The constellation easily recognized by its three-star belt is Orion.
Orion’s Belt is a compact line of three bright stars within Orion: Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. Their nearly equal spacing makes the pattern one of the most recognizable sights in the night sky, helping observers identify the larger hourglass-shaped constellation around it.
The belt is an asterism rather than a separate constellation. Four bright stars—Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, Saiph, and Rigel—form Orion’s surrounding figure, traditionally imagined as a hunter. Below the belt hangs Orion’s Sword, whose middle “star” is actually the Orion Nebula, a vast stellar nursery.
The belt has many cultural names, including the Three Kings, the Three Sisters, and Las Tres Marías. Scorpius and Taurus are neighboring constellations often associated with Orion’s myths, but neither has this distinctive three-star belt. Canis Major is nearby and contains Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.