Regulus: Heart of the Lion | Brightest Stars | EarthSky History and mythology of Regulus. This chart is set for March 17, 2016. If you look on the nights after that, you’ll see the waxing moon moving closer to Regulus … and very bright Jupiter! How to see the star Regulus Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion . It is a bluish star, well placed in the evening sky from about January to June. Regulus can be found marking the bottom of a large backwards question mark star pattern within Leo, known as The Sickle. The Sickle – with Regulus at its heart – outlines the constellation Leo the Lion’s head and forequarters. In our western skylore, Regulus is said to be the Lion’s Heart. Located along the ecliptic – or pathway of the sun, moon and planets – Regulus can be seen from around the globe. Bright planets sometimes pass near it, and every month the moon passes no more than about 5o away. Sometimes the moon occults (passes in front of) this star as seen from our earthly vantage point.

Of all stars visible from Earth, Regulus is either the 21st or 22nd brightest, depending on how you want to consider it. Strictly speaking, there are 21 stars brighter than Regulus, making it the 22nd brightest. However, the 21st brightest star, Alpha Centauri B, is just barely brighter than Regulus and appears so close to Alpha Centauri A ( Rigel Kentaurus ) that it cannot be distinguished separately. Since the human eye cannot actually see Alpha Centauri B as a separate star, perhaps the title of 21st brightest really does belong to Regulus. Regulus throughout the year. Regulus rises about an hour after sunset in early February. It is opposite the sun on or near February 18, and Regulus rises on that date at about sunset and is up all night long, reaching its highest point due south at local midnight. By early April, Regulus is well up in the southeast an hour after sunset. By early June, it’s high in the southwest an hour after sunset. And by early July, Regulus is low to the west an hour after sunset.

Although best seen in the evening in northern hemisphere in late winter and into summer, Regulus can be found at some time of night throughout the year except for about a month on either side of August 22, when the sun is located in Regulus’ direction in space. Regulus is a much larger star than our sun. Image via the Night Sky Guy . Regulus science. Regulus is about 77 light-years away. If – by some impossible magic – Regulus were to replace our sun, Earth would be doomed. First, Earth’s atmosphere would be stripped away, and shortly thereafter the oceans would begin to boil. With our protective natural shields gone, the surface of the Earth would bake under a star four times as wide and 140 times as bright as our world is accustomed to, not to mention the vastly increased bombardment of ultraviolet rays, X-rays and gamma rays. Taking all of the star’s radiation into account, Regulus pumps out nearly 350 times as much energy as our sun. Regulus rotates, or spins, rapidly. Our sun takes about a month to spin around once on its axis, but Regulus completes a single rotation in only 15.9 hours.

This rapid rotation rate causes Regulus’s equatorial regions to bulge, making the star not round like our sun but oblate, like a squashed orange. As a result, the north and south poles of Regulus have a higher surface gravity, and thus higher temperature and brightness, than the equatorial regions of Regulus. The polar regions of Regulus are several thousand degrees hotter than this star’s equator, and the poles of this star shine more brightly than the equator. If Regulus rotated slightly more rapidly (16% faster), the star would fly apart. Regulus is not the only star known to spin so fast that it has an oblate shape. The stars Altair and Achernar are also fast spinners with flattened shapes. What’s more, Regulus is a double star with a telescopically visible companion orbiting at about 100 times as far from Regulus as Pluto is from the sun. In fact, the companion itself is double, each component slightly smaller than our star and separated by about 95 astronomical units, or more than twice as far as Pluto from the sun.

In addition, a very small star – likely a white dwarf – circles Regulus at about the same distance as Mercury from the sun. So this is not one solitary star as the eye believes, but at least four. Overall, Regulus is a very hot star of spectral type B7V, meaning that it is much hotter than our sun, with a surface temperature that averages about 12,000K (roughly 21,000 degrees F). Very hot stars like this use up their nuclear fuel at a phenomenal rate, far faster than smaller stars like our sun. Thus the sun has an expected lifetime of about 10 billion years; it is about halfway through its life now. Meanwhile, hotter Regulus is likely only a few hundred million years old, but it is rapidly approaching its own death throes. The constellation Leo, with the star Regulus at its heart, as depicted on a set of constellation cards published in London c.1825. Image via Wikimedia Commons. History and mythology of Regulus. The name Regulus is from the diminutive form of the Latin rex, and means Little King.

Astronomers know Regulus as Alpha Leonis, but in times past it has been known simply as Rex, as well as by kingly names in other languages. It’s not clear how Regulus went from being a king – thought to rule celestial affairs – to being a ‘little’ king. Perhaps the thought was that Leo itself represented the King of Beasts, and there was room for one full king only. Regulus has also been called Cor Leonis, which means Heart of the Lion, the same name given to Richard the Lionhearted (although more frequently in French). The constellation Leo the Lion, of which Regulus is the most prominent member, is quite easy to visualize. As mentioned previously, Regulus dots the backwards question mark of stars that outlines the Lion’s head and mane. An easily identifiable triangle depicts the Lion’s hindquarters and tail. There is a great deal of mythology associated with Leo, perhaps the most common tale being that Leo was the Nemean Lion of the Hercules story. It is said that even in South America, some Peruvian Indians knew these stars as the Mountain Lion, whereas in China it was sometimes seen as a horse, and at other times as part of a dragon.

Christians in the Middle Ages sometimes referred to it as one of Daniel’s Lions. Regulus’ position is RA: 10h 08m 23s, dec: +11° 58′ 02″. Regulus: The Kingly Star Regulus: The Kingly Star By Elizabeth Howell, Space.com Contributor | September 20, 2013 09:29pm ET MORE This sky map shows the location of brilliant planet Venus and the bright star Regulus in the pre-dawn sky on Oct. 3, 2012, as viewed from mid-northern latitudes. Credit: Starry Night Software Regulus is a bright star seen in the constellation Leo. It's the brightest star in the constellation and among the brightest in Earth's night sky. The star has two known companions nearby, a set of binary stars, but observations in the past few years suggest there may be a white dwarf lurking close to Regulus as well. Another mystery is the source of its extremely rapid spin and strange motion .

Because Regulus can stray within the ecliptic, or the path upon which the sun and planets travel, it is very occasionally eclipsed by one of the planets or an asteroid. For example, in 1959, Regulus was occulted by Venus . In science fiction, Regulus has been used for television series such as "Star Trek" and "Babylon 5." Also, Regulus Black is the name of a character in the "Harry Potter" series by J.K. Rowling. He was the brother of Sirius Black, Harry's godfather, named for the brightest star in the sky . Astrophotographer John Chumack sent in a photo of Mars (red), Regulus (blue star) and the waning crescent moon in a triangle over his backyard observatory in Dayton, OH. Photo taken Oct. 1, 2013. Credit: John Chumack/ Locating Regulus Regulus is about 70 light-years away from Earth, making it the closest star of this type to our planet, according to astronomer David Darling . It has an apparent magnitude of 1.35, making it the 21st brightest star in the night sky.

