Travelling Towards Orion
Description
Animation showing the 3D distribution of the stars in Orion, and how the constellation changes its appearance as we travel towards it. We see the constellation of Orion as just a 2D projection on the night sky, and it is easy to imagine that all the stars are at the same distance from us. But, as this clip shows, moving towards the constellation at the impossible rate of 63.2 light-years per second, this is not true. The stars in Orion range greatly in distance from us. The furthest one is Alnilam, at 2000 light-years. Indeed, almost all of Orion's closest stars are actually much nearer to the Sun than they are to Alnilam.
Details
Title: Travelling Towards Orion
Date: 21 Feb 2022
Software: Blender, DaVinci Resolve
Category: Infographics
Keywords: Aldebaran, Alnilam, Alnitak, animation, Bellatrix, Betelgeuse, Blender 3D, Canis Major, distance, horizontal, M42, Meissa, Mintaka, nebula, Orion, Orion nebula, Rigel, Saiph, schematic, Sirius, stars, Taurus