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Rigel - Bluish-white Supergiant Star - Windows to the Universe

Rigel - Bluish-white Supergiant


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What's in a Name: Arabic for "foot"
Claim to Fame: One of the galaxy's brightest stars. Apparent visual magnitude = 0.1
Type of Star: Brilliant bluish-white Supergiant (B8 1a Spectral Type)
How Far Away: 900 light years away (250 parsecs?)
How Big: 30 times the sun's diameter
How Bright: 55,000 times the sun's luminosity (Absolute visual magnitude = - 6.8)
Where to View: Brightest star in Orion (Star Map).
When to View:December through March from Northern middle latitudes

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