Regulus' location is: Right ascension: 10 hours 8 minutes 22.3 seconds Declination: +11 degrees 58 minutes 2 seconds Regulus with the ancients One of the earliest references to Regulus was in ancient Persia, around 3000 B.C. The star was listed as one of four "royal stars," first under the name Venant and then Miyan ("the center", according to the Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics .) The constellation Leo was mentioned in the Tetrabiblos, an ancient Roman text by Ptolemy (c. A.D. 100 – 170). The text dealt with astrology and the supposed effect of events in the sky on humanity.

In Latin, the name "Regulus" means "little king." Regulus first received its name from the 16th-century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus , the encyclopedia added, "marking the fact that it had been regarded as one of the leading stars in the sky for some 2,000 years." In Arabia, Regulus was referred to as Malikiyy, "the kingly one", according to stellar nomenclature expert Richard Hinckley Allen. Other ancient cultures also saw it as a herald of kingly power. Though they look serene and silent from our vantage on Earth, stars are actually roiling balls of violent plasma. Test your stellar smarts with this quiz. 0 of 10 questions complete Star Quiz: Test Your Stellar Smarts Though they look serene and silent from our vantage on Earth, stars are actually roiling balls of violent plasma. Test your stellar smarts with this quiz. 0 of Start Over | More Quizzes Regulus in modern times Under modern classifications, Regulus is considered a blue-white "B" star that lies on the main sequence of stellar evolution.

While Regulus, like the sun, fuses hydrogen to helium in its center, it is more massive than the sun and therefore hotter and brighter. Unseen by the naked eye are two very faint companions to the much larger bright star. The binary pair (two dwarfs, orange and red) are about 4,200 Earth-sun distances (astronomical units, or AU) away from Regulus and take about 130,000 years to complete one orbit, Darling said. The dwarfs are about 95 AUs apart, more than three times the average distance between Neptune and the sun. There is probably another companion as well, according to one research team that did measurements of the spin of Regulus. Variations in the spin of the star mean there is probably a white dwarf , or dead star, lurking in the vicinity of Regulus, the astronomers argued in 2008 . "A companion ... may be a low mass white dwarf or main sequence star," a preprint version of the research paper read. "If Regulus was spun up by mass transfer in an interacting binary, then the remnant of the donor star is probably a low mass white dwarf ...

Indeed, the lowest mass white dwarfs are usually found in binary systems where they lost a significant fraction of their mass." Bizarre rotation and temperature Astronomers had a detailed look at Regulus' motion in a study published in 2005, showing that the star would only need to rotate about 10 percent faster to tear itself to pieces . They added, however, that they couldn't see anything in the system that would cause it to move faster. "There's nothing that we know of that can speed this star up," said Georgia State University astronomer Hal McAlister, who led the study of the star at the university's Center for High Angular Resolution (CHARA), in an interview at the time. The rotation of Regulus speeds at 700,000 mph (1.1 million kph) at its equator. (The sun's rotation is about 4,500 mph or 7,242 kph.) The 2005 study examined the effects of the rotation for the first time using the CHARA telescope array on top of Mount Wilson in California.

Among the odd effects on the star: Regulus is much hotter at its poles (27,212 F, or 15,100 C) than its equator (18,032 F or 10,000 C). This is because the star is so distorted that it lessens gravity's strength, which then turns down the temperature at the equator, the researchers said. As for what causes the rapid rotation, astronomers at the time said it was a mystery. "We don't have any idea why it's really doing that," McAlister said. "The picture makes me wonder what it would be like to be in a solar system with this type of star." Author Bio Elizabeth Howell, Space.com Contributor Elizabeth Howell is a contributing writer for Space.com who is one of the few Canadian journalists to report regularly on space exploration. She is pursuing a Ph.D. part-time in aerospace sciences (University of North Dakota) after completing an M.Sc. (space studies) at the same institution. She also holds a bachelor of journalism degree from Carleton University. Besides writing, Elizabeth teaches communications at the university and community college level. To see her latest projects, follow Elizabeth on Twitter at @HowellSpace .

Elizabeth Howell, Space.com Contributor on Latest on Regulus: The Kingly Star Regulus The history of the star: Regulus from p.255 of Star Names , Richard Hinckley Allen, 1889. [A scanned copy can be viewed on this webpage ] Alpha (α) Leo , Regulus, is a triple star, 1.7, 8.5, and 13, flushed white and ultramarine in the Lion. Regulus was so called by Polish astronomer Copernicus (1473-1543), as a diminutive of the earlier Rex, equivalent to the (Greek) Basiliskos (translated "Little King") of the second-century Greek astronomer Ptolemy. This was from the belief that it ruled the affairs of the heavens,— a belief current, till three centuries ago, from at least 3000 years before our era.

Thus, as Sharru, the King, it marked the 15th ecliptic constellation of Babylonia; in India it was Magha, the Mighty; in Sogdiana (a Persian people), Magh, the Great, {p.256} Miyan, the Centre; among the Turanian races, Masu, the Hero; and in Akkadia it was associated with the 5th antediluvian King-of-the-celestial-sphere, Amil-gal-ur, (Greek) Amegalaros. A Ninevite tablet has: "If the star of the great lion is gloomy the heart of the people will not rejoice." In Arabia it was Malikiyy, Kingly; in Greece, basiliskos aster (Little King star); in Rome, Basilica Stella; with Pliny (23-79 A.D.), Regia; in the revival of European astronomy, Rex; and with the 16th century Danish astronomer Tycho, Basiliscus. So, too, it was the leader of the Four Royal Stars of the ancient Persian monarchy, the Four Guardians of Heaven.

Dupuis, referring to this Persian character, said that the four stars marked the cardinal points, assigning Hastorang, as he termed it, to the North; Venant to the South; Tascheter to the East; and Satevis to the West: but did not identify these titles with the individual stars. Flammarion does so, however, with Fomalhaut , Regulus, and Aldebaran for the first three respectively, so that we may consider Satevis as Antares . This same scheme appeared in India, although the authorities are not agreed as to these assignments and identifications; but, as the right ascensions are about six hours apart, they everywhere probably were used to mark the early equinoctial and solstitial colures, four great circles in the sky, or generally the four quarters of the heavens. At the time that these probably were first thought of, Regulus lay very near to the summer solstice, and so indicated the solstitial colure.

Early English astrologers made it a portent of glory, riches, and power to all born under its influence; Wyllyam Salysbury, of 1552, writing, but perhaps from Proclus: "The Lyon's herte is called of some men, the Royall Starre, for they that are borne under it, are thought to have a royall nativitie." And this title, the Lion's Heart, has been a popular one from early classical times, seen in the Kardia Leontos of Greece and the Cor Leonis of Rome, and adopted by the Arabians as Al Kalb al Asad, this degenerating into Kalbelasit, Kalbeleced, Kalbeleceid, Kalbol asadi, Calb-elez-id, Calb-elesit, Calb-alezet, and Kale Alased of various bygone lists. The Persian astronomer Al Biruni (973-1048 A.D.) called it the Heart of the Royal Lion, which "rises when Suhail rises in Al Hijaz (in Saudi Arabia).

