giant · O8III
Meissa
Meissa is a blue giant (spectral type O8III) about 1,100 light-years away. With an apparent magnitude of 3.4 it is easy to see even from a city.
The head of Orion: a very hot star inside a large ring of glowing gas.
Its light output is roughly 4,200 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
- ≈ 1,100 light-years
- Spectral type
- O8III (giant)
- Colour
- Blue
- Apparent magnitude
- 3.4 mag
- Luminosity
- ≈ 4,200 × Sun
- Position
- Right ascension 5h 35m, declination 9.9°
More well-known stars
Data: Hipparcos / HYG catalogue (CC BY-SA 4.0). Luminosity and visibility are calculated estimates.