Look in the south at 9 p.m. for the constellation Orion, the Hunter. It is comprised primarily of easily seen stars tracing a somewhat boxy figure. Betelgeuse shines on its upper left corner and Rigel at its lower left corner. Half way between them are three stars of equal brightness spaced equally apart. These are Orion's belt stars. About half way between the left belt star and Rigel lies a fuzzy star. This is no single star, but a star factory – The 1300 light-year distant Orion Nebula. Aim binoculars at it for real celestial treat.
Easily seen is its wispy, or nebulous, nature. Its bright center fans out and slowly dissipates into nothingness. Many true stars also appear in the region.
Binoculars are generally 10 power. The drawing is done at 20 power.
Such is our view from Earth...
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