Orion, Geminid Meteors and Oxena River Waterfall
March 01, 2021
Photographer: Dario Giannobile
Summary Authors: Dario Giannobile; Jim Foster
Shown above is majestic Orion, which when it breaks the horizon in fall, is perhaps the most attention-getting constellation. Betelgeuse and Rigel hold court on opposing ends of the Great Hunter. The orange color of the cold star Betelgeuse and the blue of the hot Rigel makes them easy to identify. On clear nights in dark locations, a hint of color can be even perceived in the Orion Nebula. Note that the celestial equator passes near Orion’s Belt, so Orion dominates the night sky in both the Northern and the Southern Hemisphere.
On this long exposure image, the flow of the Oxena River in Sicily, Italy, as it plunges over a volcanic caprock, is aslant to the paths of the Geminid meteors. Photo taken on December 13, 2020.