U Orionis (also HIP 28041, HD 39816, Nova Ori 1885 and SAO 77730) is a Mira-type long period variable star located 997.56 light-years away in the constellation Orion. It has a magnitude range of +4.8 and +13.0, with a period of 372.4 days. The variable star was discovered by amateur Irish astronomer John Ellard Gore (1845-1910) on the 13th December 1885, and initially was thought to be a nova (Nova Ori 1885) in the early stages of decline, but a spectrum taken at Harvard showed features similar to that of Mira. Thus U Orionis became the first long period variable to be identified by a photograph of its spectrum.
Right ascension05h 55m 49.1689s, Declination+20° 10' 30.687"