Star profile

Rigel

Beta Orionis · Orion

Hot blue star

3D likeness based on its real data · class B · ~15,000 K

What is Rigel

Rigel blazes as a blue supergiant at Orion's foot, one of the brightest beacons of the winter sky. Its searing white light travels 863 years to reach us: what shines tonight above the horizon left the star when medieval cathedrals were still rising stone by stone across Europe. The name comes from the Arabic «riǧl al-jabbār», 'the foot of the giant', preserved by the astronomers who mapped Orion the hunter centuries ago.

Where it is and when to see it

Rigel lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is one of the brightest stars in the sky: visible even from a city. Its best month of the year is December, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 30° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 41° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 64° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 82° N.

It is the brightest of the 128 stars of Orion in our catalogue, which makes it the best starting point for finding your way around the constellation.

The light you see today left it about 860 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

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Leave your signature on Rigel

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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 Rigel

Constellation: Orion
Apparent magnitude: 0.18
Distance: 863.0 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 78.634° · Dec -8.202°
Catalogue: HIP 24436 · HD 34085

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.

See all 128 stars in Orion