SkyRef / Star patterns

Orion's Belt

An asterism in Orion, formed from 3 stars. Not one of the 88 constellations.

The pattern

Stars in the figure3
Brightestmagnitude 1.70
Sits inOrion
Right ascension5.6h
Declination-1°

What to look for

Three bright stars in a near-perfect line, spaced almost evenly. Nothing else in the sky looks like it, which is why it is the pattern most people can find first.

Orion's Belt is centred near right ascension 5.6 hours, declination -1°. It straddles the celestial equator, so it is visible from essentially anywhere on Earth at the right time of year.

Asterism, not constellation

The International Astronomical Union recognises 88 constellations, and they divide the whole sky between them like countries on a map. Orion's Belt is not one of them — it is a pattern picked out of Orion. That makes it an asterism: a shape people recognise and name, with no official standing whatsoever.

The distinction matters less than it sounds. Asterisms are usually easier to find than the constellations containing them, which is exactly why they survive.

Find it tonight

SkyRef can draw Orion's Belt in its real position for wherever you are — switch on the asterism layer and it appears dashed across the constellations it runs through.

Open the live sky map →

Other star patterns

the Big Dipperthe Little DipperOrion's Beltthe Summer Trianglethe Winter Hexagonthe Great Square of Pegasusthe Teapotthe Sicklethe Northern Crossthe Wthe Keystonethe False Crossthe Southern Pointers