What is Regulus? The brightest star in the constellation Leo. We will tell about its features and location in the sky further.
Constellation Leo
In the northern hemisphere of the sky, between Cancer and Virgo, is the zodiac constellation Leo. This is one of the oldest discovered constellations. The peoples of Ancient India and Mesopotamia knew about it, and from all languages the name was deciphered as "Lion".
The shape of the constellation really resembles the king of beasts. His head, neck and chest, curved in a semicircle, make up the asterism "Sickle". The brightest star in the constellation Leo is Regulus. Algieba, Denebola, Zosma, Algenubi are next in brightness. The constellation includes a red dwarf Wolf 359 with a faint glow, a double cataclysmic variable star.
There are many interesting objects within the Lion. In mid-November, you can see the Leonid meteor showers, formed after the split of comet Tempel-Tuttle. The constellation contains many luminous galaxies, such as M66, NGC 3628, as well as a gas cloud with orbits of dwarf galaxies, which is called the Lion's Ring.
What is Regulus?
The star Regulus is the alpha in the constellation Leo. Located at the bottom of the constellation, right therewhere the asterism "Sickle" or an inverted question mark ends. She is the brightest star in the zodiac constellation and one of the brightest in the sky. In the list of the brightest objects, Regulus is in 21st place.
Regulus is a star located close to the ecliptic. As a result, every August the path of the Sun passes through it, and the Moon closes it from our eyes. In the spring sky, she, along with Spica in the constellation of Virgo and Arcturus in the constellation of Bootes, stands out noticeably among other luminaries.
The mass of the star Regulus exceeds the solar one by about 3.5 times. It was formed relatively recently and is considered quite young by astronomical standards. The star is 77.5 light years away from the solar system (one light year is 9.4605 petameters). It is 141 times brighter than our Sun and four times its diameter.
Star components
Regulus is a multiple star. This means that it consists of several stars. In this case, there are four. The first and main one is Regulus A, which is what they mean when they talk about the alpha of Leo. This star is characterized by extremely fast rotation with a period of 15.9 hours. Due to this, the star has an oblate shape, and its poles are five times hotter than the equator.
Regulus A is a white-bluish star that is part of a binary system. Gravity connects it with another star - Regulus D, which in this system plays the role of a satellite. Regulus D is a white dwarf with a rotation period of 40 days.
Starhas an incredibly small mass, which is 0.3 solar masses. It was discovered only in 2008, thanks to subtle spectroscopic observations. The dwarf is not visible in the telescope, as it is blocked by the main star.
At a distance of 100 astronomical units are Regulus B and C. They are a binary system with an orbital rotation period of about 2000 years. Regulus B is an orange main sequence star, Regulus C is a red dwarf.
Name and symbolism
What is Regulus, the ancient Persians knew. According to their many legends, the star was one of the four guardians of the sky along with Aldebaran (the constellation of Taurus), Fomalhaut (Southern Fish) and Antares (Scorpio). The Persians called Regulus the guardian of the North, associating her with the powerful ruler Feridun. This star marked the summer solstice.
The Latin name regulus means "prince" or "king". The same interpretation of the name existed among the Arabs and the ancient Greeks. In particular, Ptolemy called the star "Basilisk", which translates as "king" or "ruler". Regulus is the main and brightest star in the constellation, which is why it is often referred to as the "Heart of the Lion".
Astrologers give many meanings to the luminary, assuring that the stars in the zodiac constellations have a direct impact on the fate of people. It has long been believed that people patronized by Regulus have extraordinary fortitude, success and ambition. They are notorious leaders, endowed with generosity and nobility.
How to recognize Regulus?
Now that you know what Regulus is, you cantry to find it in the sky. Finding a star is easier if you can recognize the constellation Leo. Regulus is the rightmost star in the trapezoid (Leo's body) of four bright stars. In the inverted question mark asterism, it is the final dot at the bottom.
This is the most extreme and lowest star of Leo. The constellation has been appearing in the sky since January. Then you can see it late at night. In February, it is visible immediately after sunset. However, the best time to see it is from March to April. At this time, the constellation is located in the southern part of the sky.
In spring, Regulus is one of the brightest stars, casting a blue-white light. The star rotates in a perpendicular position to the angle of view. Therefore, from the Earth, we observe it from the edge.
