Lepus (constellation)

Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere

Not to be confused with the constellation Lupus, the wolf.

LepusConstellation

List of stars in Lepus

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)
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.

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.[2]

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

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Lepus as seen in Urania's Mirror (1825)

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.[3]

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

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### Stars

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See also: List of stars in Lepus

The constellation Lepus as it can be seen by the naked eye

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.[4] Beta Leporis, traditionally known as Nihal (Arabic for "quenching their thirst"),[4] 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,[5] 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.[3]

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.[6] It can be as dim as magnitude 12 and as bright as magnitude 5.5.[3] T Leporis is also a Mira variable observed in detail by ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer.[7] 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.[8]

### Deep-sky objects

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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.[9]

## See also

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* Lepus (Chinese astronomy)
* List of star names in Lepus

## References

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### Inline citations

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1. ^ a b IAU, The Constellations, Lepus.
2. ^ "Sky & Telescope: March 2008", Southern Hemisphere Highlights: by Shermend
3. ^ a b c Ridpath & Tirion 2001, pp. 170–171.
4. ^ a b "IAU Working Group on Star Names (WGSN)". Retrieved 22 May 2016.
5. ^ Gutierrez-Moreno, Adelina; et al. (1966). "A System of photometric standards". Publicaciones Universidad de Chile. 1: 1–17\. Bibcode:1966PDAUC...1....1G.
6. ^ Levy 2005, p. [page needed].
7. ^ Unique Details Of Double Star In Orion Nebula And Star T Leporis Captured By 'Virtual' Telescope. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 19, 2009, [1]
8. ^ Ridpath & Tirion 2001, p. [page needed].
9. ^ Levy 2005, pp. 160–161.

### Sources referenced

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* "Lepus". The Constellations. International Astronomical Union.
* Allen, R. H. (1899). Star-names and Their Meanings. New York: G. E. Stechart.
* Kunitzsch, P.; Smart T. (2006). A Dictionary of Modern Star Names: A Short Guide to 254 Star Names and Their Derivations. Cambridge (USA): Sky Publishing Corp.
* Levy, David H. (2005). Deep Sky Objects. Prometheus Books. ISBN 1-59102-361-0.
* Ridpath, Ian; Tirion, Wil (2001), Stars and Planets Guide, Princeton University Press, ISBN 0-691-08913-2
* Ridpath, Ian & Tirion, Wil (2007). Stars and Planets Guide, Collins, London. ISBN 978-0-00-725120-9. Princeton University Press, Princeton. ISBN 978-0-691-13556-4.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Lepus (constellation) (category)

* Hundred metre virtual telescope captures unique detailed colour image — ESO's Organisational Release
* The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Lepus
* Ian Ridpath's Star Tales – Lepus
* Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (medieval and early modern images of Lepus)

* v
* t
* e

Constellation of Lepus

* Lepus in Chinese astronomy
* List of star names in Lepus
* List of stars in Lepus

