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It is common for astronomers to identify stars in a constellation with Greek alphabets. This is called the "Bayer designations". Bayer, a German astronomer, designated the stars in a constellation according to brightness, but this is not always the case. Here, Betelgeuse is not as bright as Rigel but it is called Alpha Orionis, rather than Beta Orionis. One reason for this is because 400 years ago, nobody could accurately determine which star was brighter, and it probably seemed that Betelgeuse was the brighter star.

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Q: Why are the stars Betelgeuse and Rigel also known as alpha and beta Orionis?
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What is another name for Rigel?

To the Maori, it is known as Puanga.


Which is the star much larger than your sun?

Betelgeuse has a radius approximately 1,000 times greater than our own Sun. See link for more information


What are the names of stars bigger than the sun?

The stars that are larger than our sun are called Giant stars, Blue giants, super giants, and Red giants. THE LARGEST KNOWN STARS Star name / Solar diameter (Sun = 1) VY Canis Majoris 1950 (1800-2100) VV Cephei 1750 (1600-1900) V354 Cephei 1520 KW Sagitarii 1460 KY Cygni 1420 Mu Cephei (Herschel's "Garnet Star") 1420 La Superba (Y Canum Venaticorum) 1100 S Doradus 1000 V509 Cassiopeiae 910 R Leonis 900 R Doradus 830 V838 Monocerotis 800 V382 Carinae 747 Rho Cassiopeiae 738 Mira A (Omicron Ceti) 700 Antares (Alpha Scorpii) 700 Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis) 650 S Pegasi 580 T Cepheii 540 S Orionis 530 W Hydrae 520 Y1 Aurigae 511 119 Tauri 510 R Cassiopeiae 500 Delta Canis Majoris (Wezen) 482 Chi Cygni 470 J Cassiopeiae 460 Alpha Herculis (Ras Algethi) 460 Eta Carinae 400 The Pistol Star 340 Chi Cygni 300 Epsilon Aurigae B 295 Deneb (Alpha Cygni) 220 LBV 1806-20 200 Epsilon Aurigae A 175 Zeta Aurigae 160 Epsilon Pegasi (Enif) 150 Gamma Crucis (Gacrux) 113 Beta Cygni A1 109 Epsilon Aurigae 100 Gamma Andromedae 83 Alpha Leporis (Arneb) 77 Rigel (Beta Orionis) 70 Epsilon Carinae 70 R Coronae Borealis 65 Canopus (Alpha Carinae) 65 Delta Orionis (Mintaka) 60 Zeta Orionis (Alnitak) 60 Alpha Persei (Mirfak) 60 Zeta Geminorum (Mekbuda) 60 Eta Aquilae 60 Beta Ursae Minoris (Kochab) 41 Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri) 43 Gamma Draconis (Eltanin) 50 VV Cephei A, a super giant, was till recently the largest star known. It is of spectral type M2 and is about 1600-1900 times the Sun's diameter. If it replaced the Sun in our solar system, it would extend to the orbit of Saturn. It is 275,000-575,000 times as luminous as the Sun.


What are the primary stars in the constellation Orion?

Orion is probably the best constellation of all, given how bright most of its stars are. In the northern hemisphere it is very clearly seen through the winter months. Orion has many stars. There are 7 very clear stars that people see. They are Rigel Betelgeuse Bellatrix Alnilam Alnitak Saiph Mintaka The two brightest magnitude stars in Orion are Betelgeuse and Rigel. Betelgeuse is the bright red-looking star that, from our perspective, would be top left, or Orion's left shoulder if he were facing away from us. It is in fact a type of star known as a red giant. To the top right of Orion is Bellatrix. Across the centre are the three stars often collectively known as Orion's Belt. From left to right they are Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. On the bottom right is Saiph, the faintest of the 4 outer stars. It is hard to miss Rigel, which is bright blue-white and would be at the lower right, designating the knee. Many people think of stars as being the same colour, but looking at Rigel and Betelgeuse is a great way of seeing how different in colour some stars are. The famous Horsehead Nebula is to the east of Orion's Belt and far too faint to see with most home telescopes. There is also a nebula in Orion's Sword. If you look closely, one of the "stars" in the sword appears fuzzy; it is not a star but the Orion Nebula. Do a net search for Orion, Betelgeuse, Rigel, constellations, "Orion Nebula," "Orion's Belt," or any combination of these. I'm sure you'll find lots of info. Or better yet, buy yourself a backyard guide to the night sky. You may not use it much, but you'll never regret it. You may even become addicted to astronomy. Astronomy is a simple hobby to start. All you have to do is go outside on a clear night and look up. There are always wonders to be seen.


