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Name the Three Major Stars Found in the Orion Constellation

Orion, aside from The Big Dipper, is one of the most recognizable constellations in the sky. Three stars in a line mark his belt, and from there you can make out a body along with a club in one hand, ready to strike the bull, and a shield in the other to protect himself. This constellation dominates the winter sky, with its three major stars some of the brightest in the sky.

Betelgeuse
- Betelgeuse marks Orion's right shoulder or armpit, depending on how you look at it. It is a red giant, which means it is in a late stage of stellar evolution, and is one of the biggest stars in the sky. If Betelgeuse resided where our sun resides, its borders would extend past Mars. It is also an irregular variable star, which means it changes brightness but at unpredictable times. Betelgeuse ranks at No. 12 in the top brightest stars in the sky and is about 600 light years from Earth.
Rigel
- Rigel marks Orion's left foot. Although smaller than Betelgeuse, Rigel is the seventh brightest star in the sky and 150,000 times brighter than the sun. Rigel is 700 to 900 light years away. This makes Rigel, along with Betelgeuse, two of the three most distant stars we can see. Astronomers classify this star in Class B, meaning it is extremely luminous and blue-white in color.
Bellatrix
- Bellatrix forms the right shoulder of Orion. The name is Latin for "Amazon." This is the third brightest star in the Orion constellation and the 22nd brightest star in the sky. Astronomers once believed this star resided among the others in the constellation. They later found, however, that it is much closer than the others at 240 light years away from Eartyh, but in the same general direction. Bellatrix is an eruptive variable star, which means it changes brightness in periods.

Astronomy