Stars|

| Bayer|

* α (Arneb)
* β (Nihal)
* γ
* δ
* ε
* ζ
* η
* θ
* ι
* κ
* λ
* μ
* ν

|

Flamsteed|

* 1
* 8
* 10
* 12
* 17
* 19

Variable|

* R
* T
* RX
* AF
* AK

HR|

* 1621
* 1762

HD|

* 31527
* 32450
* 32667
* 33142
* 33283

Other|

* 2MASS J0523−1403
* Gliese 229
* TOI-421
* WASP-49
* WASP-61

| Exoplanets|

* HD 33283 b

|

| Star clusters|

* Messier 79

|

| Nebulae|

* Abell 7
* IC 418

|

Galaxies|

| NGC|

* 1744
* 1784
* 1832
* 1954
* 1964
* 1979
* 1993
* 2139
* 2196

|

Other|

* 6dFGS gJ050159.7-144314
* IC 438
* IRAS 05189-2524
* IRAS 06076-2139
* PKS 0454-234

Category

* v
* t
* e

The 88 modern constellations

* Andromeda
* Antlia
* Apus
* Aquarius
* Aquila
* Ara
* Aries
* Auriga
* Boötes
* Caelum
* Camelopardalis
* Cancer
* Canes Venatici
* Canis Major
* Canis Minor
* Capricornus
* Carina
* Cassiopeia
* Centaurus
* Cepheus
* Cetus
* Chamaeleon
* Circinus
* Columba
* Coma Berenices
* Corona Australis
* Corona Borealis
* Corvus
* Crater
* Crux
* Cygnus
* Delphinus
* Dorado
* Draco
* Equuleus
* Eridanus
* Fornax
* Gemini
* Grus
* Hercules
* Horologium
* Hydra
* Hydrus
* Indus
* Lacerta
* Leo
* Leo Minor
* Lepus
* Libra
* Lupus
* Lynx
* Lyra
* Mensa
* Microscopium
* Monoceros
* Musca
* Norma
* Octans
* Ophiuchus
* Orion
* Pavo
* Pegasus
* Perseus
* Phoenix
* Pictor
* Pisces
* Piscis Austrinus
* Puppis
* Pyxis
* Reticulum
* Sagitta
* Sagittarius
* Scorpius
* Sculptor
* Scutum
* Serpens
* Sextans
* Taurus
* Telescopium
* Triangulum
* Triangulum Australe
* Tucana
* Ursa Major
* Ursa Minor
* Vela
* Virgo
* Volans
* Vulpecula

* Lists of constellations

* v
* t
* e

Constellation history

* v
* t
* e

48 constellations listed by Ptolemy after 150 AD

* Andromeda
* Aquarius
* Aquila
* Ara
* Argo Navis
* Aries
* Auriga
* Boötes
* Cancer
* Canis Major
* Canis Minor
* Capricornus
* Cassiopeia
* Centaurus
* Cepheus
* Cetus
* Corona Australis
* Corona Borealis
* Corvus
* Crater
* Cygnus
* Delphinus
* Draco
* Equuleus
* Eridanus
* Gemini
* Hercules
* Hydra
* Leo
* Lepus
* Libra
* Lupus
* Lyra
* Ophiuchus
* Orion
* Pegasus
* Perseus
* Pisces
* Piscis Austrinus
* Sagitta
* Sagittarius
* Scorpius
* Serpens
* Taurus
* Triangulum
* Ursa Major
* Ursa Minor
* Virgo

Category

* v
* t
* e

The 41 additional constellations added in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries

* Vespucci or Corsalius early 16c: Crux
* Triangulum Australe
* Vopel 1536: Coma Berenices
* Keyser & de Houtman 1596: Apus
* Chamaeleon
* Dorado
* Grus
* Hydrus
* Indus
* Musca
* Pavo
* Phoenix
* Tucana
* Volans
* Plancius 1613: Camelopardalis
* Columba
* Monoceros
* Habrecht 1621: Reticulum
* Hevelius 1683: Canes Venatici
* Lacerta
* Leo Minor
* Lynx
* Scutum
* Sextans
* Vulpecula
* de Lacaille 1763: Antlia
* Caelum
* Carina
* Circinus
* Fornax
* Horologium
* Mensa
* Microscopium
* Norma
* Octans
* Pictor
* Puppis
* Pyxis
* Sculptor
* Telescopium
* Vela

* v
* t
* e

Obsolete constellations (including Ptolemy's Argo Navis)

* Anguilla
* Anser
* Antinous
* Apes
* Aranea
* Argo Navis
* Asterion
* Bufo
* Cancer Minor
* Cerberus
* Chara
* Custos Messium
* Felis
* Honores Friderici/Gloria Frederici
* Gallus
* Globus Aerostaticus
* Hippocampus
* Hirudo
* Jordanus
* Leo Palatinus
* Lilium
* Limax
* Lochium Funis
* Lumbricus
* Machina Electrica
* Malus
* Manis
* Mons Maenalus
* Musca Borealis
* Noctua
* Officina Typographica
* Patella
* Phaethon
* Polophylax
* Psalterium Georgianum/Harpa Georgii
* Quadrans Muralis
* Ramus Pomifer
* Robur Carolinum
* Rosa
* Scarabaeus
* Sceptrum Brandenburgicum
* Sceptrum et Manus Iustitiae
* Solarium
* Tarandus/Rangifer
* Taurus Poniatovii
* Telescopium Herschelii
* Testudo
* Tigris
* Triangulum Minus
* Turdus Solitarius
* Vespa

* obsolete constellation names

* Apis
* Phoenicopterus
* Serpentarius
* Xiphias
* Vultur cadens
* Vultur volans

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