The 17th century German astronomer Bayer and others have quoted, as titles for Regulus, the strange Tyberone and Tuberoni Regia; but these are entirely wrong, and arose from a misconception of Pliny's (23-79 A.D.) Stella Regia appellata Tuberoni in pectore Leonis, {p.257} rendered "the star called by Tubero (Lucius Tubero, friend of Cicero.) the Royal One in the Lion's breast"; Holland's translation reading: "The cleare and bright star, called the Star Royal, appearing in the breast of the signe Leo, Tubero mine author saith." Naturally sharing the character of its constellation as the Domicilium Solis, in Euphratean astronomy it was Gus-ba-ra, the Flame, or the Red Fire, of the House of the East; in Khorasmia, Achir, Possessing Luminous Rays; and throughout classical days the supposed cause of the summer's heat, a reputation that it shared with the Dog-star. Horace (65-8 B.C.) expressed this in his Stella vesani Leonis.

It was of course prominent among the lunar-mansion stars, and chief in the 8th nakshatra ( Hindu Moon Mansion ) that bore its name, Magha, made up by all the components of the Sickle; and it marked the junction with the adjoining station Purva Phalguni; the Pitares, Fathers, being the regents of the asterism, which was figured as a House. In Arabia, with gamma (γ Algieba ), zeta (ζ Adhafera ), and eta (η Al Jabhah ) of the Sickle, it was the 8th manzil (Arabic Moon Mansion), Al Jabhah, the Forehead.

In China, however, the 8th sieu ( Chinese Moon Mansion ) lay in Hydra ; but the astronomers of that country referred to Regulus as the Great Star in Heen Yuen, a constellation called after the imperial family, comprising alpha (α Regulus), gamma (γ Algieba ), epsilon (ε Ras Elased Australis ), eta (η Al Jabhah ), lambda (λ Alterf ), zeta (ζ Adhafera ), chi (χ), nu (ν), omicron (ο Subra ), rho (ρ), and others adjacent and smaller reaching into the constellation Leo Minor . Individually it was Niau, the Bird, and so representative of the whole quadripartite zodiacal group. [ Star Names , Their Lore and Meaning, Richard Hinckley Allen, 1889]. Regulus enters the sign Virgo in 2012 AD. It entered the sign Leo in 156 BC.

Regulus is one of the four key stars in the heavens, also called archangel stars, assigning: Tasoheter - Michael ( Aldebaran ) watcher of the East; Satevis - Oriel ( Antares ) Watcher of the West; Hastorang - Gabriel ( Fomalhaut ) watcher of the South; Venant - Raphael The Healing Archangel (Regulus) Watcher of the North. [The angel associations come from Eric Morse, The Living Stars , p.35. Allen's explanation of these four stars on p.256 of Star Names] They have been characterized as Horses, reflected both in the famed Four Horsemen of Apocalypse (Revelations 6) and Chariot Horses in the Book of Zechariah. [Dr Eric Morse, The Living Stars ] At one time these four stars marked the two Equinoxes and two Solstices. Aldebaran marked the zero Aries point in 3044 BC, Antares marked zero Libra 3052 BC, Fomalhaut marked zero Capricorn, 2582 BC, Regulus marked zero Cancer 2345 BC.

The Lunar Mansions In Arabia, Alpha (α Regulus) Leo with gamma (γ Algieba ), zeta (ζ Adhafera ), and eta (η Al Jabhah ) of the Sickle (a star pattern resembling a reversed question mark representing Leo's mane), was the 8th manzil ( Arabic Moon Mansion ), Al Jabhah, the Forehead. Influences of the 8th Arabic Moon Mansion Al Jabhah: Strengthens buildings, promotes love, benevolence, and help against enemies.

[Robson * , p.71.] With Moon transiting here: sow, plant, release prisoners but take no purgatives.[Robson * , p.71.] Alpha (α Regulus) Leo was chief star in the 8th nakshatra ( Hindu Moon Mansion ) that bore its name, Magha, made up by all the components of the Sickle (Leo's mane and head); alpha (α Regulus described as on the base of the sickle), Gamma (γ Algieba ), eta (η Al Jabhah ), zeta (ζ Adhafera ), mu (μ Ras Elased Borealis ), epsilon (ε Ras Elased Australis ), lambda (λ Alterf ), and kappa (κ). The symbol of Magha "The Mighty" was a House. The regents were the Pitris (the spirits of the dead ancestors), or Fathers. Ruled by the Dragon's Tail. Influences of the 8th Hindu Moon Mansion Magha: A severe asterism belonging to the Shudra caste (low caste Hindu) and favorable for acts of disgrace, destruction, deceit, imprisonment, beating, burning and poison when containing the Moon.

Those born on the lunar day will be wealthy, fond of hills, merchants, valiant, and women haters. With Moon here at birth native will be wealthy, religious, contented, well served, and fond of life. Rules grain boxes and the lips and upper mouth. [Robson * , p.79.] The astrological influences of the constellation Leo Ptolemy makes the following observations: "Of the stars in Leo , two in the head are like Saturn and partly like Mars. The three in the neck are like Saturn, and in some degree like Mercury. . . . Those in the loins . . . Saturn and Venus: those in the thighs resemble Venus, and, in some degree, Mercury." It is said that the stars in the neck, back and wing all bring trouble, disgrace and sickness affecting the part of the body ruled by the sign, especially if they happen to be in conjunction with the Moon.

By the Kabalists, Leo is associated with the Hebrew letter Kaph and the 11th Tarot Trump "Strength." [Robson * , p.48.] The astrological influences of the constellation Leo given by Manilius: "Who can doubt the nature of the monstrous Lion, and the pursuits he prescribes for those born beneath his sign? The lion ever devises fresh fights and fresh warfare on animals, and lives on spoil and pillaging of flocks. The sons of the Lion are filled with the urge to adorn their proud portals with pelts and to hang up on their walls the captured prey, to bring the peace of terror to the woods, and to live upon plunder. There are those whose like bent is not checked by the city-gates, but they swagger about in the heart of the capital with droves of beasts; they display mangled limbs at the shop-front, slaughter to meet the demands of luxury, and count it gain to kill.

Their temper is equally prone to fitful wrath and ready withdrawal, and guileless are the sentiments of their honest hearts" [ Astronomica , Manilius, 1st century AD, p.237.] The astrological influences of the star Regulus Notes: A triple star, flushed white and ultramarine, situated on the body of the Lion. From Regulus, a Little King, and often called Cor Leonis, the Lion's Heart, and symbolically the Crushing Foot. It was one of the four Royal Stars of the Persians in 3,000 B.C., when, as Watcher of the North, it marked the summer solstice. [Robson * , p.194-195.] According to Ptolemy it is of the nature of Mars and Jupiter, but most later authors liken it to Mars only, while Alvidas states that it is similar to the Sun in good aspect to Uranus.