What is supergiant name IN Orion?

Betelgeuse is the star in Orion that is known as a red supergiant.

Related questions

Is the star Betelegeuse in the Milky Way?

Betelgeuse, also known as Alpha Orionis, is in the Milky Way. It is the brightest star in the constellation Orion.


Where is the Beedle Juice star?

Betelgeuse is in the constellation of Orion, and is otherwise known as alpha Orionis. It is on the left "shoulder" of the Orion hunter, as viewed from the Northern Hemisphere.


What constellation has 2 of the brightest stars in the sky?

Generally, stars are named with a Greek letter designating the relative brightness followed by the name of the constellation. "Alpha" and "Beta" are (generally) the two brightest stars. So the brightest star in the constellation Scorpio is "Alpha Scorpius". Most bright stars also have Arabic names; Alpha Scorpius is better known as Antares. This pattern doesn't ALWAYS hold; for example, the red giant star Betelgeuse is Alpha Orionis, while Rigel is Beta Orionis. But Rigel is brighter than Betelgeuse! The answer is that Betelgeuse is a somewhat-variable star, and when the stars were formally catalogued, was brighter than Rigel. Betelgeuse has since dimmed a little, and is now less bright that Rigel. Some astronomers use Betelgeuse's variability as a sign that it is nearing the end of its life, and will "soon" explode as a supernova. Of course, "soon" to an astronomer means "within the next 10,000 years or so".


What is true of alpha star in a constellation?

The standard designations of stars within a constellation is a Greek letter followed by the Latin name of the constellation. This is called the "Bayer designation". In general - but not in EVERY case - the stars were lettered in order by brightness. Please remember that this was done a few hundred years ago, before the invention of detailed electronic instruments. And over the centuries, in a few cases the stars themselves have varied in brightness. For example, in the constellation of Orion, the star Betelgeuse is "Alpha Orionis", even though it is the SECOND-brightest star in Orion. Why the discrepancy? A couple of reasons, perhaps. Rigel, the brightest star in Orion, isn't all THAT much brighter; both are "first magnitude" stars. Second, Betelgeuse is known to be a variable star, and 300 years ago we believe that Betelgeuse was actually brighter than Rigel is.


What is larger a galaxy or Betelgeuse?

A nebula ... Latin word for "cloud" ... is any object in the sky that appears hazy or cloudy to the eye. It may be a cloud of luminous gas, or a group of stars so far away that they are perceived as a haze rather than as individual points of light. In the extreme ... the largest objects with star density large enough that they might merge into an apparent haze are galaxies. Clusters of galaxies are so large and widespread that their existence was not even suspected 100 years ago, for the same reason that an ant on a tree doesn't suspect that this tree is part of a forest, and there are large open spaces between forests.


What is another name for Rigel?

To the Maori, it is known as Puanga.


What star is in Orion's left foot?

Rigel, which is also known as "Beta Orionis," is a B-type blue supergiant that is the sixth brightest star in the night sky. Similar to Betelguese, Rigel is fusing heavy elements in its core and will pass its supergiant stage soon (on an astronomical timescale), either collapsing in the case of a supernova or shedding its outer layers and turning into a white dwarf. It serves as the left foot of Orion, the hunter.[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_(constellation)


Which is the star much larger than your sun?

Betelgeuse has a radius approximately 1,000 times greater than our own Sun. See link for more information


Is betelgeuse a rocket a disease which effects astronauts the largest known star or your nearest black hole?

Betelgeuse is a red giant star in Orion, and it is one of the biggest and brightest stars known.


When is the best time to view alpha centurai and where is it in the sky?

