✧ Orion's Belt

  Orion's Belt is an asterism in Orion.

                                          ⣠•
                                        ⣠⠞⠁
                                      ⣠⠞⠁
                                   ⢀⡴⠚⠁
                                 ⢀⡴⠋
                               ⢀⡴⠋
                             ⣠⠞⠉
                          ⢀⣠•⠁
                       ⢀⣠⠖⠋
                    ⢀⣠⠖⠋
                 ⢀⣠⠖⠋
              ⢀⣠⠖⠋
             •⠋

  Type            Asterism
  Constellation   Orion
  Stars           3

  More information about Orion's Belt

  Orion's Belt is three stars, Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka, almost evenly
  spaced and almost equally bright, which is why no other pattern in the
  sky gets confused with them. They are also the most useful three stars
  to know, because the line they make points at other things: extend it
  down and to the left and it reaches Sirius, the brightest star in the
  sky, and up and to the right it reaches Aldebaran, the orange eye of
  Taurus, the bull. Hanging below the belt is Orion's sword, and the
  middle of the sword is not a star but the Orion Nebula, a cloud of gas
  where new stars are being formed.

  Etymology
  From        English
  Reading     Orion's Belt
  Literally   the belt of Orion

  Arabic   an-Nizam, the string of pearls  ─┐
  Spanish  las Tres Marias                 ─┤
  English  the Three Kings                 ─┼──▶
  Swedish  Friggerock, Frigg's distaff     ─┤
  Chinese  Shen, the three stars           ─┘
  
    three in a row is a picture every tradition drew for itself,
    and hardly any of them drew a belt

  The evolution of Orion's Belt over time

  -50,000 years
  
  
  
                                                                    ⢠• Mintaka
                                                                 ⢀⡠⠚⠁
                                                               ⢀⠴⠉
                                                             ⣀⠖⠁
                                                           ⡤⠊⠁
                                                        ⣀⠔⠋
                                                      ⡠⠖⠁
                                                   ⢀⡤⠋
                                                ⢀⡠⠖• Alnilam
                                             ⢀⡤⠖⠁
                                          ⢀⡤⠒⠁
                                       ⣀⡤⠊⠁
                                    ⢀⠤⠊⠁
                                 ⢀⠤⠚⠁
                              ⢀⠴⠚⠁
                               • Alnitak
  
  
  
  now
  
  
  
                                                                    ⢀⠴• Mintaka
                                                                  ⣠⠔⠉
                                                               ⢀⡠⠊
                                                             ⢀⠔⠉
                                                           ⡠⠚⠁
                                                        ⢀⠴⠊
                                                      ⣠⠔⠁
                                                   ⢀⡠⠊
                                                 ⡠⠔• Alnilam
                                             ⢀⡠⠖⠋
                                          ⢀⡤⠖⠁
                                       ⣀⡤⠒⠁
                                    ⢀⠤⠚⠁
                                 ⣀⠴⠊⠁
                              ⢠⠔⠊
                              • Alnitak
  
  
  
  +50,000 years
  
  
  
                                                                     ⡤• Mintaka
                                                                  ⣀⠔⠋
                                                                ⡠⠎⠁
                                                             ⢀⡰⠊
                                                           ⢠⠔⠉
                                                        ⢀⡠⠚⠁
                                                      ⢀⠴⠊
                                                    ⣠⠜⠁
                                                 ⣠⠴• Alnilam
                                             ⢀⣠⠔⠊
                                          ⢀⡠⠒⠉
                                       ⢀⠤⠚⠁
                                    ⣀⠴⠊⠁
                                 ⣀⠔⠊⠁
                              ⡠⠖⠋
                              • Alnitak
  
  

  Over 50,000 years either way the longest side of this figure changes by 0%, and the furthest
  any of its stars travels is 0.1 degrees. Proper motion only: this is the shape changing, not
  the sky turning or the pole moving.

  curl 'skymap.sh/Orion%27s%20Belt/evolution.gif'

  where it is tonight:  skymap.sh/Orion's Belt