Meissa — Double Star in Orion
Lambda Ori (BS1879)
About Meissa
Description
Meissa, Lambda Orionis, is an O-type giant star of spectral class O8 III about 466 light-years away — the head of Orion. Meissa anchors a young star-forming region known as the Lambda Orionis Association (or Collinder 69), illuminating a large H-alpha emission ring. Meissa itself is a close binary with a B-type companion. Combined magnitude is 3.54.
Observing Tips
Meissa marks the head of Orion, a small triangle of stars just north of the more obvious belt-and-shoulders region. In a telescope Meissa reveals its close B-type companion at about 4.4 arcseconds — a fine double for any small scope at 100x. The surrounding Lambda Ori ring is visible in long-exposure H-alpha imagery. Best observed November through March.
History
The name Meissa comes from the Arabic "al-maysa'," meaning "the shining one." The head of Orion is distinct from the more-famous belt and shoulder stars, but pre-Islamic astronomy traced the full figure of a celestial hunter or giant through this region.
Fun Facts
The Meissa association (Collinder 69) includes hundreds of young stars in various evolutionary stages, making it one of the closest well-studied examples of a recent star-forming region. Meissa's O-type primary is only about 5 million years old — a mere blink in stellar time. The star will explode as a supernova within a few million years.
Observe
1Physical Properties
2Position & Identifiers
3How easy to split?
| Telescope | Bortle 3 | Bortle 4 | Bortle 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 mm refractor 80mm refr. | Medium+ | Medium+ | Medium+ |
| 150 mm Newton 150mm Newt. | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm | Easy | Easy | Easy |
Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs
4Visibility
Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.
5Light Curve
6Multiple Star System Quadruple F: optical
Separation over time
Slow change over generations — observable in lifetime comparisons.
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.
Eyepiece View
A: 3.5 · B: 5.5 · Sep: 4.1″ · PA: 43° · N up, E right
Resolved · Rayleigh: 2.3″ · Dawes: 1.9″ · Eff: 2.3″
Explore
8
Size Comparison
9
Compare Stars
10
Spectral Classification
11
Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
12
Stellar Lifecycle
13
Blackbody Spectrum
14
Stellar Absorption Spectrum
Simulated absorption spectrum based on spectral type. Hover over lines to identify elements.
15
Stellar Fusion
Discover
16Stellar Notes
17
Light Travel Time Machine
18
Relativistic Travel
Nearby in the Sky
Other targets within a few degrees — pan your scope a little and keep exploring.
Visibility scores assume a 150 mm Newton at Bortle 4.
Explore Nightbase
Related knowledge, tools, and stories — no observation planning required.
