Orion's Belt

Orion's Belt
Orion's Belt and nebulosity, including the Flame Nebula (left) and Horsehead Nebula (lower left) named after a relatively small dark cloud, rotated 90° somewhat resembling a seahorse
Observation data
Right ascension05h 00m 00s[1]
Declination−05° 00′ 00″[1]
Physical characteristics
Associations
ConstellationOrion
See also: Open cluster, List of open clusters

Orion's Belt is an asterism in the constellation of Orion. Other names include the Belt of Orion, the Three Kings, and the Three Sisters.[1] The belt consists of three bright and easily identifiable collinear star systems – Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka – nearly equally spaced in a line, spanning an angular size of ~140 (2.3°).[2]

Owing to the high surface temperatures of their constituent stars, the intense light emitted are blue-white in color, aiding in the recognition of the familiar astronomical motif. In spite of their spot-like appearance, only Alnilam is a single star; Alnitak is a triple star system, and Mintaka a hextuple. Each of the three owe their luminosity to the presence of one or more blue supergiants. The brightest as viewed from Sol is Alnilam, with an apparent magnitude of 1.69,[3] followed by Alnitak at 1.74[4] and Mintaka at 2.25.[5] Together, the 10 stars of the three systems has a combined luminosity of nearly one million times (~970,000) that of the Sun's.

Orion's Belt has been called various names and mentioned in various cultures and literature. It has played a central role in astral navigation in the Northern hemisphere since prehistoric times, being readily pointed out by even the most unstarwise wayfarer. As a matter of fact, it is often considered by astronomers to be among the clearest constellations in the winter sky,[6] although it is not visible during summer, when the Sun is too visually close.

The discredited archeological Orion correlation theory postulated a connection between the positions of the Giza pyramids and those of the belt, with the linkage shown to be spurious when placed within the proper historical context.[7]

  1. ^ a b c "Orion Constellation: Facts, location and stars of the hunter". Space.com. 4 November 2021. Archived from the original on 10 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  2. ^ Zack, Malcolm; et al. (2018). Stargazing Under Suburban Skies, A Star-Hopper's Guide. Springer International Publishing. p. 102. ISBN 9783319901169.
  3. ^ Guide, Universe. "Alnitak / Zeta Orionis Star Facts (Type, Distance, Magnitude, Age, Colour, Location and more) - Universe Guide". www.universeguide.com. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  4. ^ Guide, Universe. "Alnitak / Zeta Orionis Star Facts (Type, Distance, Magnitude, Age, Colour, Location and more) - Universe Guide". www.universeguide.com. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  5. ^ Guide, Universe. "Mintaka / Delta Orionis Star Facts (Type, Distance, Magnitude, Age, Mass, Colour, Location and more) - Universe Guide". www.universeguide.com. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  6. ^ "How to Find Orion's Belt in the Night Sky". HowStuffWorks. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  7. ^ Orofino, Vincenzo (28 September 2011). "A quantitative astronomical analysis of the Orion Correlation Theory". arXiv.org. Retrieved 18 July 2024.

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