Star profile
Alnilam
Epsilon Orionis · Orion
Variable starWhat is Alnilam
Alnilam is the central pearl of Orion's Belt, a blue B-type supergiant whose brilliance travels nearly two thousand years before reaching us. The light seen tonight set out while Rome was still deciding the fate of the Mediterranean. Its Arabic name, «An-Nizam», means «the string of pearls», a nod to the three aligned stars that for centuries guided sailors and desert caravans. It is also subtly variable, a slow pulse cloaked in a faint reflection nebula of cosmic dust.
Where it is and when to see it
Alnilam 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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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 Alnilam
- Constellation
- Orion
- Apparent magnitude
- 1.69
- Distance
- 1977.0 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 84.053° · Dec -1.202°
- Catalogue
- HIP 26311 · HD 37128
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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
- AlnitakZeta Orionis1.74
- SaiphKappa Orionis2.07
- MintakaDelta Orionis2.25
- HatysaIota Orionis2.75
- TabitPi 3 Orionis3.19