The traditional name Rigel has two derivations of Arabic:
- 'Rijl Jauzah al Yusrā', which means 'the left leg-foot of Jauzah'.
- رجل الجبار 'Riǧl Al-ǧabbār', meaning 'leg-foot of the great one' (in the Alphonsine tables of the thirteenth century, the name was divided into two, giving the form to the current name: 'Rigel' and 'Algebar').
The main component of the system is a blue supergiant of spectral type B8 Ia, with a surface temperature of 11,500 K. It is a very massive star (18 solar masses) and has a luminosity 50,000 times greater than that of the Sun (if considered also the ultraviolet spectrum, its luminosity would be 85,000 times higher than that of the Sun). If it were located in the center of the solar system, its radius would extend to Mercury's orbit.
Two binary stars, separated from each other by about 100 AU and of magnitude +6.7, orbit around Rigel at a distance of about 2500 AU. Besides, a fourth star orbits at a distance of 11500 AU, with a period of about 250,000 years.
It is located in the longitude 77.1º (17º 6' Gemini; semiseptile 77º08' [=biseptile 102º51' > 0º Libra], 0º02' orb), and latitude -31.1º (28º53' Aquarius; (bi)trevigintile@31º18', 0º11' orb; semisextile 30º [=trine 120º > 0º Cancer/Scorpio], 1º07' orb).
And in the right ascension 78.6º (18º38' 3rd House; (penta)trevigintile@78º16', 0º22' orb; (hepta)cuartioctile@78º45', 0º07' orb) and declination -8.2º (21º48' 12th House).
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| "The Prince of Egipt" (1998) |
Rigel is a star that reminds the planets Neptune and Pluto. The symbolic image "the left leg-foot of the great one", refers to a person with the capacity to argue and reason ('left'), with a great influence ('the great one') over a very wide territory ('leg-foot') ), and reminds the political candidates that during election campaigns they give speeches throughout the country, covering even small towns.
Rigel is related with an amazing capacity to influence and persuade, thanks to its high vibrations and the constancy and amplitude of its diffusion.
Julianna Margulies, actress of the TV series "The Good Wife" (2009), has Rigel in Gemini (12th Moon-Node House) in conjunction with the Sun, and in square with Uranus-Pluto in Virgo (9th Moon-Node House).
Liz Green, astrologer and author of astrology books and seminars, has Rigel in Gemini (1st Moon-Node House) in conjunction with the Lunar Node, and in square with Mars in Libra (10th Moon-Node House).
