Orion's Belt

Who remembers what an asterism is? Well, I hope you do, because we are looking at another asterism today! This asterism is part of the constellation Orion. Any guesses on what this is? Yeah, it’s Orion’s Belt! Most people know what this is and can easily point it out in the night sky. But what does it represent? What are some interesting facts about this asterism?

The three stars that make up Orion’s Belt are Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. These three stars are aligned in a straight line, and are close together. These three stars are used to find the larger constellation, Orion. They make up the hunters belt on his body. Hence the name Orion’s Belt, right?



Let’s take a closer look at Alnitak. If we zoom in close enough, we can now see and know that Alnitak is actually a triple star system. It is located 1.260 light years away. Alnilam is a supergiant. Supergiants are the largest and brightest stars ever! It is 2.000 light years away. Mintaka is a multiple star system. But are you ready for the coolest fact ever? Mintaka is about 190,000 more luminous than the Sun! It is located 1.200 light years away.

So when will we see this asterism? Well, you can BEST see this asterism at 9:00pm in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, in the month of January. It lays right on the celestial equator. The celestial equator is just Earth’s equator lengthened into space.

So, now you know ALL about Orion’s belt. Next week, we will learn about the rest of the Orion constellation and the full greek mythology behind it. I want YOU to go outside and find Orion’s belt and The Big Dipper. It will be fun. Trust me.


 

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