Meet Alnilam, Orion's Belt Buckle

 
Alnilam in Orion, the Hunter, as seen in early winter.

Alnilam is the middle star in the famous three-member belt of Orion, the Hunter. The belt is so easily recognizable because all three stars are spaced evenly in a (roughly) straight line and appear to be about the same brightness. But Alnilam stands out for being super massive, super distant, and, perhaps most intriguingly, super luminous. Picture the Sun on a hot summer day; think about the light you see and the heat you feel. This energy is so strong that it powers photosynthesis in plants, and in turn, almost everything other living thing on Earth. ...”

The Ojibwe constellation of the Wintermaker includes the familiar stars of our Orion but his outstretched arms reach to include Procyon in Canis Minor and Aldebaran in Taurus.

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