More Rigel

Rigel is one of the more impressive stars in our part of the galaxy. It’s more than 20 times as massive as the Sun, dozens of times wider, and roughly a hundred thousand times brighter. It also has a couple of impressive companions — two distant stars that pale only in comparison to Rigel itself. If Rigel has any planets, they’re probably pretty remote as well. That’s because the region around Rigel isn’t very hospitable for planets. Rigel is only about 10 million years old. That’s probably about how long it takes to make planets, so if Rigel has any planets at all, they’re quite young. But Rigel may have prevented planets from taking shape anywhere close to itself. Radiation from the star would have zapped the small grains of ice and rock that coalesce to make planets. Rigel also produces a strong “wind” of hot gas, which would have blown away any material close to the star. The combination would clear out the raw materials for planets across a wide zone. If any planets did form aroun