Constellation Orion (Orion)
Orion is one of the 88 constellations that carve up the sky. It sits along the celestial equator and rides highest overhead around December.
Bright stars in Orion
| Name | Bayer | Magnitude | Type | Distance (ly) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rigel | beta Ori | 0.13 | B8Iab | 860.0 |
| Betelgeuse | alpha Ori | 0.50 | M2Iab | 643.0 |
| Bellatrix | gamma Ori | 1.64 | B2III | 250.0 |
| Alnilam | epsilon Ori | 1.69 | B0Ia | 1,340.0 |
| Alnitak | zeta Ori | 1.74 | O9.7Ib | 800.0 |
| Alnitak-A | zeta Ori A | 1.79 | O9.5Ib | 800.0 |
| Saiph | kappa Ori | 2.06 | B0.5Ia | 720.0 |
| Mintaka | delta Ori | 2.23 | O9.5II | 1,200.0 |
About the constellation
The constellation Orion (Latin Orion) lies along the celestial equator. It passes highest around midnight in December, so the weeks around then are the easiest time to track it down. Its brightest star is Rigel, at magnitude 0.1, easy to pick out even from a lit-up city. From most of the southern hemisphere it climbs into view at some point in the year. Astronomers label its stars with the genitive form Orionis, as in "Alpha Orionis".
Other constellations
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