Orion’s Belt: Alnitak, Alnilam & Mintaka + Nebulae

This frame features the full brilliance of Orion’s Belt—three bright, blue supergiant stars:

Alnitak (bottom-right): The easternmost and closest of the three.
Alnilam (center): The middle star and the most luminous of the trio, shining from 2,000 light-years away.
Mintaka (top-left): The westernmost, sitting on the celestial equator, and often the first to rise in the east.

Near Alnitak, you’ll also spot: The glowing Flame Nebula, and the shadowy silhouette of the Horsehead Nebula, set against a glowing wall of gas known as IC 434.