Alnitak
Where is Alnitak?
Look south, about 36° up at 05:17 in Orion. It rises at 23:50 and climbs through the night.
- Rises
- 23:50
- Highest
- 05:43
- Sets
- 11:36
- Best after dark
- 05:17 · 36°
Can I see Alnitak tonight?
From London tonight, Alnitak is above the horizon after dark. It’s highest just before dawn, around 05:17, in the south at 36°.
At magnitude 1.8 it is one of the brighter points in the sky, easy to see by eye when it’s clear.
This is position and timing only: clouds, haze and light pollution aren’t included.
What does Alnitak look like?
Alnitak looks blue-white to the eye. Its spectral type is O9.7Ib+B0III: very hot blue supergiant (far hotter than the Sun).
Eyes
The Belt star at the lower left (for northern observers).
Binoculars
A bright point in the rich star field of the Belt.
Telescope
A close double star at high power. The Flame Nebula is visible beside it in dark skies once you move Alnitak just out of view; the Horsehead needs a larger telescope and filter, or a camera.
About Alnitak
Alnitak is the easternmost star of Orion’s Belt. It is a hot, massive multiple star, and its brightest member is a blue supergiant.
It sits next to two famous nebulae: the Flame Nebula, which glows close beside it, and the Horsehead Nebula, a dark cloud silhouetted against glowing gas just to the south.
Alnitak is a triple star system, and its brightest member is the brightest star of the hottest class, called O-type, in the night sky.
Its light takes roughly 1,200 years to reach us. Its ultraviolet light helps make the Flame Nebula glow.
The Horsehead Nebula is a dense cloud of dust shaped like a horse’s head, seen in silhouette against the glowing gas behind it. Photographs show it easily, even with modest equipment.
Alnitak and its two nebulae sit in one of the most photographed corners of the night sky.
Alnitak in Orion
Questions
Can I see the Horsehead Nebula?
Sources: SkyMate; Wikidata (CC0). Positions computed for your place and time with astronomy-engine. Data & Licences