Buried deep in the richest part of the winter sky is the magnificent constellation of Orion the Hunter, a group of stars that have a closer relationship than the chance positioning of most constellations. Except for Betelgeuse, most of the bright stars in Orion are roughly the same distance from us. Orion is far more than just a place in the sky, named for a figure from mythology. Orion is a cosmic production plant, whose different divisions show us how stars are made.

The process of star formation is very complicated, but here we can see how it takes place. Young stars in the belt of Orion represent a group of stellar children whose formation is essentially complete. The sword area is a cosmic nursery with some of the stars being less than a million years old. Some astronomers suspect that the area south of the sword, with its hydrogen-rich regions, given another several million years, will coalesce to produce new stars.

In the area where stars are in the process of birth, the highlight is M42, the Great Nebula. The darker your sky, the greater the thrill of such a sight. Here is a nebula whose visual appearance is stunning, whose delicate patterns are exquisite. With a 10 cm (4-inch) telescope, you can make out the beginnings of the complex light and dark gases that share the nebula.