Bellatrix

Bellatrix, also known by its Bayer designation Gamma Orionis (γ Ori, γ Orionis), is the third brightest star in the constellation Orion, the twenty-seventh brightest star in the night sky, and one of the brightest second-magnitude stars.

The name Bellatrix is Latin for female warrior. It is also known as the Amazon Star. It was once thought to belong to the Orion OB1 Association along with the "Orion's Belt" stars ζ Ori (Alnitak), ε Ori (Alnilam), and δ Ori (Mintaka), but this is no longer believed to be the case, as Gamma Orionis is now known to be much closer than the rest of the group, lying 245 light years away.

Historically this star was used as a luminosity standard to compare with other stars to check for variability, but it was later discovered that Bellatrix itself is an eruptive variable, changing in luminosity by a few percent over time. It ranges in apparent magnitude from 1.59 to 1.64. It has an absolute magnitude of -2.72.