Orion, the Hunter, is one of the most easily recognizable
constellations in planet Earth's night sky. But
Orion's stars and
nebulae don't look quite as colorful to the eye as they do in this lovely photograph, taken last month from Vekol Ranch south
of Phoenix, Arizona, USA. The celestial scene was recorded in a five minute time exposure using high-speed color print film and a 35mm camera
mounted on a small telescope. In the picture, cool red giant
Betelgeuse takes on a yellowish tint as the brightest star at the upper left. Otherwise Orion's hot blue stars are numerous, with supergiant
Rigel balancing Betelgeuse at the lower right,
Bellatrix at the upper right, and
Saiph at the lower left. Lined up in
Orion's belt (left to right) are Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka all about 1,500 light-years away, born of the constellation's well studied
interstellar clouds. And if the middle "star" of Orion's sword looks reddish and fuzzy to you, it should. It's the stellar nursery known as the Great Nebula of Orion.
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