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, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 36° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 47° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 58° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 88° N.
It ranks no. 10 in brightness among the 128 stars of Orion in our catalogue. To find it, start from Rigel, the brightest: it lies about 6° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 980 years ago.
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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
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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