Showerthought: Orion's belt is not actually three stars in a straight line

I keep seeing photos where people say the three stars are perfectly aligned, but if you look close (like with a 200mm lens), Mintaka is actually a bit off. It matters because it's a double star system, not a single point. Anyone else notice this in their shots?

4 comments

4 Comments

miller.thomas8d ago

My old astronomy book always showed Orion's belt as three perfect dots. After reading this I pulled up a shot I took last year with a 250mm lens, and you can totally see Mintaka is not in line. It's maybe a pixel or two off center compared to the others. @abby_martinez I felt the same way, like my whole sky guide was wrong. It makes sense now knowing it's a double star, so the light comes from a slightly wider spot. I'll never look at that part of the sky the same way again.

abby_martinez10d ago

Wait, it's not a straight line? lmao my whole life is a lie. I've been pointing at those three stars for years telling people they're perfectly lined up. Gonna have to check my old camping photos now.

the_blake10d agoTop Commenter

Yeah, I had to crop Mintaka out of a stacked image last year for that reason. The offset becomes really obvious at longer focal lengths like you said. It's a common headache for astro shots trying to get that perfect line.

craig.viola10d ago

Actually Mintaka's the one that lines up almost perfect. The offset comes from Alnitak being further east. @the_blake is right about the cropping headache though, it's always the tricky one in the belt.