Behold Orion, arguably the night sky's finest constellation. Gaze northward on any clear late summer night, and you can't miss the mighty celestial Hunter standing tall, near the meridian. Ruddy Betelgeuse brilliantly marks one shoulder, blue-white Rigel the opposite foot. A line of three 2nd-magnitude stars symbolises the famous belt around Orion's waist.
A ⅔-long row of dim dots arranged nearly vertically beneath the Hunter's belt represent his sheathed sword. The southern tip of the sword is a clean, bright point. From there, trending northward, three more parts become progressively fainter and fuzzier — a clue that the Sword of Orion is more than a mere asterism. Any telescope (or even binoculars) will resolve the deceptively indistinct Sword into double stars, open clusters and, the Great Orion Nebula. This is the magnet that draws me in.
