Meissa (Lambda Orionis)
A binary star in the constellation Orion consisting
of a hot (35,000 K) and luminous (65,000 Lsun) O
star, of about 25 solar masses located 4" away from a B
star (25,000 K, 5,500 Lsun). Meissa (also known as Hatya)
is best-known for a huge surrounding ring of gas, called Sh2-264 or the
Meissa Ring, an astonishing 150 light-years across that is ionized
by the star. Sh2-264 is itself set within an even larger ring of interstellar
dust and molecules. These structures may be composed of material left over
from the formation of Meissa that has been compressed by the action of the
O star. Alternatively, it's possible they were created from the blast of
another star that exploded in the neighborhood of Meissa a few million years
ago.
| visual magnitude |
3.39 |
| absolute magnitude |
-4.16 |
| distance |
1,060 light-years |
| position |
R.A. 05h 35m 08s,
Dec. +09° 56' 03" |
Related category
• NOTABLE
STARS
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