supergiant · O9.5Ib
Alnitak
Alnitak is a blue supergiant (spectral type O9.5Ib) about 1,260 light-years away. With an apparent magnitude of 1.74 it is a very bright, conspicuous star.
The eastern star of Orion's Belt, near the Horsehead Nebula.
Its light output is roughly 25,700 times that of the Sun (a rough estimate in visible light, calculated from brightness and distance).
From Germany (52° N) it rises and sets; it is best seen in the evening in December.
Key facts
- Distance
- ≈ 1,260 light-years
- Spectral type
- O9.5Ib (supergiant)
- Colour
- Blue
- Apparent magnitude
- 1.74 mag
- Luminosity
- ≈ 25,700 × Sun
- Position
- Right ascension 5h 41m, declination -1.9°
More well-known stars
Data: Hipparcos / HYG catalogue (CC BY-SA 4.0). Luminosity and visibility are calculated estimates.