With an effective temperature of about 29,500 K, it shines with 250,000 solar luminosities. The Belt of Orion is one of the three prominent asterisms that define the constellation figure of Orion, along with Orions Sword and Orions Shield. Its also possible that the Orion Nebula is home to a black hole, which would make it the closest known black hole to Earth. The good news is it does work all year round (except when Leo is not visible) so you dont have to wait for any specific window of time. It is formed by three points of light: the young star 42 Orionis and the Running Man Nebula (NGC 1977), the bright Orion Nebula (Messier 42) with the Trapezium Cluster, and the multiple star system Iota Orionis, which is part of the open cluster NGC 1980. In January, Orions Belt appears high in the northeastern sky, parallel to the horizon, around 10 pm. However, Leo is visible in the sky from October to July and is pretty easy to locate all throughout this period. (below image) The three Pyramids exactly simulate the stars Delta Orionis [ Mintaka ], Epsilon [ Alnilam ], and Zeta [ Alnitak] that comprise the Orion Belt. Antares, the brightest star in Scorpius, never rises until Orions Belt has set. And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com. So, it's a reasonable to think the distances between the monuments had no connection to the spacing between of the three stars of Orion's Belt. Orion will fashion alert minds and agile bodies, souls prompt to respond to duty's call, and hearts which press on with unflagging energy in spite of every trial. This is a depiction of how the Sphinx and the three Pyramids at Giza would align with Orion's Belt in the year 10,450 BC. Popularly known as the Dog Star, Sirius is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major and one of the nearest stars to the Sun. Shots taken between 31 December 2021, 1 and 2 January 2022. It is 1,344 light yearsdistant and at the center of the nebula are four stars, known as "The Trapezium" which help to light up much of the nebula. The primary component (Delta Ori Aa1) is part of a triple star system that also contains a hot blue B-type main sequence star (Delta Ori Aa2) and a B-type subgiant star (Delta Ori Ab).