Delta Orionis (Mintaka)
By: Yash Sharma
Introduction to Delta Orionis
Delta Orionis or otherwise known as, Mintaka is the 7th brightest star seen by the naked eye in the Orion constellation. It is the 73rd brightest star in the sky. The Orion constellation if put together, makes a hunter. Delta Orionis is actually part of a binary star system at the western end of Orion's belt. The 2 stars orbit each other every 5.73 days.
Surface Temprature
luminosity/Size
Delta Orionis (Mintaka) is about 90,000 times more luminous than the sun. This is because it is way bigger than the sun. It has a mass of 20 solar masses.
History/ future....
Johannes Hartmann, a German Astronaut discovered Mintaka in 1904. He saw some absorptions in the star's spectrum which would not be made by the binary system because of this discovery and many others. We now can conclude that the whole galaxy is consisted of very complex mixtures of gas and dust. These are what you, and everything in the galaxy is made up of. After Delta Orionis becomes a supernova, it will again create the building blocks of life (the complex mixture of gas and dirt).
Absolute Magnatude/Apparent Magnatude/Distance
The absolute magnitude of Delta Orionis is -4.99. The lower the magnitude is, the brighter the star is. The apparent magnitude of this star is 2.25. Mintaka is also 916 light years away from us, where as the sun is so close to us that it only takes 8 minutes for the sunlight to reach us.
Spectral Class/Color/Age
Stellar Evolution
Possible Future of Mintaka
Possible Future of Mintaka
Possible Future of Mintaka
Power Words!!!
- Solar Mass: 1.989 × 1030 kg.
- Binary Star System: Stars that orbit each other.
- Absolute Magnitude: The brightness of a star or other celestial body as viewed by a telescope or any other device.
- Apparent Magnitude:The brightness of a star or other celestial body as viewed by the unaided eye.
- Stellar Evolution: The process by which a star undergoes a sequence of radical changes during its lifetime.
- Light Year: How much time (year/s) it takes light to go from one place to another.