Mintaka

Coordinates: Sky map 05h 32m 00.4s, −00° 17′ 57″
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Mintaka (disambiguation).
Mintaka

Orion's Belt (composed of the three brightest stars shown), Mintaka being the rightmost, on the west side
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Orion
δ Ori A (Aa1 + Aa2 + Ab)
Right ascension 05h 32m 00.40009s[1]
Declination −00° 17′ 56.7424″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) 2.23[2] (2.50 + 3.90[3])
δ Ori B
Right ascension 05h 31m 58.745s[4]
Declination −00° 18′ 18.65″[4]
Apparent magnitude (V) 14.0[5]
HD 36485
Right ascension 05h 32m 00.406s[6]
Declination −00° 17′ 04.38″[6]
Apparent magnitude (V) 6.85[5]
Characteristics
A
Spectral type O9.5II + B1V +B0IV[7]
U−B color index −1.05[2]
B−V color index −0.22[2]
Variable type
Eclipsing binary[8]
C
Spectral type B3V + A0V[9]
U−B color index −0.71[10]
B−V color index −0.16[10]
Distance
1,200[7] ly
(380[7] pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)−5.8[5]
δ Ori Aa1
Absolute magnitude (MV)−5.4[5]
δ Ori Aa2
Absolute magnitude (MV)−2.9[5]
δ Ori Ab
Absolute magnitude (MV)−4.2[5]
HD 36485
Distance
1,240 ± 30 ly
(381 ± 8 pc)
Argument of periastron
(ω)
(secondary)		141.3±0.2°
Argument of periastron
(ω)
(secondary)		259±2°
Details
δ Ori Aa1
Rotational velocity (v sin i)
150±50[7] km/s
δ Ori Ab
Rotational velocity (v sin i)
220±20[7] km/s
δ Ori B
Radius0.77[14] R☉
Luminosity0.431[14] L☉
Temperature5,324[14] K
HD 36485
Mass6-11[15] M☉
Radius5.7[16] R☉
Luminosity3,300[16] L☉
Surface gravity (log g)4.41[16] cgs
Temperature18,400[16] K
CCDM
 J05320-0018C
Database references
SIMBADdata
δ Ori B
HD 36485

Mintaka /ˈmɪntəkə/,[17] designation Delta Orionis (δ Orionis, abbreviated Delta Ori, δ Ori) and 34 Orionis (34 Ori), is a multiple star system some 1,200 light-years from the Sun in the constellation of Orion. Together with Alnitak (Zeta Orionis) and Alnilam (Epsilon Orionis), the three stars form Orion's Belt, known by many names among ancient cultures. The star is located very close to the celestial equator. When Orion is near the meridian, Mintaka is the rightmost of the Belt's stars when viewed from the Northern Hemisphere facing south.

Nomenclature

Delta Orionis is the star's

Working Group on Star Names (WGSN)[19] to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN's first bulletin of July 2016[20] included a table of the first two batches of names approved by the WGSN, which included Mintaka for this star. It is now so entered in the IAU Catalog of Star Names.[21]

Observational history

Location of δ Orionis (circled), as shown in a conventional star chart with north up
Location of δ Orionis (circled), as shown in a conventional star chart with north up

Mintaka is the westernmost of the three stars of Orion's belt. It is easily visible to the naked eye, one of the

brightest stars
in the sky, and has been known since antiquity.

stellar spectrum did not share in the periodic displacements of the lines due to orbital motion of the star and theorized that there was a cloud in the line of sight to Mintaka that contained calcium. This was the first detection of the interstellar medium.[23]

System

δ Orionis is a

arcseconds away from the second-magnitude primary and a much fainter star in between. The system is designated WDS 05320-0018 in the Washington Double Star Catalog, with the 14th-magnitude companion listed as component B and the seventh-magnitude star as component C.[24]

A green band light curve for Delta Orionis, plotted from data published by Koch and Hrivnak (1981)[25]

