HD 36960 (HR 1887) is a B-type main-sequence star in the

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The origins of the e ...

Orion. At an apparent magnitude of +4.78 it is easily visible to the naked eye in many areas, though in most urban areas it cannot be seen due to light pollution. Although it does not have a

Bayer Bayer AG (, commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's areas of busi ...

or Flamsteed designation, it is brighter than over 30 Flamsteed stars in Orion, as well as being brighter than any of the stars in the nearby

Orion Nebula The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976) is a diffuse nebula situated in the Milky Way, being south of Orion's Belt in the constellation of Orion. It is one of the brightest nebulae and is visible to the naked eye in the nig ...

such as θ¹ Orionis C and θ² Orionis. HD 36960 forms a close pair with the slightly fainter HD 36959 36" away. Multiple star catalogues also list the 9th magnitude BD-06°1233 as part of the system. HD 36959 is itself a very close binary with a 9th magnitude companion. All these stars are likely members of open cluster

NGC 1980 NGC 1980 (also known as OCL 529, Collinder 72 and The Lost Jewel of Orion) is a young open cluster associated with an emission nebula in the constellation Orion. It was discovered by William Herschel Frederick William Herschel (; german: ...

which includes

ι Orionis Iota Orionis (ι Orionis, abbreviated ι Ori) is a multiple star system in the equatorial constellation of Orion the hunter. It is the eighth-brightest member of Orion with an apparent visual magnitude of 2.77 and also the brightest m ...

7' away. At over 15

solar mass The solar mass () is a standard unit of mass in astronomy, equal to approximately . It is often used to indicate the masses of other stars, as well as stellar clusters, nebulae, galaxies and black holes. It is approximately equal to the mass ...

es, it shines with around 20,000 times the Sun's luminosity due to its high surface temperature of 29,000 K and radius over five times that of the sun. It is calculated to be around six million years old, consistent with other stars thought to be members of NGC 1980.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:HD 36960 Orion (constellation) B-type main-sequence stars 036960

1887 Events January–March * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Har ...

Orionis, 103 026199 Durchmusterung objects