It gives violence, destructiveness, military honor of short duration, with ultimate failure, imprisonment, violent death, success, high and lofty ideals and strength of spirit, and makes its natives magnanimous, grandly liberal, generous, ambitious, fond of power, desirous of command, high-spirited and independent. [Robson * , p.195.] It may convey royal properties, noble mind, frankness, courage. The importance of this star is accentuated by its nearness to the ecliptic. Its effect is in the best sense that of Jupiter and Mars. On the Ascendant, it will give a courageous and frank character, especially if in conjunction with the Sun, Moon, Jupiter or Mercury. Positioned on the MC, Regulus will raise the native to high positions in life, positions far exceeding the environment the native was born into. On the MC it is not only a good omen for a military career, but also for careers connected with the public, such as lawyers, civil servants, bankers and the clergy, especially if Regulus is also in conjunction with the Sun or Moon or with a benefic stellar body.

According to tradition, Regulus conjunct MC will bring with it connections with rulers, honorable people or famous people. If the cosmogram as a whole points to this possibility, Jupiter conjunct Regulus is one of the best configurations for success. People like this can reach high positions, positions of trust, preferment and favors; fortunes. Riches and power could fall to these natives easily. Elsbeth Ebertin had this star near the MC (the author of this book, 'Fixed Stars and Their Interpretations' and mother of Reinhold Ebertin author of 'C.O.S.I.'). An old saying goes that Regulus in the 10th house 'makes astrologers to kings. people in high positions and noble men'. Naturally not everyone who has this configuration will make a 'Royal Astrologer' even if he has the necessary knowledge and capabilities. But with Frau Ebertin, this rule was borne out. During the first world war, her book 'Royal Nativities' was published. There followed commissions from royal houses and ruling industrialists (listed in the book Fixed Stars and their Interpretations by Ebertin-Hoffman).

Elsbeth Ebertin studied historical events with the planetary configurations in each case and came to the following conclusion; "when Mars or Saturn are in conjunction with Regulus, especially exciting events are always recorded e.g. assassinations, coup d'états, revolutions, revolts, demonstrations, overthrow of heads of state and similar events". [ Fixed Stars and Their Interpretation , Elsbeth Ebertin, 1928, p51-52.] If Rising: Great honor and wealth, but violence and trouble, sickness, fevers, acute disease, benefits seldom last, favor of the great, victory over enemies and scandal. The 145th Consideration of Guido Bonnets is as follows: -" That thou see in Diurnal Nativities whether Cor Leonis be in the Ascendant, that is to say, in the Oriental Line or above it one degree or below it three degrees; or whether it be in the tenth in like degrees, without the Conjunction or Aspect of any of the Fortunes, for this alone signifies that the Native shall be a person of great note and power, too much exalted, and attain to high preferment and honors, although descended from the meanest parents.

And, if any of the Fortunes behold that place also, his glory shall be the more increased; but, if the Nativity be nocturnal, his fortune will be somewhat meaner, but not much; but if the Infortunes cast their aspects there it will still be more mean; but if the Fortunes behold it also they will augment the good promised a fourth part, and mitigate the evil as much; yet still, whatever of all this happens, it signifies that the Native shall die an unhappy death; or at least that all his honors, greatness and power shall at last suffer an eclipse and set in a cloud". [Robson * , p.195.] If culminating: Honor, preferment, good fortune, high office under Government, military success. If with Sun, Moon or Jupiter, great honor and ample fortune. [Robson * , p.196.] If with a malefic and the Moon with Antares (9 Sagittarius), Praesepe or the Pleiades (stars in Taurus ), blindness or injuries to the eyes.

[Robson * , p.196.] With Sun: Power, authority, great influence over friends, honor and riches, but violence, trouble and ultimate disgrace and ruin, sickness, fevers, benefits seldom last. [Robson * , p.196.] With Moon: Occult interests, powerful friends, danger from enemies and false friends, gain by speculation, public prominence, great power, honor, wealth, benefits seldom last, violence, trouble and sickness. Make women high spirited and independent. If at the same time the Sun is with the Dragon's Head in Gemini, or Jupiter is in the 10th house in trine to Mars and the Sun is with the Dragon's Head, great preferment even from the lowest sphere to high rank. [Robson * , p.196.] With Mercury: Honorable, just, popular, generosity abused by opponents, fame, gain through high position. [Robson * , p.196.] With Venus: Many disappointments, unexpected happenings, violent attachments, trouble through love affairs. [Robson * , p.196.] With Mars: Honor, fame, strong character public prominence, high military command.

[Robson * , p.197.] With Jupiter: Fame, high preferment, especially of a military nature, success in the Church. [Robson * , p.197.] With Saturn: Just, friends among clergy, success in Church or law, scholarly, wealth, gain through speculation, companies and friends, high position, proud of home and family, good health, heart trouble at end of life. If angular and especially if rising or culminating, public honor and credit. If Mars be with the Pleiades, violent death in a tumult. [Robson * , p.197.] With Uranus: Energetic, ambitious, successful, may be unjust or dishonorable, self-aggrandizement, high official position, panders to aristocracy, associated with religion for business purposes, gain through speculation and companies, favorable for marriage, sorrow through death of daughter and disappointment through a son; friends become enemies at end of life, may retire and live in seclusion, violent death through accident or assassination.

[Robson * , p.197.] With Neptune: Prominent leader, lawgiver, diplomatic, strong character, control over others, influential friends, few if any enemies, domestic harmony, natural death in old age. [Robson * , p.197.] References: Regulus - Alpha Leonis | Constellation Guide Constellation Guide Constellations: A Guide to the Night Sky Regulus by admin Regulus, also known as Alpha Leonis, is the brightest star in the constellation Leo and the 21st brightest star in the night sky. It has an apparent magnitude of 1.35 and lies at a distance of 79.3 light years, or 24.3 parsecs, from Earth. Alpha Leonis is not really a single star, but a multiple star system. The name Regulus means the “little king“ or “prince“ in Latin and the star is also known as Basiliskos, Cor Leonis (Lion’s Heart), Qalb al-Asad and Rex.

Regulus A, the primary component in the Regulus system, is a spectroscopic binary star composed of a blue-white main sequence star with the spectral classification B7 V and a companion believed to be a white dwarf. With a visual magnitude of 1.35, Regulus A is reponsible for the star system’s brightness and bluish colour. It is the only naked eye component in the Regulus system. Regulus B can be seen with binoculars, while Regulus C would require a larger telescope to be seen isolated from the system. Together, the Regulus BC pair can be seen in small telescopes. Regulus (Alpha Leonis). Image: Wikisky Regulus can be seen in the night sky throughout the year except for a month on either side of August 22, when the Sun comes too close to the star. The star’s heliacal rising, first appearance above the horizon after a period of invisibility, occurs in the first week of September for observers in most locations. The planet Venus passes the star around this time every eight years. The best time of year to observe Regulus from the northern hemisphere is in the late winter and early spring, when the star can be seen in the southern sky in the evening.

