<P> Orion's Belt or The Belt of Orion is an asterism within the constellation . It consists of the three bright stars Zeta (Alnitak), Epsilon (Alnilam), and Delta (Mintaka). Alnitak is around 800 light years away from earth and is 100,000 times more luminous than the Sun; much of its radiation is in the ultraviolet range, which the human eye cannot see . Alnilam is approximately 1340 light years away from Earth, shines with magnitude 1.70, and with ultraviolet light is 375,000 times more luminous than the Sun . Mintaka is 915 light years away and shines with magnitude 2.21 . It is 90,000 times more luminous than the Sun and is a double star: the two orbit each other every 5.73 days . Looking for Orion's Belt in the night sky is the easiest way to locate the constellation . In the Northern Hemisphere, Orion's Belt is best visible in the night sky during the month of January around 9: 00 pm, when it is approximately around the local meridian . </P> <P> Just southwest of Alnitak lies Sigma Orionis, a multiple star system composed of five stars that have a combined apparent magnitude of 3.7 and lying 1150 light years distant . Southwest of Mintaka lies the quadruple star Eta Orionis . </P> <P> Orion's Sword contains the Orion Nebula, the Messier 43 nebula, the Running Man Nebula, and the stars Theta Orionis, Iota Orionis, and 42 Orionis . </P> <P> Three stars compose a small triangle that marks the head . The apex is marked by Meissa (Lambda Orionis), a hot blue giant of spectral type O8 III and apparent magnitude 3.54, which lies some 1100 light years distant . Phi - 1 and Phi - 2 Orionis make up the base . Also nearby is the very young star FU Orionis . </P>

How did the constellation orion get its name