Lepus (constellation)
Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lepus is a constellation lying just south of the celestial equator. Its name is Latin for hare. It is located below—immediately south—of Orion (the hunter), and is sometimes represented as a hare being chased by Orion or by Orion's hunting dogs.[3]
| Constellation | |
| |
| Abbreviation | Lep |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Leporis |
| Pronunciation | /ˈliːpəs/, or colloquially /ˈlɛpəs/; genitive /ˈlɛpərɪs/ |
| Symbolism | the Hare |
| Right ascension | 04h 55m 02.2311s–06h 12m 51.7500s[1] |
| Declination | −10.8138046°–−27.2787991°[1] |
| Quadrant | NQ2 |
| Area | 290 sq. deg. (51st) |
| Main stars | 8 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars | 20 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 2 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 3 |
| Brightest star | α Lep (Arneb) (2.58m) |
| Nearest star | Gliese 229[2]: 84 |
| Messier objects | 1 |
| Meteor showers | None |
| Bordering constellations | Orion Monoceros Canis Major Columba Caelum Eridanus |
| Visible at latitudes between +63° and −90°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of January. | |
Although the hare does not represent any particular figure in Greek mythology, Lepus was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations.
History and mythology
Lepus is most often represented as a hare being hunted by Orion, whose hunting dogs (Canis Major and Canis Minor) pursue it. The constellation is also associated with the Moon rabbit.[4]
Four stars of this constellation (α, β, γ, δ Lep) form a quadrilateral and are known as ‘Arsh al-Jawzā', "the Throne of Jawzā'" or Kursiyy al-Jawzā' al-Mu'akhkhar, "the Hindmost Chair of Jawzā'" and al-Nihāl, "the Camels Quenching Their Thirst" in Arabic.
Features
Stars
There are a fair number of bright stars, both single and double, in Lepus. Alpha Leporis, the brightest star of Lepus, is a white supergiant of magnitude 2.6, 1300 light-years from Earth. Its traditional name, Arneb (أرنب ’arnab), means "hare" in Arabic.[5] Beta Leporis, traditionally known as Nihal (Arabic for "quenching their thirst"),[5] is a yellow giant of magnitude 2.8, 159 light-years from Earth. Gamma Leporis is a double star divisible in binoculars. The primary is a yellow star of magnitude 3.6, 29 light-years from Earth. The secondary is an orange star of magnitude 6.2. Delta Leporis is a yellow giant of magnitude 3.8, 112 light-years from Earth. Epsilon Leporis is an orange giant of magnitude 3.2,[6] 227 light-years from Earth. Kappa Leporis is a double star divisible in medium aperture amateur telescopes, 560 light-years from Earth. The primary is a blue-white star of magnitude 4.4 and the secondary is a star of magnitude 7.4.[4]
There are several variable stars in Lepus. R Leporis is a Mira variable star. It is also called "Hind's Crimson Star" for its striking red color and because it was named for John Russell Hind. It varies in magnitude from a minimum of 9.8 to a maximum of 7.3, with a period of 420 days. R Leporis is at a distance of 1500 light-years. The color intensifies as the star brightens.[7] It can be as dim as magnitude 12 and as bright as magnitude 5.5.[4] T Leporis is also a Mira variable observed in detail by ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer.[8] RX Leporis is a semi-regular red giant that has a period of 2 months. It has a minimum magnitude of 7.4 and a maximum magnitude of 5.0.[9]
Deep-sky objects
There is one Messier object in Lepus, M79. It is a globular cluster of magnitude 8.0, 42,000 light-years from Earth. One of the few globular clusters visible in the Northern Celestial Hemisphere's winter, it is a Shapley class V cluster, which means that it has an intermediate concentration towards its center. It is often described as having a "starfish" shape.
M79 was discovered in 1780 by Pierre Méchain.[10]
