page_title: Regulus
section_title: Nomenclature
hierarchical_section_title: Regulus / Nomenclature
caption_attribution_description: English: Photography of the constellation Leo, the lion
context_page_description: Regulus UK: US, designated α Leonis, is the brightest object in the constellation Leo and one of the brightest stars in the night sky, lying approximately 79 light years from the Sun. Regulus appears singular, but is actually a quadruple star system composed of four stars that are organized into two pairs. The spectroscopic binary Regulus A consists of a blue-white main-sequence star and its companion, which has not yet been directly observed, but is probably a white dwarf. HD 87884 is separated from Regulus by 176″ and is itself a close pair. Regulus, along with 5 slightly dimmer stars Zeta Leonis, Mu Leonis, Gamma Leonis, Epsilon Leonis and Eta Leonis have collectively been called 'the Sickle', which is an asterism that marks the head of Leo.
context_section_description: α Leonis (Latinized to Alpha Leonis) is the star system's Bayer designation. The traditional name Rēgulus is Latin for 'prince' or 'little king'. In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN's first bulletin of July 2016 included a table of the first two batches of names approved by the WGSN; which included Regulus for this star. It is now so entered in the IAU Catalog of Star Names.
caption: Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation of Leo (right tip, below is bright Jupiter in 2004).
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