Look for Elvis, the hound dog and the rabbit

  • By Mike Lynch Special to The Herald
  • Friday, January 23, 2015 10:57am
  • Life

Without a doubt, the constellation Orion the Hunter is probably the most recognized constellation in our Everett night sky. You may think the Big Dipper is the most recognized, but it’s not officially a constellation. It’s actually the bright part of the much larger constellation Ursa Major, the Big Bear. The Big Dipper outlines the rear and tail of the bear that’s rising in the northeast sky during these midwinter evenings.

Orion the Hunter is without a doubt my favorite constellation, shining stately in the south-southeastern sky with its three bright stars outlining the hunter’s belt. There are also many other bright stars and constellations that surround Orion. After 8 p.m. they’re all high enough above the southeastern horizon to enjoy. I like to call that part of the sky “Orion and his Gang.”

In most of the western world we use the Greek and Roman titles and mythology for the constellations, but there’s nothing set in celestial stone that says you have to. I break the rules all the time. For example, the Greek interpretation of the constellation Pegasus the Winged Horse, now flying above the western horizon, is classically seen as a horse flying upside down with puny wings. At my star parties I show him as a horse flying right side up with huge wings. As far as I’m concerned, that’s what he really looks like.

I bring this up because at my star parties I sometimes show Orion as a hunter, the king of the constellations, but I’ve also shown him as Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll. In the classic interpretation Orion the Hunter is holding up a club in one hand and a lion by the scruff of his neck in the other. Orion as Elvis (preferably the older Elvis of the 1970s), is holding up a microphone in one hand and is holding off all his fans with other. In both cases the hunter and Elvis are sporting a bright belt with three sequins made by the three stars in a row.

Elvis also has a gaudy, bright, reddish sequin on his right shoulder, the bright star Betelgeuse, and an equally bright blue stone on the inside of his left shoe, the equally bright bluish star Rigel. Is Rigel his blue suede shoe?

In real astronomical life, Betelgeuse is known as a huge super red giant star that at times pulses out to nearly a billion miles in diameter. Our sun isn’t even 1 million miles in girth. Betelgeuse shines at us from about 640 light years away, with just 1 light year equaling nearly 6 trillion miles. Rigel is nearly 60 million miles in diameter and over 770 light years away. Rigel’s claim to fame is that it cranks out about 130,000 times more light than our sun. That’s quite a sequin on his blue suede shoe.

In the classic Greek interpretation Orion the Hunter has two hunting dogs, a big one and a small one. The big dog is outlined in the constellation Canis Major to the lower left of Orion. The bright star Sirius, the bright star we can see in the night sky any time of the year, marks the nose of the hound.

Remember one of Elvis’s early hits; “You Ain’t Nothing But a Hound Dog”? Well that hound dog takes the place of Canis Major as Elvis’ pesky hound. In both Canis Major and Elvis’ hound dog the big pooch is standing on its hind legs with the star Sirius marking the canine’s snout.

In “You Ain’t Nothing But a Hound Dog” Elvis accuses that hound of never catching a rabbit and not being a friend of his. Well, guess what? That hound dog is chasing a rabbit across the sky, the faint constellation Lepus the Hare to the right of Canis (the hound) Major. As you can see in the diagram, the hound dog is still quite a way from the hound’s jaws, and it doesn’t look like he’ll catch up anytime soon.

Strap on your blue suede shoes — hopefully well insulated — and head outside to see the King of Rock and Roll in the heavens. Don’t just hang around the Heartbreak Hotel.

Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

A stroll on Rome's ancient Appian Way is a kind of time travel. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves on the Appian Way, Rome’s ancient superhighway

Twenty-nine highways fanned out from Rome, but this one was the first and remains the most legendary.

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Inside Elle Marie Hair Studio in Smokey Point. (Provided by Acacia Delzer)
The best hair salon in Snohomish County

You voted, we tallied. Here are the results.

The 2024 Kia EV9 electric SUV has room for up to six or seven passengers, depending on seat configuration. (Photo provided by Kia)
Kia’s all-new EV9 electric SUV occupies rarified air

Roomy three-row electric SUVs priced below 60 grand are scarce.

2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD (Photo provided by Toyota)
2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD

The compact SUV electric vehicle offers customers the ultimate flexibility for getting around town in zero emission EV mode or road-tripping in hybrid mode with a range of 440 miles and 42 mile per gallon fuel economy.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.