7. Rigel

On the western heel of Orion, the Hunter, rests brilliant Rigel. In classical mythology, Rigel marks the spot where Scorpio, the Scorpion stung Orion after a brief and fierce battle. Its Arabic name means the Foot.

Rigel is a multiple star system. The brighter component, Rigel A, is a blue super giant that shines a remarkable 40,000 times stronger than the Sun! Although 775 light-years distant, its light shines bright in our evening skies, at magnitude 0.12.

Rigel resides in the most impressive of the winter constellations, mighty Orion. With the exception of the Big Dipper, it is the most recognized and easiest to identify constellation. It helps too that the shape made by Orion’s stars match what the mythical figure represents. Three bright stars are lined up together to form the belt of the hunter. The other 4 stars surrounding the belt compose its shoulders and legs.

A heavy star of 17 solar masses, Rigel is likely to go out with a bang some day, or it might become a rare oxygen-neon white dwarf. [Rigel Map]