Star
Alnitak
Blue star · O9.5Ib SB
ζ Orionis · Orion
Photo: Chuck Ayoub · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Alnitak is a triple star system in the constellation of Orion. It has the designations ζ Orionis, which is Latinised to Zeta Orionis and abbreviated Zeta Ori or ζ Ori, and 50 Orionis, abbreviated 50 Ori. The system is located at a distance of several hundred parsecs from the Sun and is one of the three main stars of Orion's Belt along with Alnilam and Mintaka.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
In your sky
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Key facts
Distance
~736 light-years
Apparent mag.
+1.74
Spectral type
O9.5Ib SB
Luminosity
8,937 × Sun
Absolute mag.
−5.03
Catalogue
HIP 26727
Spectral type
O9.5Ib SB
True colour from its B–V index (-0.20): a surface around 13600 K.
Did you know
- Alnitak is also known as ζ Orionis.
- Its spectral type O9.5Ib SB marks it as a blue star.
- It lies in the constellation Orion.
