One
of the most magnificent of the constellations and probably the most easily recognized in the winter sky
Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis – Arabic. ‘armpit of the central one’) is an enormous red supergiant nearing the end of its life which has swollen to 800 times the diameter of the Sun. It is so large that astronomers have been able to map its surface
Rigel (Beta Orionis – Arabic, ‘left foot of
the central one’) is almost always
brighter than the alpha star
Contains M42, the Great Orion Nebula &
B33, the Horsehead among other
objects of interest
Widefield Orion, two film images at 60-minutes each combined
B33 – CCD; 5 hours in Hydrogen-alpha