Orion's Belt

The Orion's Belt is an asterism, a star pattern that is not one of the 88 official constellations, made of three stars in Orion. Its brightest star is Alnilam (magnitude 1.7), and it is best seen in the evening in January.

Free to use with credit: Atlas of the Sky (constellationmap.org), CC BY 4.0 · More

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<a href="https://constellationmap.org/asterisms/orions-belt/"><img src="https://constellationmap.org/img/asterisms/orions-belt-star-map.png" alt="Orion's Belt star map: the three stars Alnilam, Alnitak and Mintaka connected by lines and labeled, with the surrounding constellations" width="800" height="800" loading="lazy"></a>
<br><small><a href="https://constellationmap.org/asterisms/orions-belt/">Orion's Belt</a> · Atlas of the Sky (constellationmap.org), <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a></small>

How to find Orion's Belt, step by step

Three stars in a row, and where they point.

On winter evenings look south for three bright stars in a short straight row: Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka.
Up and to the right the belt points to orange Aldebaran in Taurus.
Down and to the left it points to Sirius, the brightest star of the night sky.

How to use it

Follow the belt down and to the left to Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, and up and to the right to Aldebaran in Taurus.

How to find the Orion's Belt

From 40° N (the USA, southern Europe, Japan) it is highest in the south, about 49° above the horizon, in January evenings. From 35° S (Australia, South Africa, Argentina) it reaches about 56° in the north.

Stars of the Orion's Belt

Star	Designation	Magnitude	Distance	Constellation
Alnilam	ε Orionis	1.7	1,194 ly	Orion
Alnitak	ζ Orionis	2.05	969 ly	Orion
Mintaka	δ Orionis	2.23	—	Orion

Questions about the Orion's Belt

Is the Orion's Belt a constellation?

No. The Orion's Belt is an asterism: its stars belong to the constellation Orion, one of the 88 constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union.

What is the brightest star of the Orion's Belt?

Alnilam, with an apparent magnitude of 1.7, about 1,194 light-years away.

When can I see the Orion's Belt?

It is highest in the evening sky in January.