Your Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
Donate now! You'll help cover server costs, enhance the site and keep it ad-free.
public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:46  
clear_day Transit: 12:56  
SunsetSet: 21:07 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now
All Constellations » Orion » 

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:

4.21
Hypergiant

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:

05h 40m 45s
-01° 56’ 34”
206.45°
-16.59°
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°
Max altitude: 36.6°
Azimuth: 268.1°
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.

Image of ζ Orionis (zeta Orionis) star
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.

B0III
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:

4.21
6.41
2.2
2.4 arcsec

Alternative designations of ζ Orionis

ζ Orionis
(zeta Orionis)