A bright fixed star in the constellation Orion, marking the middle star in Orion's Belt, visible as one of the brightest stars in the winter night sky.
From Arabic al-nilam, meaning 'the string (of pearls)' or 'thread,' referring to the appearance of the three belt stars. The name reflects how Arab astronomers poetically saw patterns in the constellations.
Alnilam is the brightest star in Orion's Belt—one of the most recognizable patterns in Earth's night sky—and its Arabic name 'the string' shows how different cultures literally saw different pictures in the same stars.
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