Orion was a great 

hunter who 

boasted that he 

would eventually 

rid the earth of 

all the wild 

animals.

However, he met 

his match when 

he faced 

Scorpius, the 

great scorpion.    

Orion found that the armor of 

Scorpius was impenetrable to any 

mortal’s attack.   He then fled by 

jumping into the sea and swimming 

away.  

Apollo, who did not like Orion, saw an 

opportunity to dispose of him.   Apollo 

challenged his sister Artemis, who was an 

excellent shot with a bow, to see if she 

could hit a small black object far away in 

the sea.   He told her that the small black 

object was an infamous and treacherous 

villain. Artemis struck the object with her 

first shot.  

She then swam out to retrieve 

her victim’s corpse, and 

discovered she had killed Orion.  

Artemis implored the gods to 

restore his life, but Zeus 

objected, so she put Orion’s 

image in the heavens.

In his eternal hunting in the sky, 

Orion is careful to keep well ahead 

of the scorpion Scorpius.   In fact, 

Orion has disappeared over the 

horizon by the time Scorpius rises 

in the east, as it becomes his turn 

to rule the evening sky.

Orion is a prominent constellation and one 

of the most recognizable in the sky. It can 

be easily seen in the northern hemisphere 

during the winter months. The most famous 

part of the Orion constellation is Orion’s 

belt. Hanging from Orion’s belt is Orion’s 

sword.  

There are two fantastic nebulas 

associated with Orion’s belt and 

sword.   The Horsehead Nebula 

can be found near the far left 

star of his belt.  

The Great Orion Nebula is found 

near the middle star of Orion's 

sword.