What is Regulus? The brightest star in the constellation Leo. We will describe further its features and location in the sky.
In the northern hemisphere of the sky, between Cancer and the Virgin,is the zodiacal constellation Leo. This is one of the most ancient open constellations. The people of ancient India and Mesopotamia knew about him, and the name was decoded from all languages as “Leo”.
The shape of the constellation really resembles a kingbeasts. His head, neck and chest, curved in a semicircle, make up the "Sickle" asterism. The brightest star in the constellation Leo - Regulus. Next in brightness are Algieba, Denebola, Zosma, Algenubi. The constellation includes a red dwarf Wolf 359 with a faint glow, a double cataclysmic variable star.
Within Leo there are many interestingobjects. In the middle of November one can see Leonid meteor showers, formed after the split of comet Tempel - Tuttle. In the constellation there are many glowing galaxies, such as M66, NGC 3628, as well as a gas cloud with orbits of dwarf galaxies, which is called the Ring of Leo.
The star Regulus is the alpha in the constellation Leo.It is located in the lower part of the constellation, exactly where the “Sickle” asterism or inverted question mark ends. It 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 on the 21st place.
Regulus is a star located close to the Ecliptic.As a result, the path of the Sun runs through it every August, and the Moon closes it from our eyes. In the spring sky, she, together with Spika in the constellation Virgo and Arcturus in the constellation Bootes, stands out noticeably among other luminaries.
The mass of the star Regulus exceeds solar approximately in3.5 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 equals 9.4605 petameters). It is 141 times brighter than our Sun and four times as big in diameter.
Regulus is a multiple star.This means that it consists of several stars. In this case, there are four of them. The first and foremost is Regulus A, which is what she means by speaking 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 entersinto a dual 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, the period of its rotation lasts 40 days.
The star has an incredibly small masswhich is 0.3 times the mass of the sun. It was discovered only in 2008, thanks to fine spectroscopic observations. In the telescope dwarf is not visible, since it is blocked by the main star.
At a distance of 100 astronomical unitsRegulus B and C are located. They are a binary system with an orbital rotation period of about 2,000 years. Regulus B is the orange star of the main sequence, Regulus C is the red dwarf.
What is Regulus, knew even the ancient Persians.According to their numerous legends, the star was one of the four skyguards along with Aldebaran (Taurus constellation), Fomalgaut (South Fish) and Antares (Scorpio). The Persians called Regulus the guardian of the North, associating her with the powerful ruler Feridun. This star marked the point of the summer solstice.
Латинское название regulus означает «принц» или "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 "sovereign." Regulus is the main and brightest star in the constellation, so it is often referred to as the "Heart of Leo".
Много смыслов светилу придают астрологи, уверяя, that the stars in the zodiacal constellations have a direct impact on the fate of people. It has long been believed that people who are patronized by Regulus have extraordinary fortitude, success and ambition. They are notorious leaders endowed with generosity and nobility.
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 extreme right star in the trapezium (the body of Leo) of four bright stars. In the asterism of an inverted question mark, it is the final point below.
This is the most extreme and lowest star of Leo.The constellation appears in the sky from January. Then you can see it late in the evening. In February, it looks through immediately after sunset. However, it is best to observe it from March to April. At this time, the constellation is located in the southern part of the sky.
In the spring Regulus is one of the brightest stars, casting white-blue light. The star rotates in a perpendicular position to the angle of view. Therefore, from the Earth we observe it from the side of the rib.
