المنطقة

One of the three stars forming the Belt of Orion, Mintaka holds the Delta designation of the constellation and lies at the western end of that celebrated line. It is a hot blue star of the O spectral class, its colour index of −0.175 reflecting a very high surface temperature. Mintaka lies roughly 692 light-years away and appears at apparent magnitude 2.25; its absolute magnitude of −4.38 places it among the most luminous stars in this group. As a member of the Belt — one of the most recognisable asterisms in the entire sky — Mintaka is a familiar guidepost for observers in both hemispheres.