Fact Sheet
Stellar Afterlife
To the people of ancient Egypt, the constellation Orion represented Osiris, god of the dead. In Egyptian cosmology, dead kings became stars in the constellation. A narrow shaft in the largest pyramid, the Great Pyramid of Khufu, pointed at Orion's Belt at the time the pyramid was built. Orion is in fine view at this time of year, low in the east in early evening and rotating across the south during the night. For more information, please see our special web feature, Ancient Horizons. [Credit: Tim Jones]
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