Heka, a blue giant star in Orion
Heka is a blue giant star in the constellation Orion. At 1,165 light years away, it is the 253rd brightest star in the Earth's sky, where it shines at an apparent visual magnitude of 3.39.
Heka (HIP 26207)
Heka is a blue giant star in the constellation Orion. At 1,165 light years away, it is the 253rd brightest star in the Earth's sky, where it shines at an apparent visual magnitude of 3.39. Heka is a multiple-star system. It is moving through the Galaxy at a speed of 30.7 km/s relative to the Sun and is part of the Orion Molecular Cloud and Collinder 69 moving groups. Its projected Galactic orbit carries it between 24,900 and 31,100 light years from the center of the Galaxy.
Sky position: RA 5h 35.1m, Dec +9° 55.8'
Common designations: Heka, Lambda Orionis, 39 Orionis, HIP 26207, HD 36861
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Brightest stars in Orion:
(list all)
| Rank | Mag. | Star |
| 2 | 0.45 | Betelgeuse |
| 3 | 1.64 | Bellatrix |
| 4 | 1.69 | Alnilam |
| 5 | 1.74 | Alnitak |
| 6 | 2.07 | Saiph |
| 7 | 2.25 | Mintaka |
| 8 | 2.75 | Hatsya |
| 9 | 3.19 | Tabit |
| 10 | 3.35 | Eta Orionis |
11
| 3.39
) Heka
| Rank | Mag. | Star |
| 12 | 3.59 | Tau Orionis |
| 13 | 3.68 | Pi-4 Orionis |
| 14 | 3.71 | Pi-5 Orionis |
| 15 | 3.77 | Sigma Orionis |
| 16 | 4.06 | Omicron-2 Orionis |
| 17 | 4.09 | Phi-2 Orionis |
| 18 | 4.12 | Mu Orionis |
Hover over other bright stars to identify or click to jump.
Galactic Orbit of Heka
(compared to the Sun)
E
ccentricity: 11.0% vs. 16.0%Angle φ : -28.9°vs. 26.0°
Semi-major axis : 8,585 pc vs. 8,686 pc
Semi-minor axis: 8,533 pc vs. 8,574 pc
Focus-to-center
: 941 pcvs. 1,388 pcSemilatus rectum : 8,481 pc vs. 8,464 pc
Perigalacticon: 7,643 pc vs. 7,297 pc
Apogalacticon
: 9,526 pcvs. 10,074 pcSome Tabulated XHIP Data for Heka
(see also: SIMBAD)
Astrometry
2007A&A...474..653V
| Position | Proper Motion | |
| Right Ascension: | 83.78449086° ±0.51 mas | -2.10 ±1.50 mas/yr. |
| Declination: | 9.93416302° ±0.32 mas | -2.90 ±1.50 mas/yr. |
| Galactic Longitude: | 195.05188679° | 1.42 mas/yr. |
| Galactic Latitude: | -11.99505842° | -3.29 mas/yr. |
Parallax: 2.97 ± 0.55 mas
Spectrography
Spectral Type: O8III 2008ApJS..176..216A.
Radial Velocity: 30.10 ±1.40 km/s [A rating] 2006AstL...32..759G.
Iron Abundance [Fe/H]:
n/a
Photometry
band
magnitude
Abs. Mag.
U
B
3.23
-4.54
V
3.39
-4.38
R
I
3.65
-4.12
J
H
K
B-V: -0.16 V-I: -0.26
Derivations
Heliocentric distance: 357.40 pc (fitted to cluster)
Galactocentric distance: 7,738 pc
Transverse velocity: 6.1 km/s
3D heliocentric position and motion:
|
toward: |
Galactic center | Galactic rotation | North Galactic Pole |
| Position ( X, Y, Z) | -337.6 pc | -90.8 pc | -74.3 pc |
| Velocity (U, V, W) | -26.7 km/s | -9.7 km/s | -11.7 km/s |