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There might be some confusion as to whether the Orion’s Belt is pointing to Aldebaran or Mercury. If that happens, we can remember that Mercury is closer to the horizon and is brighter than Aldebaran. Mintaka is the westernmost star forming the belt of Orion. The combined apparent magnitude of its components is 2.23. This star is actually the nearest in the celestial equator among the three. Sirius is the brightest star in the sky, and the name of its parent constellation translates to “big dog,” and as legend has it, Canis Major was Orion’s faithful hunting dog.

The Three Kings

Another noticeable star you can find using Orion’s Belt is Aldebaran, a red giant star located in the constellation Taurus. To identify Aldebaran, follow Orion’s Belt in the opposite direction (from east to west) from how you identified Sirius. Aldebaran has a reddish hue to help you know you’re looking at the right star. To spot it, look for the hourglass shape of Orion and the three stars that create the narrow part of the hourglass form Orion’s Belt.

• In the Middle Ages, they were also referred to as the Staff of Jacob.
• The supergiants Rigel and Betelgeuse are the seventh and tenth brightest stars in the sky.
• With an effective temperature of about 25,600 K, it shines with 16,000 solar luminosities.
• Plus, you can play Orion Stars online with no download, making it easier than ever to jump into the action without any hassle.
• He published this idea in 1989 in the journal Discussions in Egyptology, volume 13.
• The three components of the Zeta Orionis system are hot, luminous blue O- and B-type stars.

To Sirius

The constellation is difficult to see from light-polluted areas, but it is well-known to stargazers because it contains several bright deep sky objects. The Rosette Nebula (C49), Hubble’s Variable Nebula (NGC 2261), and the Orion’s Bet Cone Nebula with the Christmas Tree Cluster (NGC 2264) appear in the region between Betelgeuse and Procyon. Mintaka, Delta Orionis (δ Ori), is the rightmost star of Orion’s Belt (leftmost when seen from the southern hemisphere). With an apparent magnitude of 2.23, it is the seventh brightest star in Orion and the 73rd brightest star in the sky. It is the faintest star of Orion’s Belt and the only one that is not a supergiant.

Interesting Structures Related to Orion’s Belt

First, you can use Orion’s Belt to find Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. Sirius is just 8.6 light-years from Earth and sits in the constellation Canis Major, which is part of why it is sometimes called the “Dog Star.” A complex of about 16 pyramids near the ancient city of Xi’an in China features three pyramids that align similarly to the stars of Orion’s Belt.

Names Related to Orion’s Belt

It’s best visible in January and looks like a fuzzy “star” in the middle of Orion’s sword. This blue supergiant star is located in the middle of Orion’s belt asterism. Overall, it is the 29th brightest star in the night sky and the 4th brightest in the Orion constellation. It is considered to be slightly variable, so its magnitude changes from time to time between 1.64 to 1.74. The easiest way to find Orion’s Belt is to first find Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.

• The brighter Pollux is part of the Winter Circle, a large hexagonal asterism also formed by Capella in Auriga, Aldebaran in Taurus, Rigel in Orion, Sirius in Canis Major, and Procyon in Canis Minor.
• Your location determines what constellations you can see at night.
• It is a direct reference to the biblical tale of the three kings who offered gifts to the baby Christ.
• To find Orion’s belt, you need only locate the constellation, as detailed later, and look for the neat line of three similar-looking stars spaced about equally apart.
• They used stars for navigations; medieval versions of Google Maps.
• Moreover, they point exactly to the left towards Sirius, the brightest Fixed Star in the sky.
• The constellation Orion is prominently visible in the evening sky from November to early May, with its peak observation period occurring between January and April.

Do you ever look up at the night sky and get lost in the stars? Maybe while you’re stargazing you spot some of your favorite constellations. But did you know there’s more to constellations than meets the eye? They’re not just a bunch of imaginary shapes made up of stars – constellations tell us stories about the universe from our perspective on Earth. Sirius is a famous star because it is the brightest in the night sky.

Constellations near Orion’s Belt

Were Orion far to the celestial north, it would not be visible to most residents of the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. The sky currently includes 88 official, named constellations. 14 of these represent human beings, while most of the others depict animals of some sort. 29 constellations represent inanimate objects; one is even named after a head of hair. These were invented – perhaps “imagined” is a better word – by the ancient Greeks, as one might infer from the number of figures in Greek mythology that are represented in the constellations.