Mintaka /ˈmɪntəkə/,[13] designation Delta Orionis (δ Orionis, abbreviated Delta Ori, δ Ori) and 34 Orionis (34 Ori), is a multiple star system some 1,200 light-years from the Sun in the constellation of Orion. Together with Alnitak (Zeta Orionis) and Alnilam (Epsilon Orionis), the three stars form Orion's Belt, known by many names among ancient cultures. The star is located very close to the celestial equator. When Orion is near the meridian, Mintaka is the rightmost of the Belt's stars when viewed from the Northern Hemisphere facing south
Mintaka Ab is the second brightest star and the second hottest, being around 63.000 times more luminous than the Sun, with temperatures at about 28.400 K, thus 4.9 times hotter. It is a subgiant star of spectral class B0IV, and it spins even faster than Mintaka Aa1, at 220 km / 136.7 mi per second.
The three belt stars were collectively known by many names in many cultures. Arabic terms include Al Nijād 'the Belt', Al Nasak 'the Line', Al Alkāt 'the Golden Grains or Nuts', and, in modern Arabic, Al Mīzān al Ḥakk 'the Accurate Scale Beam'. In Chinese mythology, they were also known as the Weighing Beam.[citation needed]
In Chinese, 參宿 (Shēn Sù), meaning Three Stars (asterism), refers to an asterism consisting of Mintaka, Alnilam, and Alnitak (Orion's Belt), with Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, Saiph and Rigel later added.[26] Consequently, the Chinese name for Mintaka is 參宿三 (Shēn Sù sān, English: the Third Star of Three Stars).[27] It is one of the western mansions of the White Tiger.
Mintaka Aa2 is the third brightest star of the system, and the third hottest. It is 16.000 times more luminous than the Sun, with temperatures at around 25.600 K, thus it is 4.4 times hotter than our Sun. Mintaka Aa2 is a giant star of spectral type B1V and it is also the second-fastest rotating star, spinning with a speed of about 150 km / 93 mi per second.
HD 36485 is the fourth brightest star in the Mintaka system, and the fourth hottest. It is 3.300 times more luminous than our Sun, with temperatures reaching 18.400 K, thus it is 3.1 times hotter. HD 36485 is a main-sequence star with a spectral classification of class B.
Mintaka B is the faintest star of the system. Its surface temperatures are colder than our Sun's, around 5.324 K. Mintaka B is a 14th magnitude star.
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