Orion

Orion star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg).

One of the 88 IAU constellations.

Orion-Group of constellations on the Kugel Globe, drawing and animated GIF by SMH 2025.

Etymology and History

The Greek constellation ...

Origin of Constellation

Greco-Roman

Aratus

[322] Aslant from the cut-off figure of the Bull lies Orion himself. Anyone whose glance misses him when he is positioned high up on a clear night may be sure he can never sight anything better to identify when he gazes up at the sky. (Kidd 1997)

Almagest Ὡρίων

id	Greek (Heiberg 1898)	English (Toomer 1984)	ident.
	Ὡρίωνος ἀστερισμός	Constellation of Orion
1	ὁ ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ τοῦ δρίωνος νεφελοειδής	Thc nebulous star in the hcad of Orion	lam Ori
2	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ ὤμου λαμπρὸς ὑπόκιρρος	The bright, reddish star on the right shoulder	alf Ori
3	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ ὥμου	The star on the left shoulder	gam Ori
4	ὁ ὑπὸ τοῦτου ἐπόμενος	The one under this to the rear	32 Ori
5	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ ἀγκῶνος	The star on the right elbow	mu Ori
6	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ πήχεως	The star on the right forearm	74 Ori
7	τοῦ ἐν τῷ δεξιῷ ἀκροχείρῳ τετραπλεύρου τῆς φοτίου : πλευρᾶς ὁ ἐπόμενος καὶ διπλοῦς	The quadrilateral in the right hand: the rear, double star on the southern side	xi Ori
8	ὁ προηγούμευος τῆς νοτίου πλευρᾶς	The quadrilateral in the right hand: the advance star on the southern side	nu Ori
9	τῆς βορείου πλευρᾶς ὁ ἐπόμενος	The quadrilateral in the right hand: the rear one on the northern side	72 Ori
10	ὁ προηγούμενος τῆς βορεύου πλευρᾶς	The quadrilateral in the right hand: the advance one on the northern side	69 Ori
11	τῶν ἐν τῷ κολλορόβῳ β ὁ προηγούμενος	The more advanced of the 2 stars in the staff	chi1 Ori
12	ὁ ἑπόμευος αὐτῶν	The rearmost of them	chii2 Ori
13	τῶν κατὰ τοῦ ψώτου δ ὡς ἐπ’ εὐθείας ὁ ἐπόμεσος	The rearmost of the 4 stars almost on a straight line just over the back	ome Ori
14	ὁ τούτου προηγούμεσος	The one in advance of this	38 Ori
15	ὁ ἔτι τούτου προηγούμενος	The one in advance again of this	33 Ori
16	ὁ λοιπὸς καὶ προηγούμενος τῶν δ	The last and most advanced of the 4	psi Ori
17	τῶν ἐν τῇ δορᾷ τῆς ἀριστερᾶς χειρὸς ὁ βόρειος	Stars in the pelt on the left arm: the northernmost	15 Ori
18	ὁ β’ ἀπὸ τοῦ βορειοτάτου	the 2nd from the northernmost	11 Ori
19	ὁ γ’ ἀπὸ τοῦ βορειοτάτου	the 3rd from the northernmost	omi2 Ori
20	ὁ δ’ ἀπὸ τοῦ βορειοτάτου	the 4th from the northernmost	pi1 Ori
21	ὁ ε ἀπὸ τοῦ βορειοτάτοη	the 5th from the northernmost	pi2 Ori
22	ὁ ς’ ἀπὸ τοῦ βορειοτάτου	the 6th from the northernmost	pi3 Ori
23	ὁ ξ’ ἀπὸ τοῦ βορειοτάτου	the 7th from the northernmost	pi4 Ori
24	ὁ ἡ ἀπὸ τοῦ βορειοτάτου	the 8th from the northernmost	pi5 Ori
25	ὁ λοιπὸς καὶ νοτιώτατος τῶν ἐν τῇ δορᾷ	the last and southernmost of those in the pelt	pi6 Ori
26	τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς ζώνης ν’ ὁ προηφούμευος	The most advanced of the 3 stars on the belt	del Ori
27	ὁ μέσος αὐτῶν	The middle onc	eps Ori
28	ὁ ἑπόμευος τῶν τριῶν	Thc rearmost of the three	zet Ori
29	ὁ πρὸς τῇ λαβῇ τῆς μαχαύρας	The star near the handle of the dagger	eta Ori
30	τῶν ἐπ’ ἄκρα τῇ μαχαίρᾳ συυημμένων γ’ ὁ βόρειος	Thc northernmost of the 3 starsjoined tagether at the tip ofthe dagger	42 + 45 Ori
31	ὁ μέσος αὐτῶν	The middle one	tet1 + tet2 Ori
32	ὁ φότιος τῶν τριῶν	The southernmost of the three	iot Ori
33	ὁ τῶν ὑπὸ τὸ ἄκρου τῆς μαχαίρας β’ ὁ ἐπόμενος	The rearmost of thc 2 stars under the tip of the daggcr	49 Ori
34	ὁ προηγούμενος αὐτῶν	The more advanced of them	ups Ori
35	ὁ ἐν τῷ ἀριστερῷ ἀκρόποδι λαμπρὸς κοινὸς Ὕδατος	Thc bright star in the left foot, which is [applied in] common to the water [ of Eridanus]	bet Ori
36	ὁ βορειότερος αὐτῶν ὑπὲρ τὸν ἀστράγαλον ἐν τῇ κυήμῃἡ	The star to thc norih of it 76 in the lower leg, over the ankle-joint	tau Ori
37	ὁ ὑπὸ τὴν ἀριστερὰν πτέρηα» ἐκτός	The star under thc lelt hecl, outside	29 Ori
38	ὁ ὑπὸ τὸ δεξιὸν καὶ ἐπόμενου γόνυ	The star under the right, rear knee	kap Ori
	ἀστέρες λη, ὥν αἱ μεγέθους β, β’ δ, γ’ἡ, δ’ ἵε, εφ, ς ἓ, νεφελοειδής	{38 stars, 2 of the first magnitude, 4 ofthe second, 8 ofthe third, 15 of the fourth, 3 of the fifth, 5 of the sixth, [1] nebulous}

Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation

• 

  Orion with two dogs on the Kugel Globe (drawing by SMH 2021)

• 

  Orion on the Mainz Globe with one dog (drawing by SMH 2021)

• 

  Orion on the Farnese Globe (drawing by SMH 2017)

• 

  Orion drawn in an early as-Sufi manuscript (1170). Kitāb Ṣuwar al-kawākib al-thābitah (Bodleian Library MS. Huntington 212, Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford) Place of Origin: Mosul

• 

  Orion on the Mercator Globe (1551)

• 

  Orion in Hevelius (1690)

• 

  Orion in Flamsteed/Fortin (1776)

• 

  Orion in Bode (1782,1805)

• 

  Orion in Bode's Uranographia (1801)

References

• References (general)
• References (Babylonian)
• References (ancient Greco-Roman)
• References (medieval)