RIGEL

also called Beta Orionis one of the brightest stars in the sky, intrinsically as well as in appearance. A blue-white supergiant in the constellation Orion, Rigel is probably about 600 light-years from the Sun and is about 25,000 times as luminous. A companion star, also bluish white, is of the sixth magnitude. The name Rigel derives from an Arabic term meaning the left leg of the giant, referring to the figure of Orion.