Star profile
Eta Orionis
Variable starWhat is Eta Orionis
η Orionis is one of the most studied multiple systems in the hunter's belt: a knot of several hot B-type stars that eclipse one another in a rhythm of less than eight days. The Orion stellar association, one of the most active nurseries in the Milky Way, frames her in the night. Her light has been crossing the void for nearly a millennium.
Where it is and when to see it
Eta Orionis lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is December: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.
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The signature wall
Stelvia's sky works like a signature wall: anyone can leave their name and a message on a real star, and that signature goes up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works
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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 Eta Orionis
- Constellation
- Orion
- Apparent magnitude
- 3.35
- Distance
- 976.6 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 81.119° · Dec -2.397°
- Catalogue
- HIP 25281 · HD 35411
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
- MintakaDelta Orionis2.25
- HatysaIota Orionis2.75
- TabitPi 3 Orionis3.19
- MeissaLambda Orionis3.39
- Tau Orionis3.59