2020-30 A Story For The Stars

The brightest group of stars in the sky is named in honor of Orion, who was the strongest man of his time and the greatest hunter. Because he was the son of Neptune, ruler of the seven seas, Orion was as much at home swimming in the oceans as he was hunting in the forests. One day, while Orion was swimming swiftly through the waters of the Mediterranean, Apollo saw him and grew jealous of his power. Now Apollo could only do good and could harm no one from his blazing chariot, the sun, so he turned to his sister Diana, the huntress, who was riding with him and said: 'It has been a long time since I have watched your skill in archery. Do you suppose you could hit that round thing bobbing in the water?' Diana, not knowing that it was the head of Orion, strung her bow, fitted an arrow to the cord, and sent it straight to the mark. When she flew to retrieve her arrow she discovered Apollo's evil trick and appealed to Jupiter, king of all the gods, to place the lifeless body of Orion in the sky. Every winter's night you will see Orion there, brighter and more beautiful than any other.