Orion's Sword Šamšir-e Šekârgar, ~ Oryon Fr.: Epée d'Orion An astronomical → asterism in the constellation → Orion forming an almost vertical line beneath → Orion's Belt. From north to south, the most prominent objects in the Sword are the cluster NGC 1981, the star → 42 Orionis, the famous → Orion Nebula, and the Sword's brightest star → Iota Orionis (→ Hatsya). None of these objects is particularly bright in itself, but their proximity to one another and the nebulosity across much of this region makes the Sword stand out clearly in the night sky. |