Rigel | EarthSky

A large, bright, blue-white star in a field of many stars.

Blue-white Rigel is Orion’s brightest star

Blue-white Rigel shines as the brightest star in the constellation Orion the Hunter. It's a hot massive star, that someday will explode as a supernova.

Blue-white Rigel at Orion’s foot

Rigel is far, some 775 light-years away. It must be extraordinarily luminous to be so distant yet shine so brightly in our sky.

Focus on stars Betelgeuse and Rigel

Many constellations have a bright star, but Orion has two: Rigel and Betelgeuse.

Silhouette of 2 dinos at night with stars and the Milky Way behind them.

The night sky in the time of the dinosaurs

The night sky in the time of the dinosaurs would have looked much different than today’s. Some famous stars had not yet been born. Read more.

Star chart showing constellation Orion with brightest stars Rigel and Betelgeuse labeled.

Notice the westward shift of Orion and all the stars

As Earth makes its grand tour around the sun each year, the stars and constellations all do a westward shift in our sky. Orion is a good one to notice.

Night sky scene with hexagon and figures of constellation superimposed over stars.

What’s a constellation? What’s an asterism?

Constellations and asterisms are patterns of stars. Some asterisms consist of stars from different constellations, and some are part of 1 constellation.

Star chart with large triangle with labeled stars at the corners.

The Winter Triangle stands out in the night sky

The Winter Triangle is a distinct pattern of stars in the night sky formed by 3 of the brightest stars: Sirius, Betelgeuse and Procyon.

Castor – the twin star – is 6 stars in one

The bright blue-white star Castor, in the constellation Gemini, appears to our eyes as a single star. But it’s really a family of 6 stars.

A dot, Jupiter, is to the right of two smaller dots, the stars Castor and Pollux. It is also above another dot. They all lie above a horizontal wavy line, the horizon.

Meet Pollux: The brighter twin star of Gemini

Pollux, the brightest star in the constellation Gemini, blazes in a golden light next to its bluish-white heavenly twin, Castor.

Star chart: Hexagon outline with Orion and Canis Minor, labeled stars, and line of ecliptic going across.

Meet Canis Minor the Lesser Dog and bright Procyon

Canis Minor is a small constellation with 1 notably bright star, Procyon. The constellation of the Lesser Dog follows Orion the Hunter across the sky.

Meet Gemini the Twins, home to Jupiter and 2 bright stars

The constellation Gemini the Twins is home to Castor and Pollux. Learn more about these bright stars, visible on northern winter nights.

Hundreds of multicolored donut shapes of different sizes inside a circle on a black background.

Look for the colors of the stars in the night sky

Winter is the perfect time for noticing the colors of the stars. Start with Capella, then move on to Taurus and Orion. Check out some colorful stars tonight!

Wide array of bright but slightly fuzzy stars, mostly blue-white but one reddish, over dark landscape.

See Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky

Sirius is the brightest star as seen from Earth and is visible from both hemispheres. It lies just 8.6 light-years away, in the constellation Canis Major.

Black background with one central white spot with spikes, and a tiny white dot to its left side.

Sirius B: Now is the best time to see Sirius’ companion

Now is a great time to see Sirius' dim companion, Sirius B. The 2 are currently at their maximum separation as viewed from Earth.

Billowing orange ball of fire exploding in brilliant white, surrounded by gas and dust.

Betelgeuse will explode someday, but WHEN?

Will Betelgeuse have another period of noticeable dimming? Betelgeuse will explode as a supernova someday. When it does, it'll be visible in daylight.

Which Milky Way spiral arm contains our sun?

Where do we live in the Milky Way galaxy? We lie between the major arms in a smaller spiral arm known as the Orion Arm. See diagrams here.

A star chart with white dots representing stars connected by light blue lines to trace the shape of the constellation. It is against a blue backdrop.

Orion the Hunter is easy to spot in January

Orion the Hunter is one of the easiest constellations to identify thanks to Orion's Belt, the 3 medium-bright stars in a short, straight row at his waist.

Star chart: Hexagon outline with Orion, labeled stars, and ecliptic line. Jupiter is inside the hexagon.

Meet the Winter Circle, aka the Winter Hexagon

The brightest stars in the Northern Hemisphere's winter sky form the shape of the Winter Circle, or Hexagon, that will help you locate 6 constellations.

Crisply outlined swirls of 3 glowing, multicolored gas clouds with stars embedded in them.

The Orion Nebula (M42) is a starry nursery

You can see the Orion Nebula as a fuzzy spot in the sky using just your eyes. It's really a vast cloud in space where new stars are forming. Learn more.

Orion the Hunter, the most recognizable constellation

Orion the Hunter may be the most recognizable constellation, visible from both hemispheres. It's best in winter from the north and summer from the south.

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Blue-white Rigel is Orion’s brightest star

Blue-white Rigel at Orion’s foot

Focus on stars Betelgeuse and Rigel

The night sky in the time of the dinosaurs

Notice the westward shift of Orion and all the stars

What’s a constellation? What’s an asterism?

The Winter Triangle stands out in the night sky

Castor – the twin star – is 6 stars in one

Meet Pollux: The brighter twin star of Gemini

Meet Canis Minor the Lesser Dog and bright Procyon

Meet Gemini the Twins, home to Jupiter and 2 bright stars

Look for the colors of the stars in the night sky

See Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky

Sirius B: Now is the best time to see Sirius’ companion

Betelgeuse will explode someday, but WHEN?

Which Milky Way spiral arm contains our sun?

Orion the Hunter is easy to spot in January

Meet the Winter Circle, aka the Winter Hexagon

The Orion Nebula (M42) is a starry nursery

Orion the Hunter, the most recognizable constellation