Orion's Belt:
The three stars of Orion's Belt are very famous. From east (left, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere) to west (right):
- Alnitak (ζ Orionis): A triple star system, about 1,260 light-years away. The easternmost belt star.
- Alnilam (ε Orionis): A massive blue supergiant, the brightest of the belt. It's around 2,000 light-years distant.
- Mintaka (δ Orionis): A multiple star system, westernmost in the belt, about 1,200 light-years away.
So the Belt is Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. They line up neatly, making Orion one of the easiest constellations to spot.
Orion's belt looks like only 3 stars, but in reality is a group of 9 different stars instead, too close to each other for our eyes to distinguish.
Refer to: Facebook.
The Sword of Orion:
The "sword" of Orion hangs just below Orion's Belt. It has three main visible objects:
- Top (closest to the Belt): 42 Orionis (c Ori), a hot blue star.
- Middle: Orion Nebula (M42) — not a single star, but a glowing star-forming region.
- Bottom (faintest): ι Orionis (Iota Orionis, also called Na'ir al Saif), a bright multiple star system.
So the Orion Nebula sits in the middle, while the stars at either end of the sword are 42 Orionis and Iota Orionis.
Source = ChatGPT
See also: BlogPost
