- Orion
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/euh ruy"euhn/, n., gen. Orionis /awr'ee oh"nis, or'-, euh ruy"euh nis/ for 2.1. Class. Myth. a giant hunter who pursued the Pleiades, was eventually slain by Artemis, and was then placed in the sky as a constellation.2. Astron. the Hunter, a constellation lying on the celestial equator between Canis Major and Taurus, containing the bright stars Betelgeuse and Rigel.3. Mil. a land-based U.S. Navy patrol plane with four turboprop engines, used to detect, track, and destroy enemy submarines and armed with missiles, torpedoes, mines, and depth bombs.
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In Greek mythology, a powerful hunter.He was sometimes said to be the son of Poseidon. He drove the wild beasts out of the island of Chios and fell in love with Merope, daughter of the island's king. Disapproving of Orion, the king had him blinded, but his vision was restored by the rays of the rising sun. He later went to Crete to live and hunt with Artemis. Some legends hold that he was killed by Artemis or Apollo out of jealousy; another tells that he was fatally bitten by a scorpion. After his death the gods placed him in the sky as a constellation.* * *
in Greek mythology, a giant and very handsome hunter who was identified as early as Homer (Iliad, Book XVIII) with the constellation known by his name.The story of Orion has many different versions. He is considered to be Boeotian by birth, born (according to a late legend) of the earth (from a buried bull hide on which three gods had urinated). Some legends have him as the son of Poseidon. He is associated with the island of Chios, from which he is said to have driven the wild beasts. There he fell in love with Merope, daughter of the king of Chios, Oenopion. The king, who disapproved of Orion and continually deferred the nuptials, eventually had Orion blinded.His vision restored by the rays of the rising sun, Orion is said to have gone to Crete to live with Artemis as a hunter. Accounts of his death vary widely: some legends have him killed by Artemis for trying to rape her, others of Apollo's jealousy over Artemis' love of Orion; still other legends have him killed by a monstrous scorpion. After his death he was placed among the stars, and he can be identified (somewhat fancifully) by his club, lion's skin, girdle (or belt), and sword. In the sky he chases the Pleiades and is himself pursued by Scorpio, the scorpion.in astronomy, major constellation lying at about 5 hours 30 minutes right ascension (the coordinate on the celestial sphere analogous to longitude on the Earth) and zero declination (at the celestial equator), named for the Greek mythological hunter. Orion is one of the most conspicuous constellations and contains many bright stars. One of these, Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis), a variable star, is easily distinguished by its reddish colour. The total brightness of Rigel, in the hunter's leg, when measured over all visible light, is greater than that of Betelgeuse. The third brightest star in the constellation is Bellatrix. Orion's girdle, or belt—consisting of three bright stars—lies nearly on the celestial equator. His sword, south of the belt, contains the great Orion Nebula, visible to the unaided eye, an emission nebula containing hundreds of young stars. Faint extensions of this nebula fill almost the whole constellation.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