FACTS Regulus lies only 0.46 degrees from the ecliptic, the Sun’s apparent path across the sky, through the zodiac constellations , and is regularly occulted by the Moon and very rarely by Mercury and Venus. Venus last occulted Regulus on July 7, 1959 and will do so again on October 1, 2044. Occultation by other planets will not be seen for another few millennia. Alpha Leonis can also sometimes be occulted by asteroids, the minor planets in the inner solar system. For instance, 163 Erigone, a large, dark asteroid from the asteroid belt, about 73 kilometres in size, occulted Regulus on March 20, 2014. 166 Rhodope, an asteroid about 54.6 kilometres in size, occulted the star on October 19, 2005. Sidney Hall, Urania’s Mirror – Leo Major and Leo Minor . Regulus is known by many different names in different cultures.

The name Regulus is a diminutive form of “rex,“ which is Latin for “king.“ It was the Polish astronomer and mathematician Nicolaus Copernicus who gave the star this name, which was equivalent to Basiliskos (“little king”), used by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy. The star is also known by its Latin name Cor Leonis and the Arabic Qalb al-Asad (Kalb al Asad, Kabeleced). Both phrases mean Lion’s Heart. Babylonian astronomers knew the star as Sharru (“the King“), Persians called it Miyan (“the Centre“) and in India the star was called Maghā (“the Mighty”). In Persia, Regulus was one of the four Royal Stars, along with Aldebaran in Taurus , Antares in Scorpius and Fomalhaut in Piscis Austrinus .

In the MUL.APIN, a Babylonian catalogue of stars and constellations, Regulus was listed as LUGAL, referring to “the star that stands in the breast of the Lion: the King.” In medieval astrology, Regulus was one of the 15 Behenian fixed stars, which were believed to have influence on one or more planets. Regulus has often been used in works of fiction. It appears the television series Babylon 5, Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Enterprise among others, and also in the computer games BattleTech, Frontier: Elite II, Frontier: First Encounters and Descent: FreeSpace. Star system The Regulus star system consist of four components, or two pairs of stars. The brighter pair, designated Regulus A, is a spectroscopic binary system consisting of a bright blue star and a companion that has not been directly observed, but is likely a white main sequence star with an unusually low mass of only 0.3 solar. The two stars complete an orbit around a common centre of mass every 40.11 days. They are separated by only 0.35 astronomical units.

The companion was only discovered in 2008. Regulus and Leo constellation. Image: Thomas Bresson The primary component of Regulus A has 3.8 solar masses and is only a few million years old. The star is an extremely fast spinner, with a rotational velocity of 347 km/s. It completes a rotation in only 15.9 hours and, as a result, its shape has been distorted into an oblate spheroid, with the equatorial diameter 32 percent larger than the polar diameter. If the star were spinning only 10 percent faster, it would fly apart as its gravity would not be strong enough to hold it together. As a result of the star’s rapid rotation, its poles are five times brighter and significantly hotter than its equatorial region. The other pair of stars in the Regulus system, designated Regulus B and Regulus C, are fainter main sequence stars belonging to the spectral classes K1-2 V and M5 V. In other words, Regulus B is an orange dwarf and Regulus C, a red one. The stars have an orbital period of 2,000 years and the distance between them is about 100 astronomical units.

The Regulus BC pair lies about 177 arc seconds or 4,200 astronomical units away from Regulus A. Location Regulus and the Sickle of Leo. Image: IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg) Regulus is pretty easy to find in the sky. The star is part of the Sickle of Leo, a prominent asterism in the constellation Leo , and marks the lower end of the Sickle’s handle. The asterism looks like a backwards question mark and outlines the head of the celestial lion. The Sickle of Leo can be located using the stars of the Big Dipper . Megrez and Phecda, the two inner stars of the Dipper’s bowl, point the way to the asterism much like Dubhe and Merak, the outer stars of the bowl, point the way to Polaris . Regulus and the Big Dipper.

Image: Wikisky Regulus – Alpha Leonis Spectral class: B7 V (Regulus A), K1-2 V (Regulus B), M5 V (Regulus C) Coordinates: Regulus A: 10h 08m 22.311s (right ascension), +11° 58′ 01.95″ (declination) Regulus BC: 10h 08m 12.8/14s (right ascension), +11° 59′ 48″ (declination) Distance: 79.3 light years (24.3 parsecs) Designations: Regulus, Alpha Leonis, α Leonis (α Leo), Cor Leonis, Lion’s Heart, Basiliskos, Rex, 32 Leonis, Qalb al-Asad, Kalb al Asad, Kabeleced, HR 3982, GJ 9316, HIP 49669, FK5 380, GCTP 2384.00 Regulus A: HD 87901, SAO

 98967, BD+12 2149, LTT 12716 Regulus B: HD 87884, SAO 98966, BD+12 2147, LTT 12714 Apparent magnitude: 1.35 (Regulus A), 8.14 (Regulus B), 13.5 (Regulus C) Absolute magnitude: –0.52 (Regulus A), 6.3 (Regulus B), 11.6 (Regulus C) Mass: 3.8 solar masses (Regulus A), 0.8 (Regulus B), 0.2 (Regulus C) Radius: 3.092 solar radii (Regulus A), 0.5 (Regulus B) Luminosity: 288 solar luminosities (Regulus A), 0.31 (Regulus BC) Surface temperature: 12,460 K (Regulus A) Rotational velocity: 347 km/s (Regulus A) Fixed Star Regulus | Darkstar Astrology 23

69 Total Shares Regal Regulus at 29º Leo has the honor of being the closest star to the ecliptic and therefore closest to the red carpet path of the glorious Sun.

Regulus is a triple 1.3 magnitude star that flashes white and ultramarine. It is found, naturally, in the brave heart of the constellation Leo the Lion. Regulus officially entered tropical Virgo on November 28th 2011.* Could Regulus crossing this symbolic sphinx cusp, Leo to Virgo, herald the age of Aquarius? Many astrologers speculate that Virgo will teach Leo to put aside ego, dispense personal glory, become more humanitarian and have respect for mother Earth itself. Other ‘star seed’ type commentators describe a switch from service-to-self (Leo) towards service-to-others. (Virgo=Service, Aquarius=Others). Now all this assumes that Leo’s ego is somehow a bad thing! Conversely however, those with a weak sense of self are also those that suffer from narcissistic personality disorders (And other related Dark triad traits. See Ceres post. ) Without a strong sovereignty, service-to-others can become co-dependancy and doormat syndrome! Regulus is the archangel Raphael, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

On the fixed cross, Regulus is one of four cherubim, symbolised by the Bull, Lion, Eagle and Human. These are the signs Taurus ( Aldebaran ), Leo (Regulus), Scorpio ( Antares ) and Aquarius ( Fomalhaut ) respectively. You can see these Archangels on the corners of the Rider-Waite tarot deck on the Wheel of Fortune and The World. Regulus Into Virgo “Early English astrologers made it (Regulus) a portent of glory, riches, and power to all born under its influence” and this fixed star is generally considered fortunate, courageous, successful and all those great qualities associated with the sun sign Leo. Regulus has its negative side. “It gives violence, destructiveness, military honor of short duration, with ultimate failure, imprisonment, violent death” Bernadette Brady associates Regulus with downfall. Regulus is pure divine-masculine energy, which these days is often portrayed in Hollywood at its lowest, crudest vibration. Otherwise, Hollywood seems to delight in ridiculing and belittling Regulus energy.

