Meissa

HR 1879 · HIP 26207 · λ Ori

👁️ Naked-eye

📋 A written introduction is coming — for now this page shows official values only.

Star

Apparent magnitude: 3.47 mag
Parallax: 2.97 mas → about 1,098.2 light-years away
Spectral type: O...
Right ascension: 83.7845°
Declination: 9.9342°
Designation: HR 1879
Bayer designation: λ Ori
HIP number: 26207
IAU name adopted: 2016-07-20
Name language: Arabic
Name origin (IAU): From the pre-Islamic Arabian name al-maisan, for either γ or ξ Gem. The meaning of the name is uncertain. It may mean "the Sparkling One," referring to a star, or "the Proudly Marching One," referring to a person. Together, γ and ξ Gem composed the pre-Islamic Arabian 6th lunar mansion alhan'a. The nearby stars λ, ϕ1, and ϕ2 Ori composed the adjacent 5th lunar mansion al-haq'a. Due to confusion between these two parent lunar mansions in a late Arabic source, "Meissa" was wrongly applied to λ Ori (rather than to γ or ξ Gem) in recent times. "Meissa" (without n at the end) corresponds to pre-Islamic Arabian almaisa', a variant form of al-maisan.

Constellation

Light from this object takes about 1,098 years to reach Earth — the light you see tonight left around AD 928 (official distance ÷ speed of light).
At magnitude 3.5 it is bright enough for the naked eye (limit about 6) — look from somewhere dark.
Declination 9.9° — it rises above the horizon in Seoul (37.6° N), so it is visible from Korea in the right season.

Worked out from this object's official values.