When is the best time to observe 33 Orionis?

33 Orionis is best observed from November through January, with peak visibility during December when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is 33 Orionis located in the sky?

33 Orionis lies in the constellation Orion at right ascension 05h 31m and declination +03° 18′.

What telescope do I need to split 33 Orionis?

Splitting 33 Orionis requires an aperture of roughly 150 mm or larger — the components are separated by about 1.9″ at magnitudes near 5.5. Larger apertures and steady seeing help resolve the pair cleanly.

33 Orionis — Double Star in Orion

Observable Double Star Fair (27/100)

Sep: 1.9", Companion: mag 6.7

Magnitude 5.5^m DoubleStar Orion (Ori) Visible

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Observe

1Physical Properties

Magnitude 5.46

Spectral Type B1IV+B1.5V subgiant

Star Color Blue (B-V -0.18)

Distance 3,262 ly

2Position & Identifiers

RA 05h 31m 14.5s

Dec +03° 17' 32.0"

Constellation Orion (Ori)

HR 1842

HIP 25861

HD 36351

SAO 112861

Flamsteed 33 Ori

Double Cat 4123

SIMBAD

3How easy to split?

Primary 5.5 mag Companion 6.7 mag Separation 1.9″

Telescope	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
80 mm refractor 80mm refr.	Hard	Hard	Hard
150 mm Newton 150mm Newt.	Medium+	Medium+	Medium+
Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm	Easy	Easy	Easy

Easy Medium Hard Very hard Impossible

Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs

4Visibility

Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.

Best season Nov – Jan (peak: Dec)

5Multiple Star System Triple

Components 3 (triple)

Component IDs AB

Separation 1.9″

Companion Mag 6.7

Position Angle 26°

Star Colors A: Blue B: Blue-white

Discoverer STF 729

Notes

AB fixed. Combined mag., colors.

Separation over time

Measured 1822 → 2021 (199 y)

Separation drift 2.0" → 1.9" (-0.10")

Rate -0.0005" / y

PA drift 27° → 26° (-1°, -0.005°/y)

Essentially fixed on human timescales — the same view your grandchildren will see.

Measured from the WDS observational archive. No orbital solution has been derived — most likely the period is too long to fit an orbit to the available measurement arc.