Orion was a stellar constellation, visible from Earth, containing the stars Betelgeuse, Rigel, Bellatrix, Alnitak (Zeta Orionis), Alnilam (Epsilon Orionis), and Mintaka (Delta Orionis), as well as the Orion Nebula. Orion's Belt was the string of stars within the constellation, which from left to right, contained the stars Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka.
James T. Kirk once pointed out Orion's belt in the Earth night sky to Edith Keeler while he was trapped in the year 1930. (TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever")
The Orion Constellation was partially visible on a viewscreen in the briefing room on the USS Enterprise in 2266. It was a star chart of the winter sky as seen from Earth. The constellation Orion was visible in the upper left corner of the chart and identified by name. (TOS: "The Corbomite Maneuver")
While being questioned by a welcoming admiral shortly after her first arrival on USS Voyager, Janeway mentioned Bellatrix. (VOY: "Relativity")
Orion locations
- Orion system
- Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis)
- Rigel (Beta Orionis)
- Bellatrix (Gamma Orionis)
- Mintaka (Delta Orionis)
- Alnitak (Zeta Orionis)
Background
Captain Kirk described the belt, which allowed us to know that the writer he spoke of originated in the Alnitak system, even though he didn't specify the name of the star he meant. Mintaka III, a planet orbiting Mintaka, was visited in TNG: "Who Watches The Watchers".
While Alnilam had no canon appearances, it was mentioned in star charts in Franz Joseph's Star Fleet Technical Manual by Ballantine Books (and even had a Template:ShipClass starship named after it, in his shiplists).
External links
- Template:NCwiki
- Orion (constellation) at Wikipedia