Rigel

Proper names: Rigel, Beta Orionis, 19 Orionis, Regel, Riglon, Algebar, Rijl Jauzah al Yusra
Catalog numbers:
Henry Draper (HD) 34085, Bonner Durchmusterung (BD) -8°1063, Aitken Double Star (ADS) 3823, Hoffleit Bright Star (HR) 1713, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) 131907, Fifth Fundamental Catalogue (FK5) 194, New Suspected Variable (NSV) 1882, Hipparcos Input Catalog (HIC) 24436, Caltech 2-microns Survey (IRC) -10085
Age: Extremely young (Rigel A is either pre-main-sequence or post-main-sequence)
Arity: trinary
Right Ascension and Declination: 5h14m33.268s, -8°12'5.98" (epoch 2000.0)
Distance from Sol: 733 light-years (225 parsecs)
Standard error in distance: 16.1034%
Source for distance: Hipparcos
Celestial (X,Y,Z) coordinates in ly: 143, 711, -105
Galactic (X,Y,Z) coordinates in ly: -580, -328, -306
Proper motion: 0.001 arcsec/yr (90.0° from north)
Radial Velocity: 20.7 km/sec
Source for proper motion and radial velocity: Hipparcos Input Catalog
Galactic (U,V,W) velocity components in km/s: -16, -9.9, -7.8

What do all these fields mean?

Data for A and (B-C)'s orbit around one other:
Combined absolute visual magnitude: -6.62
Combined visual luminosity: 38771 x Sol
Observed Separation: 2022 A.U.s
Year of separation observation: 1831
Source for orbit data: Struve
As seen from A:
(B-C) would appear as magnitude -15.10
As seen from (B-C):
A would appear as magnitude -21.66

Data for B and C's orbit around one other:
Combined spectrum: B9 V
Combined absolute visual magnitude: -0.06
Combined visual luminosity: 92 x Sol
Period: 9.85992 days
Semimajor Axis: 0.2 A.U.s
Eccentricity: 0.1
Periastron distance: 0.18 A.U.s
Apastron distance: 0.22 A.U.s
Source for orbit data: Burnham's Celestial Handbook
Comfort Zone (visual) around both: 9.6 A.U.s
As seen from B:
     At periastron, C would appear as magnitude -34.60
     At apastron, C would appear as magnitude -34.17
As seen from C:
     At periastron, B would appear as magnitude -34.60
     At apastron, B would appear as magnitude -34.17

Component A:
Spectral class: B8
Luminosity Class: Ia
Apparent visual magnitude: +0.14
Absolute visual magnitude: -6.62
Visual luminosity: 38679 x Sol
Color indices: B-V= +0.00
Mass: 17 x Sol
Diameter: 62 x Sol
Source for diameter: Apparent Diameters and Absolute Radii of Stars (Fracassini+ 1988)
Comfort Zone (visual): 197 A.U.s
Orbital period in CZ: 668.935 years
Tidal index in CZ: 0.000002
Angular size of star in sky in CZ: 0.168246 degrees

Component B:
Apparent visual magnitude: +7.45
Absolute visual magnitude: +0.69
Visual luminosity: 46 x Sol
Mass: 4 x Sol
Diameter: 3.5 x Sol
Source for diameter: Burnham's Celestial Handbook
Comfort Zone (visual): 6.8 A.U.s
Orbital period in CZ: 8.84037 years
Tidal index in CZ: 0.012796
Angular size of star in sky in CZ: 0.274928 degrees

Component C:
Apparent visual magnitude: +7.45
Absolute visual magnitude: +0.69
Visual luminosity: 46 x Sol
Mass: 4 x Sol
Diameter: 3.5 x Sol
Source for diameter: Burnham's Celestial Handbook
Comfort Zone (visual): 6.8 A.U.s
Orbital period in CZ: 8.84037 years
Tidal index in CZ: 0.012796
Angular size of star in sky in CZ: 0.274928 degrees

Data for this star system were most recently updated on 16-February-2002.