Orion constellation is one of the brightest and best known constellations in the night sky.

It lies on the
celestial equator.

Orion has been known since ancient times. The constellation is also known as the Hunter, as it is
associated with one in Greek mythology. It represents the mythical hunter Orion, who is often depicted in
star maps as either facing the charge of Taurus, the bull, pursuing the Pleiades sisters, represented by the
famous open cluster, or chasing after the hare (constellation Lepus) with his two hunting dogs,
represented by the nearby constellations Canis Major and Canis Minor.

The constellation Orion contains two of the ten brightest stars in the sky – Rigel (Beta Orionis) and
Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis) – a number of famous nebulae – the Orion Nebula (Messier 42), De Mairan’s
Nebula (Messier 43) and the Horsehead Nebula, among others – the well-known Trapezium Cluster, and
one of the most prominent asterisms in the night sky – Orion’s Belt.

FACTS, LOCATION & MAP

Orion is the 26th constellation in size, occupying an area of 594 square degrees. It is located in the first
quadrant of the northern hemisphere (NQ1) and can be seen at latitudes between +85° and -75°. The
neighboring constellations are Eridanus, Gemini, Lepus, Monoceros and Taurus.

Orion belongs to the Orion family of constellations, along with Canis Major, Canis Minor, Lepus and
Monoceros. The constellation contains three Messier objects – Messier 42 (M42, NGC 1976, Orion
Nebula), Messier 43 (M43, NGC 1982, De Mairan’s Nebula), and Messier 78 (M78, NGC 2068) – and
has seven stars with known planets.

The brightest star in the constellation is Rigel, Beta Orionis, with an apparent magnitude of 0.18. Rigel is
also the sixth brightest star in the sky. The second brightest star in Orion, Betelgeuse, Alpha Orionis, has
an apparent magnitude of 0.43 and is the eighth brightest star in the night sky. There are two meteor
showers associated with Orion, the Orionids and the Chi Orionids. The Orionid meteor shower reaches its
peak around October 21 every year.
Hercules constellation is located in the northern sky. It was named after Hercules, the Roman version of
the Greek hero Heracles.

Heracles, in turn, was often associated with the Sumerian hero Gilgamesh, and the constellation itself has
a long history, dating back to Sumerian times.

Hercules is the fifth largest constellation in the sky, but has no first magnitude stars. In traditional
depictions, the star Ras Algethi (Alpha Herculis) represents Hercules’ head and a prominent asterism, the
Keystone, marks his torso, as he stands victoriously on Draco’s head.

In mythology, the constellation Hercules is usually associated with the penultimate labour of Heracles,
which involved killing the dragon Ladon, who guarded the garden of the Hesperides. The dragon is
represented by the constellation Draco. Hercules constellation was first catalogued by the Greek
astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century.

Notable deep sky objects in Hercules include the Great Globular Cluster (Messier 13), the globular cluster
Messier 92, the planetary nebulae Abell 39 and NGC 6210, the Hercules Cluster of galaxies, and the
galaxy cluster Abell 2199.

FACTS, LOCATION & MAP

Hercules is the fifth largest constellation. It occupies an area of 1225 square degrees in the sky. The
constellation lies in the third quadrant of the northern hemisphere (NQ3) and can be seen at latitudes
between +90° and -50°. The neighboring constellations are Aquila, Boötes, Corona Borealis, Draco, Lyra,
Ophiuchus, Sagitta, Serpens Caput and Vulpecula.

Hercules belongs to the Hercules family of constellations, along with Aquila, Ara, Centaurus, Corona
Australis, Corvus, Crater, Crux, Cygnus, Hydra, Lupus, Lyra, Ophiuchus, Sagitta, Scutum, Sextans,
Serpens, Triangulum Australe and Vulpecula.
Hercules contains two Messier objects – Messier 13 (M13, NGC 6205) and Messier 92 (M92, NGC 6341)
– and has 12 stars with known planets. The brightest star in the constellation is Kornephoros, Beta
Herculis, with an apparent magnitude of 2.81. The Tau Herculids are the only meteor shower associated
with the constellation.

Cassiopeia constellation is located in the northern sky. It was named after Cassiopeia, the vain and
boastful queen in Greek mythology.

The constellation was first catalogued by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century, along with
other constellations in the Perseus family (except Lacerta). Cassiopeia is easily recognizable in the sky
because of its distinctive W shape.

The constellation contains several notable deep sky objects, among them the open clusters Messier 52 and
Messier 103, the Heart Nebula and the Soul Nebula, the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, the star-
forming cloud popularly known as the Pacman Nebula, and the White Rose Cluster.

FACTS, LOCATION & MAP

Cassiopeia is the 25th largest constellation in the night sky, occupying an area of 598 square degrees. It
lies in the first quadrant of the northern hemisphere (NQ1) and can be seen at latitudes between +90° and
-20°. The neighboring constellations are Andromeda, Camelopardalis, Cepheus, Lacerta, and Perseus.

Cassiopeia belongs to the Perseus family of constellations, along with Andromeda, Auriga, Cepheus,
Cetus, Lacerta, Pegasus, Perseus, and Triangulum.

Cassiopeia has three stars with known planets and contains two Messier objects: M103 (NGC 581) and
M52 (NGC 7654). The brightest star in the constellation is Schedar, Alpha Cassiopeiae. The Perseid
meteor shower is associated with the constellation Cassiopeia.