For example Disney has removed the Prince’s true love kiss in ‘Frozen’ and denigrates heroic, chivalrous men in ‘Enchanted’. This could also be seen as Regulus’s ‘downfall’, but it is a manipulated one. It suggests that all the testosterone-fuelled, courageous energy of Regulus’s past is somehow ‘wrong’ and so the solution is we must rip the balls off every feisty Lion. But wait, does this mean Regulus into Virgo leaves us with a feminised, impotent neuter cat!? A positive transition would hopefully give us a Hieros Gamos. The inner marriage within ourselves Perhaps this is what is symbolised in the Egyptian Sphinx, which has the head of a goddess and body of a Lion. “When the nature of the world is revealed, then the mystery of the Sphinx will no longer exist.” ~ Alice Bailey [1] But what is that mystery? Could the symbolism of Regulus into Virgo be reflected in the new trend towards fluid sexuality with the ‘A-Gender’ generation? Gay men and women have always been a part of western society and even had families, (See Alt-Right Gay Milo’s views on Homosexuality ) But this new LGBTQ branding is very worrying.

The rest of the world has very clearly defined gender roles and they are flourishing, while Western Regulus culture is dying, and its people are with it*. Something to ponder. Sphinx Power Michael Lutin says “We stand at this very moment on the threshold of a new age: the age of Regulus In Virgo. The Age Of The Common Woman. Looking back about two thousand years ago, we see that sometime around the time when Regulus entered Leo, the sign from which it is now departing, Julius Caesar was being born. As were the grandparents of Jesus Christ.” He goes on to make the point that not long after Regulus’s entry into Leo, Christianity was adopted as the religion of the Holy Roman Empire and therefore the whole of Europe. Too many people condemn Christianity, yet at the same time ignore the far greater threat to our secular freedom and “Age of the common woman”. Islam… I first thought Michael’s post really positive, but now I find it quite offensive. He goes on to say; “Are women taking over? Doesn’t look that way when you see how hard the good ole’ boys are trying to hang on to power.

In fact, the way they’re acting, they might just as well be riding around on the back of a pick up truck, yahooing and shooting off guns as they zoom through town. They are still in power. They are still in control….Oh, yeah?” The above article was probably written in more naive times. Back in 2011, who could imagine that in 2016 we might need to replace the imagery? I’m guessing Michael was talking about white working-class American rednecks. But instead I’m thinking of a more lethal truck; Try the Bastille day terror attack , with a driver ‘yahoo-ing’…, to his monotheistic, negative-Regulus war god! Are Women Taking over? Michael’s other point; “Are women taking over?” Actually women are taking over, and pretty fast. In leadership now we have Germany’s Angela Merkel, UK’s Teresa May and maybe, next up the US’s Hillary Clinton. You think these women are going bring peace on earth? I don’t think the women of Cologne have much to thank Angela Merkel for.. Can we shift from service-to-self to a service-to-others mentality?

It’s hard to feel like you want to be “of service” if you are essentially already living as a slave. The working classes suffer most from cheaper, imported labour. These working classes, (often vilified as ‘Chavs’ or ‘Rednecks’) are craving Regulus empowerment and fame through ‘selfies’ and reality TV shows. Why? Because the despised ‘populist’ working class are subconsciously grasping for their lost sovereignty and culture with this apparently narcissistic, negative-Regulus behaviour. Leo Decan 3 to Virgo Decan 1 For approximately the last 600 years Regulus has been in Leo decan 3, which is ruled by aggressive Mars in both systems and Leo decan 3 includes the influence of Regulus so; “They are always right, their rule is absolute, any challenge to their authority is seen as betrayal. Loyality, loyality and more loyality, this is the number one demand of their loved ones.” The last 600 years has seen more bloodshed in wars than any other period. Two world wars, the rise of dictatorships, and the very bloody Bolshevik Revolution.

However, according to this graph, violence in Europe has slid down to almost zero per 100k people in 2010. That was just before Regulus shifted into Virgo, but it will be interesting to see the graph in another 10 years time. This recent map for violent crimes and rape in Germany is extremely alarming if Virgo means ‘the common woman’. Regulus has now entered Virgo decan 1 which is a totally different creature, but also ruled by the Sun and Mercury (Virgo triplicity). “These seers usually develop their sensitivity after a period of suffering, dutiful caring and even a broken heart. They are good at medicating those who are grieving., therefore Virgo decan 1 becomes the opiate for their patients, friends, lovers, children, parents and any neighbour hood strays…” The ‘common woman’ has to be careful her empathy does not work against her. She must also allow positive-Regulus to defend her when he has to, or the ‘Rape In Germany’ will become acceptable and spread across the rest of Europe.

Broken Bravehearts As a result of 2000 years of bloodshed and suffering caused from Abrahamic religious wars, we now nurse a broken and traumatised heart. (Leo rules the heart.) But through the struggle we have also individuated and developed an ego. We are all one yes, but we are all unique individuals also. This individualism is one of the major strengths of our western culture, the celebration and tolerance of difference. But it could also be our downfall. This tolerance is only fair, if it is reciprocated. The Sun’s symbol is both a halo and an eye. Virgo decan 1’s main ruler Mercury also brings a healing influence. Currently then, some of us are probably going through a stage of self-medicating to get over the trauma we suffer from ongoing media manipulation, fear-mongering and lies. It can be quite a shock when the hidden and buried becomes apparent, and we realise just how badly we have been abused. Medieval astrologers said Regulus would bring glory, riches and fame to all those born under it, and that it was the ‘Royall Starre’.

Robson says Regulus gives “success, high and lofty ideals and strength of spirit, and makes its natives magnanimous, grandly liberal, generous, ambitious, fond of power, desirous of command, high-spirited and independent.” It is important to bear in mind, even with Regulus in Virgo, the ‘Royall Starre’. will still carry its original meaning for natal charts. Many other stars have changed signs due to precession, but I think Regulus is one of the most important since it is so close to the ecliptic and is an archangel star. The Mars and Jupiter nature of Regulus never leave this star, so Regulus will take one far and many of its natives are indeed very successful. But from now on, with the Virgo correction in effect, it is even more likely that this runaway success will be taken away from pretty swiftly, if you fall prey to Regulus’s service-to-self form of expression. So thinking in a civic sense and working to build working, harmonious communities is essential. Self-segregation seems to be happening as Leo tribes quietly keep to their own.

