The original Hipparcos data from 1997 listed Bellatrix as lying 243.04 [[light year]]s from [[Earth]].<ref name=universeguide/> However the more recent 2007 release suggests it is slightly further away at 252.45 light years. The star is fairly large, with a mass 8-9 that of the [[Sun]] and a radius 3.18 times greater. Being larger, it emits around 6,400 times as much energy as the Sun.<ref name=constellation-guide/> | The original Hipparcos data from 1997 listed Bellatrix as lying 243.04 [[light year]]s from [[Earth]].<ref name=universeguide/> However the more recent 2007 release suggests it is slightly further away at 252.45 light years. The star is fairly large, with a mass 8-9 that of the [[Sun]] and a radius 3.18 times greater. Being larger, it emits around 6,400 times as much energy as the Sun.<ref name=constellation-guide/> |