Flame Nebula and the background
11:12
glow that allows the Horsehead Nebula to appear
11:15
in silhouette. Without Alnitak's violence, some
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of Orion's most iconic sights wouldn't exist.
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While the Orion Nebula is visible to the naked
11:27
eye, you're going to need a good scope to see
11:29
the Horsehead and Flame Nebula. These are rich
11:32
targets for astrophotographers and they come
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alive in brilliant oranges, reds, and magentas
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when captured with long exposures. Betelgeuse,
11:43
at the shoulder, glows a deep orange -red and
11:46
is one of the largest stars visible to the naked
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eye. It's a red supergiant nearing the end of
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its life, swollen, unstable, and variable in
11:57
brightness. Beetlejuice, and by the way, you
12:00
can safely say it three times, holds one of Orion's
12:04
intriguing secrets. Beetlejuice has long been
12:08
suspected of having a companion, and recent observations
12:12
suggest that this may actually be true. In 2022
12:16
through 2024, high -resolution imaging and modeling
12:20
pointed toward a close, faint companion. likely
12:23
a small star orbiting within a few astronomical
12:27
units of Betelgeuse. This companion may help
12:31
explain Betelgeuse's strange behavior, including
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its dramatic dimming in 2019 and 2020, which
12:38
was initially noted as a possible pre -Supernova
12:42
event. If confirmed, this would make Betelgeuse
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not just a dying star, but a binary system in
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its final act. So, as it turns out, one of the
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sky's most famous lonely giants may never have
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been alone at all. Across from it is Rigel, a
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blue -white star that outshines beetle Jews in
13:06
sheer luminosity, despite appearing similarly
13:09
bright from Earth. Sweeping across much of the
13:13
left side of the constellation is Barnard's Loop,
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an enormous arc of glowing gas. likely energized
13:21
by ancient supernova explosions and massive stellar
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winds. You aren't able to see it unless you photograph
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this large swath of the sky. Longer exposures
13:33
bring it to light. Conceptually, it's an important
13:37
structure, giving us a window into a turbulent
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ongoing process of stellar creation and destruction.
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Orion is considered one of the Milky Way's great
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workshops, where stars are born, age, and tear
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their surroundings apart. Orion and its components
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form an active unified region known as the Orion
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Molecular Cloud Complex. As legendary as the
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hunter is, nothing lasts forever. Orion, as we
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know him, is living on borrowed time. The stars
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that define his shape are moving and over tens
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of thousands of years the familiar figure will
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stretch, skew, and dissolve. Beetlejuice will
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explode someday. Rigel will evolve. The belt
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will lose its alignment. We're going to take
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a quick break, but when we return more on Orion
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and his relationship to humanity, we're going
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to journey to the iconic pyramids of the Giza
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Plateau in Egypt, where we'll explore an intriguing
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concept called the Orion Correlation Theory.
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We'll also check out this week's sky and some
14:58
recent astronomy news. Stay with us. Welcome
15:14
back! In addition to stargazing, an area that
15:19
I find endlessly fascinating is archaeology,
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more specifically Egyptology. And even though
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I grew up reading books like Eric von Daniken's
15:30
Chariots of the Gods, I don't think Egyptians
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built the pyramids with the help of aliens. They
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were, however, tuned in to the sky, and maybe
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Orion had a larger impact on their culture than
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we think. The Orion correlation theory proposes
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that the three main pyramids on the Giza Plateau
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were intentionally arranged to mirror the three
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stars of Orion's belt as they appeared in the
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ancient sky. It's a relatively new theory dating
16:06
back to just 1989. The core claims usually go
16:11
something like this. The relative positions of
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the pyramids resemble the slight offset of the
16:17
belt stars. One pyramid is not perfectly aligned
16:21
with the other two, just as one belt star, Mentaka,
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sits slightly off the straight line formed by
16:28
Al Natak and Al Neelam. Some argue that this
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similarity is too precise to be coincidence.
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The theory goes further, suggesting that the
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ancient Egyptians intentionally encoded a sky
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-earth correspondence, reflecting the heavens
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on the landscape. In this view, the Nile becomes
16:49
a terrestrial analogue of the Milky Way, and
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Giza becomes celestial geometry. Also, the Sphinx
16:57
monument reportedly represents the constellation
17:00
Leo, the lion. Some have theorized the layout
17:04
of elements inside the pyramids, which were tombs,
17:08
point directly to specific portions of the sky,
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kind of like the markers at Stonehenge line up
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with the solstices. The most well -known example
17:19
is in the Great Pyramid, whose south -axis shaft
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allegedly points to Orion's belt. After more
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than 4 ,000 years, Earth's shifting axial precession
17:31
has knocked off the alignment, if there ever
17:33
really was one. At its most ambitious, this theory
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claims these alignments reflect Orion's position
17:41
around 10 ,000 BCE, implying either extraordinary
17:47
astronomical foresight or the inheritance of
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knowledge from a far earlier civilization. And
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here's where the theory gains much of its traction.
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In ancient Egyptian cosmology, Orion was associated
18:02
with Osiris, the god of death, rebirth, and the
18:05
afterlife. Orion wasn't just another constellation,
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he was a symbol of cosmic order and eternal return.
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Pharaohs were believed to ascend to the stars
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after death, joining the gods among the fixed
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lights of the sky. So the argument goes, if you
18:25
were going to encode immortality, cosmic order,
18:28
and divine kingship into stone, why wouldn't
18:31
you choose Orion? And yet, the theory has problems.
18:37
First, the apparent alignment depends heavily
18:40
on selective framing. Rotate the star pattern
18:43
slightly, adjust scale or choose which points
18:47
to emphasize, and the match does look compelling.
