Bellatrix

Bellatrix (bel'utriks) [key], bright star in the constellation Orion; Bayer designation Gamma Orionis; 1992 position R.A. 5^h24.7^m, Dec. +6°21'. A bluish-white giant of spectral class B2 III, its apparent magnitude of 1.63 makes it one of the 25 brightest stars in the sky. Its distance from the earth is about 500 light-years. Bellatrix marks the left shoulder of Orion. The name is Latin for “female warrior.”

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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