World War II and sunk in 1944 while being used to transport prisoners of war. Two US Navy ships have borne the name USS Rigel. The SSM-N-6 Rigel was a cruise missile program for the US Navy that was cancelled in 1953 before reaching deployment. The Rigel Skerries are a chain of small islands in Antarctica, renamed after originally being called Utskjera. They were given their current name as Rigel was used as an astrofix. Mount Rigel, elevation , is also in Antarctica. Due to its brightness and its recognizable name, Rigel is also a popular fixture in science fiction. Fictional depictions of Rigel can be found in Star Trek, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Simpsons and many more books, films, and games. See also Orion (Chinese astronomy) Notes References External links December double star of the monthbeta Orionis Astronomical Society of Southern Africa My Favorite Double Star AAVSO B-type supergiants B-type main-sequence stars Alpha Cygni variables Multiple star systems Orion (constellation) Arabic words and phrases Orionis, Beta BD-08 1063 Orionis, 19 034085 024436 Stars named from the Arabic language