Years ago we lived in a house with a driveway that lined up with the constellation of Orion. When we came home after dark, we could look up and see Orion’s belt shining above the end of our drive. Later, we moved to a house that was surrounded with trees. Very few stars could be seen and Orion was nowhere to be found.
Three stars bright stars make up the belt and are easiest to see. They are Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka. They are giant stars that are so far away it takes over 12,000 lightyears for the light from these stars to reach the earth! This is hard for me to comprehend. Our universe is so vast we here on earth are just dust in the wind.
Orion’s belt glows
Starlight from beyond our time
Bright string of pearls
Today at d’Verse, Kim asked us to write a haibun about the stars in the night sky!
Come join us at: https://dversepoets.come
Picture from: orion-constellation.jpg (600×600) (wordpress.com)
Information from wikapedia.com
Stars are so magical, the constellations fascinating. Just the different things associated with nature and space itself, that curiosity grows, the wonder in the accompaniment of its beauty. Such a beautiful haiku in this piece of prose. Lovely writing as always, Dwight. 😀
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Thank you for your kind words Lucy! Yes, when we stop and take notice of nature all around us and the cosmos far beyond us, it is an awesome thing to behold.
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Such a wonderfully mesmerizing haibun, Dwight! I agree, there is much to see, ponder and be in awe of in the universe. 💝
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Thank you Sanaa. The universe is a place of wonder!
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So beautifully written, you draw us in, Dwight. Well penned.
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Thank you Beverly. I appreciate your kind comments!
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Nicely done, Dwight.
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Thanks Lisa!
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You’re welcome.
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Your Haibun transported me to my late grandparents’ house in a small town in Guanajuato, where we could see all the starts that the city lights diminished back home, in the capital. 🙂
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Thank you so much for sharing your comment! I love your story! So glad it took you there!
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You had a magic driveway once upon a time. Excellent use of the prompt. Not a whole bunch of things more awesome than clarity of stars in the night sky.
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Yes it was awesome. Now we have a garage and don’t see the stars when we get out! :>(
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I’ve always loved Orion! (Mainly because it’s easy to make him out, unlike most of the other constellations.)
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Lovely Haibun Dwight and for the life of me, it’s hard to really get any of this as it boggles the mind! ❤️ Cindy
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It is way beyond our comprehension when it comes to the cosmos and lightyears!
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Thanks Cindy I appreciate your comment!
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You’re most welcome Dwight!
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stellar haibun Dwight!
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Thank you Kate! I appreciate your kind words.
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A magical haibun!
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Orion is the one that I am always sure to recognize 🙂
I remember learning about the constellations in 5th grade!
This is lovely, Dwight
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Orion is my favourite too. Maybe because he’s easiest to spot. It was noticing how Orion moves across the sky that made me realise the stars move too. Who’d have thought?
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We live on a gigantic merry go round!!
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We do!
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Beautiful. I am sure Orion has fired the imagination for millennia… including your own.
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yes it has! So beautiful!
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Wow, a beautiful memory shared with a well crafted prose! Loved the last line of the haiku 🙂
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Thank you Jay. It is a most interesting constellation! Thank you for your kind words.!
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Orion was the first constellation I learned about and identified, Dwight, and I enjoyed your haibun. Fancy having a driveway that lined up with a constellation, let alone Orion! Thank you for reminding me of the names of the three stars bright stars, which I’d forgotten, and that it takes over 12,000 lightyears for the light from these stars to reach the earth, which I too find hard to comprehend. Your haiku ties it up nicely.
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Thank you Kim. It is a very interesting constellation. Two of the stars in the belt are double stars, which would make them much brighter as a result!. We live in an amazing universe!
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Orion has always been one of my favourite constellations and one of the consolations of winter for me is being able to see him every night. I am always on the lookout in case Betelgeuse (Orion’s left shoulder) goes supernova in my lifetime. It’s unlikely to happen, but what a sight it would be!
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If it happens this year you will have to wait around for about 1200 years to see it!! Hard to imagine!! Thanks Ingrid!
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Or maybe it already happened 1199 years ago and next year we will see it 😅
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ha ha… you may be right … we will never know!
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A lovely poem and an interesting post ❤
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It looks like you have hit the jackpot with your post! Everybody loves Orion, including ancient Egyptians.
On my board in the kitchen, I had a photo of the Milky Way with an arrow drawn on pointing to a tiny speck on the edge, with a caption “You are here”. And you are right, from space we are invisible and unimportant, yet there are wars all the time somewhere, and we think we matter. We don’t.
Thank you for the wonderful post!
Joanna
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Thank you Joanna! I enjoy writing things that people are interested in such as this. We are just amoebas in the bloodstream of time. Yes we all seem to think we are right about everything!! Thank you for our wonderful comment!
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A magical take on the prompt, Dwight!
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Thank you Eugenia! I imagine you have a great view of the stars in Trinidad!
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A stunning haibun, ‘bright string of pearls’ is perfect! Thank you for reading my haibun … the apple fell from our tree four days after I photographed it … a windy day. I kept it for posterity safe in our garage.
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How nice. You will have the deer sniffing at your garage door, looking for it!! :>)
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Stars and memories–it’s hard to beat that combination, Dwight! Jane and I were discussing Orion yesterday, and I was thinking I had no idea where Orion was. Then this morning I went out to get the paper, and when I looked up at the stars, I suddenly remembered about the three stars in his belt and realized it was Orion.
It’s a difficult concept for me, as well, to realize we’re looking at light from so long ago–perhaps even from stars that have died.
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Very amazing stuff! Thanks Merril.
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Awesome haibun Dwight
Thanks for dropping by to read mine
Much🖤love
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Thank you!
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The awesomeness of that! And we think we we are all in all! Great reminder!
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Yes, it is pretty obvious, the universe does not revolve around us!! Thanks Mary!
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I need to look closer…but Orion is one that is easiest to find… the big dipper has always been my favorite … since it is also called the big bear…
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Orion ‘s belt is easiest to identify in the southern sky. Look for the there bright diagonal stars in a row.
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Wow! I didn’t know that. Thanks for the star lesson today. May the stars shine on you tonight, {{{Dwight}}} ♥️👍🏽🌟🌟👍🏽❤️
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Thanks Jan! It is beyond our comprehension what goes on in the universe!
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Great post!
The sky full of stars was always fascinating to look at, even though I don’t know many constellations, but now I will surely look out for Orion the Hunter. 🙂
I’m glad that I found your blog!
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Yes, do… it is usually high in the southern sky!
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Thank you for the tip!
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