ζ Orionis (zeta Orionis)

Altitude: 30.0° Azimuth: 142.1° Direction: South-East

ζ Orionis is a variable and multiple hypergiant star in the constellation of Orion.

ζ Orionis visual magnitude is 4.21. Because of its moderate brightness, ζ Orionis should be easily visible from locations with dark skyes, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skyes affected by light pollution.

The table below summarizes the key facts about ζ Orionis:

Color of ζ Orionis ⬤

Magnitude of ζ Orionis 4.21

Class Hypergiant

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW

ζ Orionis (zeta Orionis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 30.0°
Azimuth: 142.1°
Direction: South-East

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of ζ Orionis

ζ 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 ζ Orionis are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 05h 40m 45s

Declination J2000 -01° 56’ 34”

Galactic Longitude 206.45°

Galactic Latitude -16.59°

Constellation Orion

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

Finder chart ζ Orionis (zeta Orionis) star

Simplified finder chart for ζ Orionis (zeta Orionis).

Visibility of ζ 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 ζ Orionis (zeta 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: 91.9° RISE 8:01

Max altitude: 36.6° TRANSIT 13:49

Azimuth: 268.1° SET 19:38

RIGHT NOW ζ Orionis (zeta Orionis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of ζ Orionis

The image below is a photograph of ζ Orionis from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2 - see the credits section) taken in the red channel. The area of sky represented in the image is 0.5x0.5 degrees (30x30 arcmins). The proper motion of ζ Orionis is 0.004 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.002 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 100000 years is represented with the red arrow.

DSS2 image of ζ Orionis. The red arrow shows the motion of ζ Orionis during the next 100000 years (6.67 arcmin in Right Ascension and -3.33 arcmin in declination);

Spectral properties of ζ Orionis

ζ Orionis belongs to spectral class B0 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a hypergiant star.

Spectral Type B0III

Color Index (B-V)

Temperature of ζ Orionis 10125K

ζ Orionis star system properties

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

Main star magnitude 4.21

Secondary star magnitude 6.41

Magnitude difference 2.2

Separation 2.4 arcsec

Alternative designations of ζ Orionis

Bayer designation ζ Orionis
(zeta Orionis)

Flamsteed designation 50 Orionis

Henry Draper Catalogue HD37743

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD-02 1338

General Catalogue of Variable Stars 2553

Aitken Double Star Catalogue ADS4263

In Evidence