The formation of a star.- A star is created in space when various gases are united by the gravitational effect and by the fusion of hydrogen and helium atoms. Every star has a mass directly in relation to its gravity. This implies that the larger the star, the shorter it will live (stars with a lot of mass use more fuel).
If the stars are hot, they tend towards a bluish coloration and if they are cooler they tend towards red. On the other hand, there are also the so-called brown dwarfs, which are stars considered "failed" because they have little light. In this sense, a brown dwarf has the same ingredients as a star, but does not have enough mass to undergo nuclear fusion.
The constellations
When a set of stars are located in the sky in such a way that they produce an image, we speak of a constellation. It must be taken into account that the observation of the sky is different depending on the place of observation and the season of the year.
Stargazing has been going on since ancient times. Thus, the Babylonians, the Egyptians or the Greeks of the ancient world called the groups of stars that they associated with some supernatural divinity constellations. The Greeks named a large part of the constellations, especially those that are observed from the northern hemisphere.
The constellation of Orion
The most colorful of all the constellations is Orion and it can be seen from anywhere on Earth. His figure unites bright points of light forming the well-known "Belt of Oríón", also called "The Three Wise Men" because there are three prominent stars (Mintaka, Alnilam and Almitak).
This vision obeys our terrestrial perspective, since if this constellation were observed from space, it would be possible to appreciate that its stars change places, since they are at different distances from the Earth.
Orion's shape resembles that of an hourglass topped by two higher stars. It is the best known of the entire sky and is located near the constellation of the river Eridanus and the constellation of Taurus.
The complex of clouds that make up Orion is a gigantic structure of hydrogen, dust, plasma and nascent stars and in terms of its location it is located at a distance of 1500 light years from Earth.
In Greek mythology Orion was a hunter, but a scorpion stung him on the heel and killed him. On the other hand, the three stars of the "Orion Belt" were already part of Egyptian mythology.
Photos: Fotolia - Astrosystem / Ezume / Oksana Kumer
