Star profile
Pi 1 Orionis
What is Pi 1 Orionis
Pi-1 Orionis opens the loose scatter of six stars that trace Orion's Shield, the curved arc the Hunter raises against the charge of the Bull. It is a young white star, only a hundred million years old, spinning on itself at 120 kilometres per second. At 116 light-years, it carries nearly twice the Sun's mass and shines with seventeen solar luminosities, marking the leading edge of Orion's celestial bow.
Where it is and when to see it
Pi 1 Orionis lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is December, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 49° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 59° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 46° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 80° S.
It ranks no. 33 in brightness among the 128 stars of Orion in our catalogue. To find it, start from Rigel, the brightest: it lies about 19° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 120 years ago.
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A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.
Astronomical data for Pi 1 Orionis
- Constellation
- Orion
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.64
- Distance
- 116.3 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 73.724° · Dec 10.151°
- Catalogue
- HIP 22845 · HD 31295
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Orion
Orion has 128 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- RigelBeta Orionis0.18
- BetelgeuseAlpha Orionis0.45
- BellatrixGamma Orionis1.64
- 42 Orionis4.58
- Psi 2 Orionis4.59
- Upsilon Orionis4.62
- Chi 2 Orionis4.64
- 11 Orionis4.65