Elitist gated communities far from crime-ridden ghettos, would not happen if a little thought was put into what makes a community thrive. The Pride Of Clans With 21st century Regulus, the risk of downfall is only great if one resorts to displaying excess pride, ego-mania, arrogance, and most of all the famous Regulus revenge. It is said that the higher these Lions climb, the bigger the risk of falling from grace. However I think this ‘pride comes before a fall’ attitude might be another way to keep the average person down. There is nothing wrong with genuine self-love and confidence! Being the best and aiming for excellence is almost frowned upon those days. Regulus passionately conserves culture, and is ultra-protective towards their creations, descendants and artistic ones. So these lions will naturally empower others to recognise their own creativity and sovereignty. In this case then, the red carpet will not be pulled abruptly from under their feet and Regulus in its high vibration can be a great mentor. Evolved Regulus is about dissolving away all the false masks imposed on us by society and and getting to the essence of our true sovereign-self.

In order to do that, Regulus also has to wrestle with its bestial, knee-jerk reactions. These qualities can distance it from people, but lions are pack animals, so a lonely lion is a sad lion indeed. Regulus must not fall for the elites divisive race tactics while forcing diversity. Observe how conversely, those same elites run a tight ship in conserving their own religious exclusivity and bloodlines. One of the ways Regulus can keep strong is to remember how the lion works. He is strongest within his family pack, so connection and pride of ones ancestors is vital. Proud Ancestry Regulus into Virgo means that women are the gate-keepers to the next generation, with birth control they have more say now wether we even have a next generation! Virgo is said to be a barren sign and the results of birth-control have had a huge effect on western civilisation. We were also told that population growth was not environmentally friendly! (Another Virgo/humanitarian theme.) Good Europeans seem to have dutifully taken that advice to heart, (see Panda Sickness .) while the rest of the world has runaway population growth . It is interesting that there are two meanings to the word ‘pride’.

With Regulus that means a less individualistic ego-ic pride. At the same time Regulus is moving towards a deeper connection to ones ‘pride’ in the sense of an inherited genetic linage. Why do you think ‘Blue bloods’ were so successful? Support and inspiration from their ancestors was essential for that Regulus success. In the past, working for one’s descendants was also a great motivator, which was why inheritance and conservation of the land was so important. It will be interesting to see how birthrates (Virgo) between the world’s ‘clans’ (Regulus) in the next 600 years will affect the ecology (Virgo) of our precious planet.

Regulus Keywords Brave, bloodthirsty, gutsy, ambitious, driven, unstoppable, proud, pompous, majestic, magical, vain, arrogant, egotistical, regal, owning one’s sovereignty, loyal, poised, famous, flamboyant, fabulous, dashing, flash, outrageous, chivalrous, courteous, conquering, entrepreneurial, outré, controversial, glorious, bold, hot, brutish, sexy, passionate, diva-esque, haughty, naughty, playful, flirty, childlike, extremist, romantic, generous, fanatical, bossy, unhinged, stalker, predatory, man-eater, mentorship, ability to prophecy, seer, benevolent leader, assuming responsibility, parental, protector of the people, in service for the greater good, connection to ones pride, a statesman/woman, alchemical transition to the Red King (Rubedo), the path to individuation. Leo Constellation - Facts About Leo | Solarsystemquick.com Leo Constellation Highlighted in yellow is the asterism which forms the head of Leo, known as 'The Sickle'. Leo Constellation Facts Leo contains several bright stars making it one the most easily recognizable constellations in the night sky.

The constellation is visible in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. In the Northern hemisphere the constellation can be seen from January to June. The stars that make up the bowl of the 'Big Dipper' asterism point towards the constellation in the Northern hemisphere. In the Southern hemisphere Leo can be viewed in the summer and autumn months. In the Southern hemisphere Leo will appear upside down. The brightest star in the constellation is Regulus, which has surface temperatures more than twice that of the sun. The Latin word for lion is leo. Leo is one of the oldest recorded constellations, it was perceived as a lion by ancient civilizations as far back as 6,000 years ago. Leo is also one of the twelve signs of the zodiac. Leo Mythology The constellation of Leo was recognized as a lion by several ancient civilizations. Like several constellations Leo is based on the adventures of Hercules, a Greek mythological hero and son of Zeus. After being driven insane by his step mother the divine hero killed his six sons in a blind rage. When he recovered from his temporary madness Hercules seeked to atone for his actions by serving a penance for his crimes.

Eventually Hercules ended up in the control of King Eurystheus who set him a series of labors. The first of these labors was to kill a lion that had been terrorizing the city of Nemea. Unknown to Hercules the lion had a coat of golden fur which arrows and swords were unable to penetrate. On his first visit to the lion’s lair Hercules discovered that his arrows simply bounced of the beast. On his second visit the hero blocked off one of the two entrances to the lair and entered armed with a large club, he beat the lion with his club before strangling it to death. Main Stars in the Leo Constellation The number next to each star is its apparent magnitude, its brightness from our point of view on Earth, the lower the number the brighter the star in the night sky. Denebola Also known as Beta Leonis, Denebola is a bright white main sequence star located around 36 light years from Earth, the star is only 75% larger in mass and radius than our sun.

Zosma Also known as Delta Leonis, like Denebola Zosma is a white main sequence star located around 58 light years from Earth, the star has a mass and radius around twice that of the sun. Chort Also known as Theta Leonis, along with Denebola and Zosma Chort forms the rump of Leo in the form of a bright triangle, like the two others Chort is a white main sequence star, at a distance of 165 light years from Earth it is the furthest of the trio and as a result less bright. Regulus Also known as Alpha Leonis, Regulus is not only the brightest star in the constellation but one of the brightest stars in the night sky. Regulus is a four star system located around 80 light years from Earth, the system consists of the bright Regulus A and three dimmer stars. Regulus A is a large blue main sequence star with around 4 times the mass and radius of the sun.

Algieba Also known as Gamma Leonis, Algieba is a two star system around 130 light years from Earth, the system consists of two giant binary stars orbiting each other at a distance of around 16 billion miles (26 billion km). Adhafera Also known as Zeta Leonis, Adhafera is a white-yellow giant star around 270 light years from Earth, it's around six times larger in diameter than the sun with around three times its mass. Finding Leo - Northern Hemisphere The chart shows the position of Leo over most of the United States in mid-spring at 10 pm. This chart can also be applied to other areas of the Northern hemisphere such as Canada, the UK and Europe. In the Northern hemisphere Leo is primarily visible in the southern night sky. In January Leo will appear low on the eastern horizon around 11 pm, moving westwards throughout the night until day breaks around 7pm. From February to April the constellation will appear in the eastern sky around 8 pm, gradually moving higher before dipping towards the western horizon before day breaks.

