Orions Belt

Orion’s Belt is a well-known asterism in the constellation Orion. It consists of the three bright stars Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. These stars are more formally known as Zeta (ζ), Epsilon (ε), and Delta (δ) Orionis, respectively. The belt is one of the most easily recognizable asterisms in the night sky, being far more noticeable than the Big Dipper. The stars are more or less evenly spaced in a straight line, and so can be visualized as the belt of the hunter’s clothing.

The area around Alnitak with the Flame and Horse Head Nebulae is a classic target for astrophotographers, but I tried to put it into a bit more context, also highlighting the lighter dust regions between Alnilam and Mintaka.

The iconic Horse Head Nebula is a dark nebula roughly 1.500 light years from earth, consisting of a swirling cloud of gas and dust resembling the shape of a horse’s head.