Rigel: how to find it and when to see it
Rigel ranks 7th of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 0.18, in the constellation Orion.
You can see it from anywhere south of 82° N, and it's highest in the evening sky in January.
Rigel at a glance
- Constellation
- Orion
- Magnitude
- 0.18
- Rank on our list
- 7 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Southern
- Right ascension
- 5 h 15 min
- Declination
- 8.2° south
- Visible from
- south of 82° N
- Never sets
- south of 82° S
- Best evening
- January 24
- Name from
- Arabic
Where Rigel is in the sky
Rigel sits 8.2° south of the celestial equator, the line in the sky directly above Earth's equator, so it's in the southern half of the sky. Its right ascension is 5 h 15 min.
Right ascension works like longitude on the sky. It's counted in hours, and about one hour of it turns past you each hour of the night.
When and where to see Rigel
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Rigel rises in the east, climbs to 42° above the horizon in the south and sets in the west.
It's in the evening sky from November to March, and it's highest in the evening around January 24, in winter.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Rigel rises in the east, climbs to 64° above the horizon in the north and sets in the west.
It's in the evening sky from November to April, and it's highest in the evening around January 24, in summer.
How high Rigel climbs from each latitude
The evening is about 9 pm local time, or 10 pm during daylight saving time, and later when the sky is still too bright. A star counts as in the evening sky when it's at least 10° above the horizon.
| Latitude | Visibility | Highest point | Evening sky |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60° N | Rises and sets | 22° in the south | Dec to Mar |
| 50° N | Rises and sets | 32° in the south | Dec to Mar |
| 40° N | Rises and sets | 42° in the south | Nov to Mar |
| 30° N | Rises and sets | 52° in the south | Nov to Mar |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 62° in the south | Nov to Mar |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 82° in the south | Nov to Mar |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 78° in the north | Nov to Apr |
| 34° S | Rises and sets | 64° in the north | Nov to Apr |
| 45° S | Rises and sets | 53° in the north | Nov to Apr |
What the name Rigel means
Rigel comes from the Arabic rijl al-jawzāʾ, the foot of al-Jawzāʾ, an old Arabic name for the figure of Orion. It marks Orion's left foot.
Keep the sky of a night that matters
Our star maps show the stars above any place, at the minute you choose, with the constellation lines drawn in. If Rigel was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Rigel
Rigel is in Orion. It sits 8.2° south of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 5 h 15 min.
Rigel is highest in the evening sky around January 24. That's winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere south of 82° N. From 40° N, it climbs to 42° above the horizon in the south.
Rigel has a magnitude of 0.18, which ranks it 7th of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 4.4 times brighter.
Rigel comes from the Arabic rijl al-jawzāʾ, the foot of al-Jawzāʾ, an old Arabic name for the figure of Orion. It marks Orion's left foot.