The constellation Orion is also popularly known as the:

Orion is named after a giant hunter in Greek mythology, and its bright stars form the outline of a hunter with a belt and a sword.

Main stars of Orion:

Betelgeuse: a red supergiant star marking the hunter's right shoulder. It is one of the largest stars visible to the naked eye and is expected to explode as a supernova at some point in the future (astronomically speaking).

Rigel: a blue-white supergiant marking the hunter's left foot; it is usually the brightest star in Orion.

Bellatrix: marking the other shoulder.

Orion's Belt: three bright stars in a straight line, called Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka.

Orion's Sword: a line of fainter stars hanging below the belt, containing a famous star-forming region.

Using Orion to find other stars:

• The line of Orion's Belt points down to Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, in the constellation Canis Major (Great Dog).
• Extended the other way, it points towards Aldebaran in Taurus.

Visibility:

• Orion lies on the celestial equator, so it can be seen from almost everywhere on the Earth.
• It is best seen in the evening sky from December to March.

In Indian tradition:

• In Indian astronomy, Orion is associated with Mriga (the deer) or Kalpurush.
• The star Betelgeuse is called Ardra (Thiruvathira in South India), which is also the name of a nakshatra.

Mythology:

In Greek legend, Orion was a great hunter who was killed by a scorpion. That is why the constellation Scorpius is on the opposite side of the sky and the two are never seen together.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Great Bear is Ursa Major.
• ✗Swan is Cygnus.
• ✗Seven Sisters is the Pleiades star cluster in Taurus (Krittika in Indian tradition).