(from Arabic bat al-dshauza , "the giant's shoulder") Brightest star in the constellation Orion, marking the hunter's eastern shoulder.
About 430 light-years from Earth, Betelgeuse is easily identifiable by its brightness, its position in brilliant Orion, and its deep reddish colour. It is a red supergiant star , one of the largest known; its diameter is roughly 500 times that of the Sun.