star · Orion · a plate in Stars
Rigel
β Orionis
12 October 2025 · 7:15 PM. She heard the Atlas in it: the difficulty of resting.
The path-bearer. Stance that moves the hunter. In Māori it is Puanga, a timekeeper of beginnings.
From the letters
“Rigel is the foot of Orion. The stance that moves the hunter.”
Astronomy · astrophysics
- Magnitude
- 0.13
- Distance
- about 860 light-years
- Spectrum
- B8 Ia
- Coordinates
- 5h 14m · −8° 12′
A blue-white supergiant with close companions; the hunter’s foot is not a single lamp.
β Ori: luminous B-type supergiant. Apparent magnitude about 0.13.
Distance on the order of 860 ly, far behind the nearer choir. Close companions: the hunter’s foot is not a single lamp.
Historical story · culture
A timekeeper of beginnings
- AotearoaPuanga is a documented Māori timekeeper, sometimes preferred to Matariki depending on latitude. The office is seasonal, not a metaphor pasted onto Orion.
Living
A foot can be a beginning. The hunter does not move without a stance.
The Capella night arrived the next day. The Book keeps the sequence.
Sources
- SIMBAD
- Gaia
- Māori astronomical tradition
Choir
Rotanev · SualocinSiriusIzar · PulcherrimaThubanCapellaRigelMeropeTolimanM42Jupiter · IoSpicaFomalhautArcturusAlhenaCanopusWorking choir · not a planetarium