Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Alpha Orionis

Alpha Orionis

1 9.5
A very bright red star in the Orion group of stars, also called Betelgeuse
  • proper noun
  • /ˈælfə ɔˈraɪənɪs/
  • Specialized
: Alpha Orionis
  • The brightness of Alpha Orionis can vary dramatically due to its size and age.

Examples

  • Many amateur astronomers easily spot Alpha Orionis in the night sky during winter.

  • Ancient cultures often used Alpha Orionis as a reference point for navigation.

  • Look! Alpha Orionis is bright!

  • Have you ever seen Alpha Orionis in the night sky?

  • Many amateur astronomers easily spot Alpha Orionis in the night sky during winter.

  • Ancient cultures often used Alpha Orionis as a reference point for navigation.

  • The brightness of Alpha Orionis can vary dramatically due to its size and age.

Synonyms

Betelgeuse
vsAlpha Orionis
2 9.9

A very large bright red star in the group of stars called Orion

is the alternative formal designation for the same star

Surface Forms

Alpha Orionis main

Morphology

alpha + Orionis

This is a conventional astronomical proper name formed from a Greek letter + a Latin genitive (Orionis = 'of Orion'), a morphological pattern unfamiliar to B1 learners and not compositional in the sense of everyday English. Knowing 'alpha' as 'first' and an unknown form 'Orionis' will not let a learner derive that it refers to a specific star (and details like brightness), so the meaning is not predictable from the constituents.

Etymology

Alpha Orionis comes from old star naming: Alpha means 'first' or 'main' and Orionis links the star to the hunter Orion, so the name points to this bright star in Orion, which astronomers also call 'Betelgeuse'.