알닐람 vs 리겔
리겔 takes the naked-eye ranking at magnitude +0.18 to +1.69, worth about 4.0 times the light of 알닐람. Only 863 light-years separate the Sun from 리겔; 알닐람 sits 2.3 times further out at 1,977. 알닐람 is a B-type star in Orion; 리겔 is a B-type star in Orion. Intrinsically the balance shifts: 알닐람 carries an absolute magnitude of −7.22 against −6.93 for 리겔, making it about 1.3 times more luminous once distance is removed from the comparison.
Property comparison
| Property | 알닐람 | 리겔 |
|---|---|---|
| 명칭 | 46Eps Ori | 19Bet Ori |
| 별자리 | Orion | Orion |
| 분광형 | Class B — B-type (Blue-White) | Class B — B-type (Blue-White) |
| 겉보기 등급 | +1.69 | +0.18 |
| 절대 등급 | -7.22 | -6.93 |
| 거리 | 1,977 ly | 863 ly |
| 질량 | N/A | N/A |
| 반지름 | N/A | N/A |
| 온도 | N/A | N/A |
| 광도 | N/A | N/A |
Full data for each star: 알닐람 · 리겔
Key differences
Key Differences
- ◆ Both are massive, highly luminous stars visible in Orion.
- ◆ Alnilam is the middle star of Orion's Belt — both are blue supergiants, though Alnilam is hotter at ~27,500 K versus Rigel's ~12,100 K.
- ◆ Alnilam is about 2,000 light-years distant; Rigel is closer at ~860 light-years.
- ◆ Alnilam has a mass of ~40 M☉, nearly double Rigel's ~21 M☉.
- ◆ Rigel is visible at the foot of Orion; Alnilam is the central jewel of Orion's Belt.