Alpha Centauri, which is also known as "Rigel Kent", is in the southern hemisphere with a declination of 60 degrees south. It is generally not visible from the northern hemisphere north of about 20 degrees north. If you live in Europe or North America, your best opportunity to see it would be on your next Australian vacation.


What are the names of stars bigger than the sun?

The stars that are larger than our sun are called Giant stars, Blue giants, super giants, and Red giants. THE LARGEST KNOWN STARS Star name / Solar diameter (Sun = 1) VY Canis Majoris 1950 (1800-2100) VV Cephei 1750 (1600-1900) V354 Cephei 1520 KW Sagitarii 1460 KY Cygni 1420 Mu Cephei (Herschel's "Garnet Star") 1420 La Superba (Y Canum Venaticorum) 1100 S Doradus 1000 V509 Cassiopeiae 910 R Leonis 900 R Doradus 830 V838 Monocerotis 800 V382 Carinae 747 Rho Cassiopeiae 738 Mira A (Omicron Ceti) 700 Antares (Alpha Scorpii) 700 Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis) 650 S Pegasi 580 T Cepheii 540 S Orionis 530 W Hydrae 520 Y1 Aurigae 511 119 Tauri 510 R Cassiopeiae 500 Delta Canis Majoris (Wezen) 482 Chi Cygni 470 J Cassiopeiae 460 Alpha Herculis (Ras Algethi) 460 Eta Carinae 400 The Pistol Star 340 Chi Cygni 300 Epsilon Aurigae B 295 Deneb (Alpha Cygni) 220 LBV 1806-20 200 Epsilon Aurigae A 175 Zeta Aurigae 160 Epsilon Pegasi (Enif) 150 Gamma Crucis (Gacrux) 113 Beta Cygni A1 109 Epsilon Aurigae 100 Gamma Andromedae 83 Alpha Leporis (Arneb) 77 Rigel (Beta Orionis) 70 Epsilon Carinae 70 R Coronae Borealis 65 Canopus (Alpha Carinae) 65 Delta Orionis (Mintaka) 60 Zeta Orionis (Alnitak) 60 Alpha Persei (Mirfak) 60 Zeta Geminorum (Mekbuda) 60 Eta Aquilae 60 Beta Ursae Minoris (Kochab) 41 Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri) 43 Gamma Draconis (Eltanin) 50 VV Cephei A, a super giant, was till recently the largest star known. It is of spectral type M2 and is about 1600-1900 times the Sun's diameter. If it replaced the Sun in our solar system, it would extend to the orbit of Saturn. It is 275,000-575,000 times as luminous as the Sun.


What are the primary stars in the constellation Orion?

Orion is probably the best constellation of all, given how bright most of its stars are. In the northern hemisphere it is very clearly seen through the winter months. Orion has many stars. There are 7 very clear stars that people see. They are Rigel Betelgeuse Bellatrix Alnilam Alnitak Saiph Mintaka The two brightest magnitude stars in Orion are Betelgeuse and Rigel. Betelgeuse is the bright red-looking star that, from our perspective, would be top left, or Orion's left shoulder if he were facing away from us. It is in fact a type of star known as a red giant. To the top right of Orion is Bellatrix. Across the centre are the three stars often collectively known as Orion's Belt. From left to right they are Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. On the bottom right is Saiph, the faintest of the 4 outer stars. It is hard to miss Rigel, which is bright blue-white and would be at the lower right, designating the knee. Many people think of stars as being the same colour, but looking at Rigel and Betelgeuse is a great way of seeing how different in colour some stars are. The famous Horsehead Nebula is to the east of Orion's Belt and far too faint to see with most home telescopes. There is also a nebula in Orion's Sword. If you look closely, one of the "stars" in the sword appears fuzzy; it is not a star but the Orion Nebula. Do a net search for Orion, Betelgeuse, Rigel, constellations, "Orion Nebula," "Orion's Belt," or any combination of these. I'm sure you'll find lots of info. Or better yet, buy yourself a backyard guide to the night sky. You may not use it much, but you'll never regret it. You may even become addicted to astronomy. Astronomy is a simple hobby to start. All you have to do is go outside on a clear night and look up. There are always wonders to be seen.