Orion constellation. Optical image of the constellation Orion, the Hunter. North is at top. This is one of the best known constellations in the sky, containing several bright stars arranged in a recognisable form. The group known as Orion's belt (centre left) is especially striking, consisting of three stars of equal brightness equally spaced. Beneath the belt lies Orion's sword. Contained within the sword is the great Orion nebula (M42), seen here as a diffuse pink blob. The bright orange star at upper left is Betelgeuse (^IAlpha^i ^IOrionis^i), a red supergiant. At lower centre is Rigel (^IBeta^i ^IOrionis^i) a powerful blue supergiant.