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A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
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All Constellations » Orion » 

σ Orionis (sigma Orionis)

Altitude: -34.6°   Azimuth: 321.1°   Direction: North-West

σ Orionis is a multiple main-sequence star in the constellation of Orion.

σ Orionis visual magnitude is 3.81. Because of its moderate brightness, σ Orionis should be easily visible from locations with dark skies, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skies affected by light pollution.

The proper motion of σ Orionis is 0.002 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.001 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 100000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of σ Orionis (sigma Orionis) star
DSS2 image of σ Orionis. The red arrow shows the motion of σ Orionis during the next 100000 years (3.33 arcmin in Right Ascension and 1.67 arcmin in declination);

Key facts about σ Orionis

3.81
Main-sequence

σ Orionis (sigma Orionis) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: -34.6°
Azimuth: 321.1°
Direction: North-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of σ Orionis

σ Orionis is situated close to the celestial equator, as such, it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of σ Orionis are provided in the following table:

05h 38m 44s
-02° 36’ 00”
206.82°
-17.34°
Orion

The simplified sky map below shows the position of σ Orionis in the sky:

Finder chart σ Orionis (sigma Orionis) star
Simplified finder chart for σ Orionis (sigma Orionis).

Visibility of σ Orionis from your location

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

Today's σ Orionis (sigma Orionis) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 92.6°
Max altitude: 35.9°
Azimuth: 267.4°

Distance of σ Orionis from the Sun and relative movement

σ Orionis is distant 1,147.89 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 29 kilometers per second.

352.11 pc
1,147.89 ly
29 km/s
0.002 arcsec/year
0.001 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of σ Orionis

σ Orionis belongs to spectral class O9 and has a luminosity class of V corresponding to a main-sequence star.

-3.92
O9V
14633K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where σ Orionis is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

HR Diagram
H-R diagram showing the position of σ Orionis. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

σ Orionis star system properties

σ Orionis is a visual double star which can be observed only with the help of very large telescopes. The table below shows key information about the σ Orionis double sysyem:

3.81
4.61
0.8
0.2 arcsec

Alternative designations of σ Orionis

σ Orionis
(sigma Orionis)
SAO132406
SAO132406