Travelling Towards Orion
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

Category: Infographics, Animations

Date: Feb 2022

Medium: Blender, DaVinci Resolve

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

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