ORION, HYADES & PLEIADES

 

For most of my life I have been fascinated by the constellation of Orion and the two beautiful star clusters that travel with him through the year, The Hyades and The Pleiades. Here is a picture that I took after much experimentation which shows each of these stellar wonders just above a Maple tree in our front yard. This was an eight second exposure at f2.8. An enhanced copy of this image is available here in which the highlights have been brightened and the shadows darkened in order to increase the visibility of the stars.

 

For those of you unfamiliar with the Bible it might interest you to know that Orion and the Pleiades are among the star groupings mentioned most often in the Bible. The quotation below, taken from the book of Job, is one of my favourites in that it views the glory of the stars as an indicator of the glory, power and majesty of God.

 

Job 9:4-10 - God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered? 5 He removes the mountains, and they do not know When He overturns them in His anger; 6 He shakes the earth out of its place, And its pillars tremble; 7 He commands the sun, and it does not rise; He seals off the stars; 8 He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea; 9 He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south; 10 He does great things past finding out, Yes, wonders without number.