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Rigel

RIGEL (BETA (β) ORIONIS)
BLUE STAR

Right Ascension:
5h 14m 32s

Best Seen:
1/1 - 3/15

Declination:
-8º 12' 06"

Magnitude:
0.18

Computer File:
rigel

Constellation:
Orion

Actual

Compared to Sun

Distance

773 l.y.

--

Actual Brightness

--

37,400

Surface Temperature

~ 19,400 ºF

~ 1.9

Diameter

~ 46 million miles

~ 54

Mass

--

~ 20

Surface Gravity

--

--

Surface Composition (by mass)

74% hydrogen 24% helium 2% everything else

same

Spectral Type

B8 lab:

G2 V

Density (gram/cubic cm)

--

--

WHAT TO LOOK FOR THROUGH THE TELESCOPE:

  1. Recommended eyepiece: 24mm or 40 mm.

  2. When people look through the telescope a bright bluish point of light should be seen.

RIGEL INFORMATION:

  1. Rigel is the brightest star in the constellation Orion, and the 5th brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere’s night sky (7th brightest in the night sky when including the Southern Hemisphere’s bright stars).

  2. It must be a very young star since at its present rate of fuel consumption, it cannot last for more than a few million years.

  3. Rigel is apparently a multiple star system.

a. Rigel’s companion is spectral type B9

b. This companion is magnitude 7, and can be resolved in medium sized telescopes.

c. This companion is a spectroscopic binary.

Item
Updated Notes

Coordinates 07-17-2002
SIMBAD

Magnitude
07-17-2002
with Scott’s The Flamsteed Collection

Distance
07-17-2002
SIMBAD, Hipparcos

Actual Brightness
07-17-2002
with Scott’s The Flamsteed Collection

Surface Temperature 07-17-2002
B8 close to 10,000 K; assume 11,000K

Diameter
07-17-2002
assume 11,000K

Mass
11-20-2002
from http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/rigel.html and http://www.gb.nrao.edu/~rmaddale/Education/OrionTourCenter/rigel.html and http://www.badastronomy.com/bitesize/lowmass.html

Surface Gravity

Surface Composition 01-06-2003
OK for all stars

Spectral Type
07-17-2002
previously B8 Ia, SIMBAD

Other Information
07-17-2002

07-17-2002

07-22-2002
1. previous density: 0.0004 – BUT how know that? 2. previously: “3a. Rigel has a companion: Magnitude: 6.7 Separation: more than 250 billion miles (2,600 times Earth-Sun distance) 3b. The companion is also a binary star with a period of 9.86 days and a combined
luminosity of 150 times that of the sun.”
– BUT all I can find is what’s now in the text. Some of the info is from http://www.seds.org/Maps/St ars_en/Fig/orion.html 3. with Hipparcos, these brightness “ranks”

Composition 7/30/13 Changed to 74% / 24% / 2%