(Astronomy)

Bellatrix, or Gamma Orionis, is the third brightest star in the constellation Orion, forming his left shoulder.

It's a blue-white supergiant of magnitude 1.64, and spectral type B2III. Its position on the sky is; RA 5h25m7.9s, Dec 6° 20' 59''. It's approximately 470 light-years from Earth, and about 4000 times brighter than our Sun.

The name Bellatrix derives from Latin word meaning "female warrior." Its Arabic name meant "the leader," because it was the first of the constellation's bright stars to rise in the sky. In other Arab legends, the star is called a roaring lion. The star is sometimes referred to as the Amazon Star. Cultures that originated along the Amazon River pictured the star as a young boy in a canoe; another star in the constellation, Betelgeuse, was depicted as an old man.

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