An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

Three prominent stars in the central regions of the constellation → Orion that align to form the “belt” of the mythological Hunter. They are → Alnitak (ζ Ori), → Alnilam (ε Ori), and → Mintaka (δ Ori). The easternmost star Alnitak is separated from the middle one, Alnilam, by 1°.36, and the westernmost Mintaka has an angular distance of 1°.23 from Alnilam. Their distance is between 800 and 1,300 → light-years from Earth. They probably formed inside the same → molecular cloud less than 10 million years ago.

See also: → Orion; → belt.