What is Regulus? The brightest star in the constellation Leo. We will tell about its features and location in the sky below.
Leo constellation
In the northern hemisphere of the sky, between Cancer and Virgo, is the zodiac constellation Leo. This is one of the oldest open constellations. The peoples of Ancient India and Mesopotamia knew about him, and from all languages the name was deciphered as “Leo”.
The form of the constellation really resembles the king of animals. His head, neck and chest, curved in a semicircle, make up the Sickle asterism. The brightest star in the constellation Leo is Regulus. The next in brightness are Algieba, Denebola, Zosma, Algenubi. The constellation includes the red dwarf Wolf 359 with a faint glow, a double cataclysmic variable star.
Within Leo there are many interesting objects. In mid-November you can see 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 the orbits of dwarf galaxies, which was called the Ring of Leo.
What is Regulus?
Star Regulus is an 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. She is the brightest star of the zodiac constellation and one of the brightest in the sky. In the list of the brightest objects Regulus is in 21 place.
Regulus is a star located close to the ecliptic. As a result, every August, the path of the Sun runs through it, and the Moon closes it from our eyes. In the spring sky, she, together with Spica in the constellation Virgo and Arcturus in the constellation Bootes, stands out from other luminaries.
The mass of the star Regulus exceeds the solar 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 distant 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 foremost is Regulus A, it is her who is meant in speaking of 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 a flattened shape, and its poles are five times hotter than the equator.
Regulus A is a blue and white 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, the period of its rotation lasts 40 days.
A star has an incredibly small mass, which is 0.3 the mass of the sun. It was discovered only in 2008, thanks to subtle spectroscopic observations. The dwarf is not visible through the telescope, since the main star covers it.
At a distance of 100 astronomical units are Regulus B and C. They are a binary system with a period of orbital rotation of about 2000 years. Regulus B is the orange star of the main sequence, Regulus C is the red dwarf.
Title and Symbolism
What is Regulus, the ancient Persians knew. According to their many legends, the star was one of the four guards of the sky with Aldebaran (the constellation Taurus), Fomalhaut (South Pisces) and Antares (Scorpio). The Persians called Regulus the guardian of the North, associating it with the powerful ruler Feridun. This star marked the point of 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 “sovereign”. Regulus is the main and brightest star in the constellation, therefore it is often referred to as the “Heart of Leo”.
Astrologers attach a lot of meaning to the luminary, assuring that the stars in the zodiac constellations have a direct effect on the fate of people. It has long been believed that people who are patronized by Regulus have extreme fortitude, success and ambition. They are notorious leaders, endowed with generosity and nobility.
How to recognize Regulus?
Now that you have learned what Regulus is, you can try to find him in heaven. 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 asterism of an inverted question mark, it is the final point below.
This is the most extreme and lower star of Leo. The constellation appears in the sky since January. Then you can see it in the late evening. In February, it is visible 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 spring, Regulus is one of the brightest stars, casting a 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.