supergiant · B8Ia
Rigel
Rigel is a blue supergiant (spectral type B8Ia) about 860 light-years away. With an apparent magnitude of 0.18 it is one of the brightest stars in the whole sky.
A blue supergiant, about 100,000 times brighter than the Sun.
Its light output is roughly 50,400 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
- ≈ 860 light-years
- Spectral type
- B8Ia (supergiant)
- Colour
- Blue
- Apparent magnitude
- 0.18 mag
- Luminosity
- ≈ 50,400 × Sun
- Position
- Right ascension 5h 15m, declination -8.2°
More well-known stars
Data: Hipparcos / HYG catalogue (CC BY-SA 4.0). Luminosity and visibility are calculated estimates.