Though we are still in September and the memory of oppressive summer heat is still fresh in our minds, an omen of winter gleamed in the southern sky early this morning, just below the bright half moon. It was Orion, the most famous constellation of winter; thought to represent a hunter by early human cultures, the large rectangle of Orion is bisected by a belt of stars, from which a sword hangs. Near the center of that sword is a fuzzy cluster of stars and gas (easily seen with binoculars); this is the Orion Nebula, a star nursery. Some 1500 light years away, the light that we see left the nebula when man was first colonizing Hawaii.
Orion will dominate our winter nights, shimmering in the clear, dark, frigid air. It is appropriate that this hunter, like our hawks and owls, surveys the winter landscape; after all, winter is the season of survival, when predators have the advantage and prey must dwell in the shadows.
Orion's appearance on this mild, autumn morning was less ominous, just a subtle reminder that the challenges of winter lie ahead. Until then, we and our wild neighbors are free to enjoy the glorious weather and colors of fall, feasting on the bounty of spring and summer. Yet, in the back of our minds, Orion and its season inch ever closer.
