Rigel
What is Rigel?
Stars· Distance ~860 ly · size 79× Sun. The blue-white supergiant at Orion's foot. Even from 860 light-years it ranks seventh in the sky, radiating 120,000 Suns. With red Betelgeuse it gives Orion its famous colour contrast, and one day it will explode as a supernova.
📍 Visible from where you are right now — computed in your browser
bearing · altitude · rise time · best time tonight
Where Rigel is in your sky right now: https://nowsky.org/solar/sky?sel=rigel — location and time set automatically, no login.
Distance and spectral type
Rigel is about 863 light-years away, a blue-white supergiant (spectral type B8Ia), in the constellation Orion. Its apparent magnitude is 0.1, visible to the naked eye.
Stellar figures
| Distance | ~860 ly |
|---|---|
| Magnitude | 0.13 — seventh brightest |
| Type | B8 blue supergiant |
| Constellation | Orion |
Figures are representative approximations. Source: compiled from NASA and IAU public data.
Behind the name
From Arabic rijl, "foot" — Orion's left foot, a blue supergiant shining 120,000 Suns from 800 ly away.
Frequently asked
- How far is Rigel from Earth?
- ~860 ly.
- How bright is Rigel (apparent magnitude)?
- 0.13 — seventh brightest.
- What kind of object is Rigel?
- B8 blue supergiant.
- Which constellation is Rigel in?
- Orion.
- Where is Rigel in the sky right now?
- Open the sky view for your location and time and it shows the position in the sky right now.
The star that lights the Witch Head Nebula
About 2.5° from Rigel in the sky lies the Witch Head Nebula (IC 2118). Famous for its profile of a witch's face, it does not shine on its own: it is a reflection nebula, glowing blue with Rigel's reflected light. Because Rigel radiates 120,000 Suns, a dust cloud 900 light-years away shows up in photographs on that light alone. The blue comes from dust scattering blue light more than red — the same reason Earth's sky is blue.
The nebula belongs not to Orion but to neighbouring Eridanus, and one reading makes it the edge of a supernova remnant pushed toward Rigel. A few young stars are forming inside it, and whether Rigel's intense ultraviolet hastens or suppresses that star formation is a question of interest. It is invisible to the naked eye, but zooming in on Rigel in the sky view shows the direction.
The star in depth
Rigel is Beta Orionis, yet it usually outshines Alpha, Betelgeuse, and at magnitude 0.13 it is the seventh-brightest star in the night sky. About 860 light-years away, it is a B8 Ia blue-white supergiant with a surface of 12,000 K, a radius of 79 Suns, a mass near 21 Suns and a luminosity of roughly 120,000 Suns. It is bright not because it is close but because it is enormous and hot.
The name comes from the Arabic for the giant's left foot. A small telescope shows a magnitude 6.7 companion, Rigel B, which is itself a spectroscopic binary, making the whole a multiple system. Massive stars burn fast: Rigel is only about eight million years old yet has already left the main sequence, and within the next million years it is expected to explode as a supernova bright enough to see in daylight. Its light illuminates the nearby Witch Head Nebula, which glows blue in reflection.
From December to March, look to the south in the evening: blue Rigel sits below and right of Orion's Belt, red Betelgeuse above and left. In the Sky view, set a January night and select Orion to see the colour contrast. On the size ladder, place Rigel A beside the Sun and Betelgeuse to feel what supergiant really means.
Related
Figures are representative approximations. Simulated positions use J2000 mean elements.