It's impossible not to notice three bright stars on the southern side of the sky on a late winter evening. They are located very close, as if, lined up in a straight line, slightly inclined to the horizon. This is the constellation Orion, or rather, its central part. It is very big. The eight bright stars of Orion outline a figure that to many amateur astronomers resembles a giant bow. But in ancient times, people, looking at him, imagined a mighty hunter armed with a combat wooden club and a large shield. Three stars in a row - this is the so-called "belt" of Orion, from which a quiver with arrows hung. There are several bright remarkable stars in this constellation. Their names - Betelgeuse and Rigel - are translated from Arabic as "giant's shoulder" and "leg", respectively.
In Greek mythology, the constellation Orion is associated with stories of a handsome young man. He was the son of the lord of the seasPoseidon and the young oceanid Euryale. Orion was famous for his gigantic growth and incredible beauty, moreover, he was one of the best hunters who was allowed to be in the retinue of the goddess Artemis herself.
One day he saw the beautiful daughter of King Enopion - the ruler of Chios. Orion asked for the hand of the beautiful Merope, and her father gave his consent on the condition that a mighty hunter rid their island of wild dangerous animals. Of course, the young man completed the task, but upon returning to the king he was refused. Arriving in a violent rage, he burst into the bedroom of the failed bride and took her by force. Demanding revenge, Enopion appealed to his father, the god Dionysus. When, having calmed down and drunk with satyrs, Orion fell asleep soundly on the seashore, the treacherous king blinded him by gouging out his eyes. Many tests fell on the lot of the young man. Only when he reached the farthest shore of the mighty ocean did he regain his sight. In the same place, the beautiful goddess of the morning dawn, Eos, saw the mighty Orion and abducted him in her chariot.
The constellation Orion is also associated with another myth. One day, while hunting in a forest forest, Orion saw the seven sisters of the Pleiades, the daughters of the giant Atlas. The ardent young man immediately fell in love with no memory and tried to approach them. But the nymphs of Selena were extremely shy and timid. And at the first attempt of the hunter to talk to them, they fled away. Frightened that he would not see them again, Orion began the pursuit, but the young Pleiades rushed without looking back until their strength left them. Then they prayed to their patroness Selena. The goddess heard them and turned the sisters into snow-whitedove, placing them in the sky in the form of the constellation Pleiades.
There are several myths associated with the death of the mighty hunter. The constellation Orion tells about one of them. According to this legend, he was stung by a giant scorpion, called by the goddess Artemis, because during the hunt a brave young man dared to touch her peplos. But the goddess Selena, who loved the young man, appealed to Zeus, and he lifted him up to heaven, where the mighty Orion hunts to this day. His constellation never meets a giant scorpion on the celestial slope.
Undoubtedly, the region of Orion in the night sky is the most beautiful and brightest. When it rises high above the horizon, seven of the brightest stars of the first magnitude can be seen forming a hexagon, in the center of which will be Betelgeuse. These stars include Capella, Procyon, Rigel, Pollux, Sirius, and Aldebaran. Many people, even those who are not related to astronomy, can easily find the constellation Orion in the winter sky, its photo can be seen in all astronomical encyclopedias.
