What To Know About Orion

written by AJ Cochran

Everything there is to know about the constellation Orion, from star names and positions to myths across the globe.

Last Updated

05/31/21

Chapters

8

Reads

2,893

Stars In Orion

Chapter 1

There are about 81 stars in the constellation. 

The brightest is Rigel, which is in the lower right corner. After that is Betelgeuse, part of Orion's shoulder. Bellatrix is on the other side, forming Orion's other shoulder. Alnilam is the center star in Orion's belt, Mintaka is the right-most star of the belt, and Alnitak is the left-most star. Saiph is the bottom-left star in the main shape, and the top star, at Orion's head, is Meissa (the 11th brightest star).

The rest of the stars have Greek letters as names, and are nor easily spotted by the naked eye.

In Orion's sword, which hangs under his belt, is the Orion nebula, located in the middle. The star Hatsya makes the tip of the sword from the belt, and the Horsehead Nebula is located nearby.

Apart from Betelgeuse, all of the main stars in Orion are bright, young, blue supergiants. Betelgeuse is a red giant, and one of the largest stars that we know. The stars range in distance from this planet from 243 light-years away (Bellatrix) to 1,359 light-years away (Alnilam). The Orion Nebula is approximately 1,600 light-years away.


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