The primary component is itself a triple system: a

main-sequence star orbit every 5.73 days and exhibit shallow eclipses when the star dims about 0.2 of a magnitude,[8] and a B-class subgiant is resolved 0.26" away.[3] At the primary eclipse, the apparent magnitude (of the whole system) drops from 2.23 to 2.35, while it only drops to 2.29 at the secondary eclipse.[26]

The outer star of the triple system orbits the inner pair once every 53,839 days (147.40 yr). The orbit is quite eccentric, with the separation varying between 8,244 solar radii (38.34 au) and 31,832 solar radii (148.03 au).[9]

The seventh-magnitude companion, HD 36485, is a

absorption lines. It has a strong magnetic field and a very slow rotational velocity that produces chemical stratification in its atmosphere, which leads to the unusual abundances seen in the spectrum.[15]

The 14th-magnitude companion is thought to be around the same distance and is a somewhat cooler and less luminous star than the Sun.[14]

Mintaka is surrounded by a cluster of faint stars, possibly part of the cluster surrounding

σ Ori.[27]

Distance

The distance derived from the

mas,[12] consistent with the distances derived by other methods but disagreeing with the Hipparcos-derived value for the primary.[1]

The Gaia DR3 parallax for component B is 3.5002″±0.0119″, strongly suggesting it is considerably closer than the other members of the system and merely a chance alignment.

K-type main sequence star.[9]

Etymology and cultural significance

Mintaka was seen by astrologers as a portent of good fortune.[18]

Orion's Belt

Main article: Orion's Belt
Dunhuang Star Atlas – Orion

The three belt stars were collectively known by many names in many cultures. Arabic terms include Al Nijād 'the Belt', Al Nasak 'the Line', Al Alkāt 'the Golden Grains or Nuts', and, in modern Arabic, Al Mīzān al Ḥakk 'the Accurate Scale Beam'. In Chinese mythology, they were also known as the Weighing Beam.[citation needed]

In

Chinese name for Mintaka is 參宿三 (Shēn Sù sān, English: the Third Star of Three Stars).[30] It is one of the western mansions of the White Tiger
.

Namesakes

The

USS Mintaka (AK-94) was a United States Navy Crater-class cargo ship
named after the star.

See also

  • Mintaka in fiction

References

  1. ^
    S2CID 18759600. Vizier catalog entry
  2. ^
    Bibcode:1991bsc..book.....H
    .
  3. ^
    doi:10.1051/aas:1997181
    .
  4. ^
    Bibcode:2012yCat.1322....0Z
    .
  5. ^
    S2CID 118957476
    .
  6. ^
    doi:10.1888/0333750888/2862
    .
  7. ^
    S2CID 14909574
    .
  8. ^
    Bibcode:2009yCat....102025S
    .
  9. ^
    S2CID 256226821
    .
  10. ^
    doi:10.1051/0004-6361/200810788
    .
  11. S2CID 119387088
    .
  12. ^
    S2CID 244398875
    . Gaia DR3 record for this source at VizieR.
  13. ^
    S2CID 17339779
    .
  14. ^
    doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201833051. Gaia DR2 record for this source at VizieR
    .
  15. ^
    doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.15858.x
    .
  16. ^
    Bibcode:1997A&A...324..949Z
    .
  17. S2CID 120743052
    .
  18. ^
    ISBN 1-931559-44-9
    .
  19. ^ "IAU Working Group on Star Names (WGSN)". Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  20. ^ "Bulletin of the IAU Working Group on Star Names, No. 1" (PDF). Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  21. ^ "IAU Catalog of Star Names". Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  22. Bibcode:1900Obs....23..148D
    .
  23. ^
    doi:10.1086/141112
    .
  24. doi:10.1086/323920
    .
  25. doi:10.1086/159148
    . Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  26. S2CID 17089387
    .
  27. S2CID 16175953
    .
  28. S2CID 244398875
    . Gaia DR3 record for this source at VizieR.
  29. ISBN 978-986-7332-25-7
  30. ^ (in Chinese) AEEA (Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy) 天文教育資訊網 2006 年 5 月 25 日

External links

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