Other Shapes in Orion

But other people looked at Orion and saw different things. People in ancient India looked at the group of stars we call Orion and called it “Mriga,” the deer. The Japanese saw it as the long sleeve of a kimono. The Chimu Indians of Peru saw Alnilam, the center star of the belt, as a thief punished by the moon goddess. Mintaka and Alnitak were “pata” – a word that means “to restrain” – that held the thief down. Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, Rigel, and Saiph were four vultures sent to punish the thief by circling around him forever.

Look at the photo of Orion below. What do you see?

The Constellation Orion
Click on the image for a larger view.
Copyright Bernd Mienert. Courtesy of the Astronomical Image Data Archive.