Epsilon Orionis

Alnilam is a large blue star in the constellation of Orion. It also has the modern name Epsilon Orionis (ε Ori / ε Orionis). Its Flamsteed designation is 46 Orionis.

It is the 30th brightest star in the sky (the 4th brightest in Orion) and as a blue-white supergiant it is one of the most luminous stars known. Together with Mintaka (Delta Orionis) and Alnitak (Zeta Orionis), the three stars make up the belt of Orion, known by many names across many ancient cultures. Alnilam is the middle star.

It is also one of the 57 stars used in celestial navigation. For middle latitudes, it is at its highest point in the sky around midnight on December 15.

Alnilam's relatively simple spectrum has made it useful for studying the interstellar medium. Within the next million years, this star may turn into a red supergiant and explode as a supernova. It is surrounded by a molecular cloud, NGC 1990, which it brightens to make a reflection nebula. Its stellar winds may reach up to 2000 km/s, causing it to lose mass about 20 million times more rapidly than the Sun.

Other names and history

The name Alnilam derives from the Arabic النظام an-niżām, related to the word نظم nażm "string of pearls". Related spellings are Alnihan and Alnitam: all three variants are evidently mistakes in transliteration or copy errors.

Orion's belt

The three belt stars were collectively known by many names in many cultures. Arabic terms include Al Nijād 'the Belt', Al Nasak 'the Line', Al Alkāt 'the Golden Grains or Nuts' and, in modern Arabic, Al Mīzān al H•akk 'the Accurate Scale Beam'. In Chinese mythology they were also known as The Weighing Beam. The belt was also the Three Stars mansion one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the western mansions of the White Tiger.

In pre-Christian Scandinavia, the belt was known as Frigg's Distaff (Friggerock) or Freyja's distaff. Similarly Jacob's Staff and Peter's Staff were European biblical derived terms, as were the Three Magi, or the Three Kings. Väinämöinen's Scythe (Kalevala) and Kalevan Sword are terms from Finnish mythology.

The Seri people of northwestern Mexico call the three belt stars Hapj (a name denoting a hunter) which consists of three stars: Hap (mule deer), Haamoja (pronghorn), and Mojet (bighorn sheep). Hap is in the middle and has been shot by the hunter; its blood has dripped onto Tiburón Island.

These stars also allegedly influenced the construction of the Pyramids of Giza.

References

See also

• Epsilon Orionis in fiction