Capturing The Great Hunter

The constellation Orion (right) hangs in the southwest sky at 8:10 PM on March 30, 1997. Orion was actually playing second fiddle to the comet Hale-Bopp, which was wowing skywatchers at the same time in the northwest sky. In Greek mythology, Orion was a giant or a great hunter. The bright star at top in Orion is the red giant Betelgeuse, right and below Betelgeuse is the blue giant Bellatrix. Also a blue giant is Rigel, the lowest bright star. The very bright star left of the tree is Sirius--the brightest star in our skies. Sirius is part of the constellation Canis Major (the Great Dog), who was said to have attended Orion in Greek mythology. This capture looks over Northbrook Baptist Church toward Boyson Road NE in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Orion dominates the western sky on March evenings. By mid-April the constellation begins to dip, then disappear behind the horizon.