18:50
But when measured rigorously, The positional
18:53
correspondence is approximate, not exact. But
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the real kicker is this, there is no direct archaeological
19:00
evidence that the pyramid builders even intended
19:04
such a correlation. No inscriptions, no diagrams,
19:08
no textual references. The Egyptians left us
19:12
an extraordinary written record, and nowhere
19:15
do they say, we built this to mirror Orion's
19:18
belt. One of the more poetic extensions of the
19:22
theory is the idea that the Nile represents the
19:24
Milky Way, placing Giza as a kind of terrestrial
19:28
cosmos. This notion feels mythically correct,
19:32
but here again the evidence is circumstantial,
19:35
although seeing the Milky Way as a river of light
19:37
is a common occurrence in other cultures. Humans
19:41
are extraordinary pattern recognition machines.
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We evolved to find structure and chaos because
19:48
doing so kept us alive. That instinct doesn't
19:52
turn off when we look up, it intensifies. In
19:56
Orion, ancient people saw continuity, return,
20:00
and order in a dangerous world. When modern people
20:04
see Orion mirrored in the pyramids, they feel
20:07
a thrill that says this mattered then and maybe
20:10
it still does now. That emotional response is
20:14
real, even if the alignment wasn't intentional.
20:18
Orion keeps appearing in theories like this because
20:21
he's visually unavoidable. He's bright, he's
20:24
geometric, he feels designed. That makes him
20:27
a magnet for myth, speculation, and cosmic storytelling.
20:32
now just as much as thousands of years ago. In
20:36
that sense, the Orion -Giza correlation is now
20:40
another fascinating element of Orion's mythology,
20:44
even if it isn't part of Egyptian engineering.
20:55
Let's move on from the mysteries of ancient Egypt
20:58
and into the certainty of this week's night sky.
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The moon is in a waning crescent phase through
21:05
this period. By week's end it's a very slim sliver,
21:09
only about 1 -2 % illuminated, making it easy
21:13
to observe without washing out fainter stars
21:16
and deep sky targets. The new moon will occur
21:19
on the 18th, yielding the darkest skies of the
21:23
month. The two naked -eye planets dominating
21:26
the sky right now are Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter
21:30
is still the standout. It reached opposition
21:33
last week, meaning Earth is directly between
21:36
it and the Sun. It rises at sunset and stays
21:40
visible all night long, shining exceptionally
21:43
bright in the constellation Gemini. Saturn is
21:47
also visible low in the early evening sky in
21:50
Pisces. It's dimmer than Jupiter but still noticeable
21:54
with the naked eye, especially earlier in the
21:56
night before it dips toward the western horizon.
21:59
Other naked eye planets, Venus, Mars, and Mercury,
22:03
are effectively out of view during this period
22:06
because they're near solar conjunction and lost
22:08
in the sun's glare, so they don't appear in the
22:11
evening or pre -dawn sky. The beehive cluster,
22:15
Messier 44, becomes increasingly well -placed
22:19
later in the month after sunset. Since the moon
22:22
is thin and dim this week, it's a good time to
22:25
appreciate rich star fields and open clusters,
22:28
like the double cluster in Perseus or the Pleiades
22:32
later in the evening. Before we go, I wanted
22:41
to mention a cool bit of space news that made
22:43
the rounds a few days ago. Scientists using the
22:47
Hubble Space Telescope have announced the discovery
22:49
of a curious new kind of object that's being
22:53
called Cloud 9. Not because it's happy, but because
22:57
it's unusual. This object, located about 14 to
23:01
16 million light years from Earth near the spiral
23:04
galaxy Messier 94, appears to be a cloud of gas
23:09
dominated by dark matter, but containing no stars
23:13
at all. Researchers are referring to it as a
23:16
failed galaxy. Under most circumstances, when
23:20
enough gas and dark matter collect together,
23:22
gravity pulls the gas inward until it cools and
23:26
forms stars. But Cloud 9 lacks any detectable
23:30
stars. Even deep observations with Hubble's powerful
23:34
imaging fail to reveal a stellar population within
23:38
the cloud's bounds. ruling out even faint low
23:41
-mass stars to very stringent limits. Instead,
23:46
it's rich in neutral hydrogen gas and appears
23:49
to sit in a massive halo of dark matter, something
23:52
on the order of billions of times the mass of
23:55
the Sun. Astronomers think cloud 9 may represent
23:59
a long predicted but so far unseen class of objects
24:03
known as Reionization Limited HI Clouds, or relics.
24:09
In cosmological theory, many dark matter halos
24:13
should exist that never managed to form stars,
24:17
either because they were too small or because
24:19
the conditions in the early universe prevented
24:21
collapse and star formation. Cloud 9 may be the
24:26
first clear observation of such an object, a
24:30
relic of the early universe that never lit up
24:32
with stars. The discovery is exciting because
24:36
it gives astronomers a rare new window into how
24:39
galaxies begin and how some never do. And it
24:43
may help scientists better understand the role
24:45
of dark matter in shaping the cosmos. That's
24:54
going to do it for this week. If you found this
24:56
episode interesting, please share it with a friend
24:59
who might enjoy it. The easiest way to do that
25:02
is by sending folks to our website, StarTrails
25:05
.Show. And if you want to support the show, use
25:09
the link on the site to buy me a coffee. It really
25:12
helps. Be sure to follow Star Trails on Blue
25:15
Sky and YouTube. Links are in the show notes.
25:19
Until we meet again beneath the stars, clear
25:22
skies everyone.