In May and June Leo will appear high in the western night sky around 10 pm, before dipping towards the western horizon over the next few hours. Finding Leo - Southern Hemisphere The chart shows the position of Leo over most of Australia in early autumn at 8 pm. This chart can also be applied to other areas of the Southern hemisphere such as New Zealand, South Africa and South America. In the Southern hemisphere Leo is visible in the northern night sky. In February and March Leo will appear low in the north-eastern sky from around 9 pm, moving westwards throughout the night before dipping below the north-western horizon around day break. Throughout autumn months of April to June the constellation will appear in the north-eastern or northern sky around 6pm, gradually moving towards the north-western horizon over the next few hours. Share this page Regulus | star | Britannica.com Regulus Betelgeuse Regulus, also called Alpha Leonis, brightest star in the zodiacal constellation Leo and one of the brightest in the entire sky, having an apparent visual magnitude of about 1.35. It is 77 light-years from Earth .

The name Regulus, derived from a Latin word for king, reflects an ancient belief in the astrological importance of the star. Learn More in these related articles: in Leo in astronomy, zodiacal constellation lying in the northern sky between Cancer and Virgo, at about 10 hours 30 minutes right ascension and 15° north declination. Regulus (Latin for “little king”; also called Alpha Leonis), the brightest star, is of magnitude 1.35. The November meteor shower called the Leonids has its radiant, or point of apparent origin, in Leo. Many of the stars... 1 Reference found in Britannica Articles Assorted Reference Corrections? Updates? Help us improve this article! Contact our editors with your feedback. MEDIA FOR: You have successfully emailed this. Error when sending the email. Try again later. Edit Mode Submit Tips For Editing We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles. You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind. Encyclopædia Britannica articles are written in a neutral objective tone for a general audience. You may find it helpful to search within the site to see how similar or related subjects are covered.

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Close Date Published: March 09, 2007 URL: Access Date: January 18, 2017 Share Regulus - Alpha Leonis - HD87901 - HIP49669 - HR3982 - Universe Guide Regulus - Alpha Leonis - HD87901 - HIP49669 - HR3982 Regulus (Alpha Leonis) is a blue main sequence dwarf star that can be located in the constellation of Leo . It is the 22nd brightest star in the night sky. Alpha Leonis is the Bayer Classification for the star. The Id of the star in the Yale Bright Star Catalogue is HR3982. HIP3982 is the reference name for the star in the Hipparcos Star Catalogue. The Id of the star in the Henry Draper catalogue is HD3982. Regulus has alternative name(s), 32 Leonis. Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation hence its Flamsteed classification of "Alpha Leonis". It is not actually one but a multiple star system consisting of two pairs of two stars.

The brightest is a Blue-white star and is much bigger than our own the sun . What may surprise you to know is that this star is more oval or egg-shaped than other stars. Reasons for this is because it spins faster than other stars, for example, our own star, The Sun rotates at about 4,500 miles an hour whereas Regulus rotates at about 700,000 miles an hour. Its also five times as big as the Sun. In addition to the rotation speed, it could be the fact that it is a multi-star system where the other stars pull as they orbit causing the bulge. All stars including our own bulge a little affected by the gravity of the orbiting planet s. Location of Regulus The location of the star in the galaxy is determined by the Right Ascension (R.A.) and Declination (Dec.), these are equivalent to the Longitude and Latitude on the Earth. The Right Ascension is how far expressed in time (hh:mm:ss) the star is from celestial equator. The Declination is how up or down compared to the celestial equator and is expressed in degrees.

For Regulus, the location is 10h 08m 22.46 and +11 d 58`01.9 . Physical Properties/View of Regulus Regulus has a spectral type of B7V. This means the star is (B) blue coloured (V) main sequence (dwarf star). Regulus lies at a distance of 77.49 light years away from our Sun and our planet Earth or to put it another way, 23.61 parsecs away from the Sun. Regulus has an apparent magnitude of 1.36 which is how bright we see the star from Earth. Apparent Magnitude is also known as Visual Magnitude. Regulus has an absolute magnitude of -0.52 which is the apparent magnitude of an object if it were 32.6 light years away or 10 parsecs from Earth. Magnitude, whether it be apparent/visual or absolute magnitude is measured by a number, the smaller the number, the brighter the Star is. Our own Sun is the brightest star and therefore has the lowest of all magnitudes, -26.74. A faint star will have a high number.

The star's effective temperature is 11,962 Kelvin which is hotter than our own Sun's effective Temperature which is 5,777 Kelvin. Regulus Radius has been calculated as being 3.42 times bigger than the Sun. The Sun's radius is 695,800km, therefore the star's radius is an estimated 2,379,636.05. km. The star's solar mass is 4.00 times that of the Sun's. The Sun's Mass is 1,989,100,000,000,000,000,000 billion kg. which to calculate using this website is too large. To give idea of size, the Sun is 99.86% the mass of the solar system. The star is a multiple star system, it has at least the following companions in close orbit, Regulus B, Regulus C. Meteor Showers Radiating from near Regulus The Alpha Leonids Meteor Shower radiants from a point near this star.

The meteor shower runs typically between 13-Jan - 13-Feb with a peak date of 24/31 Jan. Source of Information The source of the information came from Simbad , the Hipparcos data library based at the University at Strasbourg, France. Hipparcos was a E.S.A. satellite operation launched in 1989 for four years. Regulus Facts March Stargazing: 'Little King' Star Regulus Reigns in Space Lion's Heart March Stargazing: 'Little King' Star Regulus Reigns in Space Lion's Heart By Joe Rao, Space.com Skywatching Columnist | March 16, 2014 11:56am ET MORE This image from a NASA March night sky video shows the constellation Leo, the Lion, and position of the bright star Regulus. Credit: NASA/JPL The term, "March comes in like a lion," not only pertains to weather, but to astronomy as well.

As darkness falls these brisk March evenings, we can see a noble star pattern emerging into view in the eastern night sky: The great celestial lion Leo, king of the beasts, accompanied by its brightest star, Regulus, marking the lion's heart. Regulus stands at the lower end of the handle of a very distinctly marked and striking sickle-shaped figure, which resembles a large reversed question-mark which outlines the majestic head, breast and mane of the imaginary lion. Many people hail the appearance of the Sickle of the Leo as one of the first signs of spring. Astrophotographer John Chumack sent in a photo of Mars (red), Regulus (blue star) and the waning crescent moon in a triangle over his backyard observatory in Dayton, OH. Photo taken Oct. 1, 2013. Credit: John Chumack/ The easiest way to positively identify the Sickle is to locate the bowl of the Big Dipper. The two outer stars of the bowl are the famous "pointer" stars that directs us toward Polaris, the North Star . The two inner stars of the bowl when directed in the opposite direction — toward the south — ultimately will take you to the Sickle.

At New York’s Hayden Planetarium, I often tell my audience to imagine that the bowl of the Dipper is filled to the brim with water. "Now," (using my laser pointer on the planetarium dome), "let's imagine we've just poked a hole in the bottom of the bowl. Where does that water go?" [ Constellation Quiz: Can You Read the Stars? ] Following that imaginary flow of water ultimately will bring us to the constellation Leo . Eastward from the Sickle there is a right triangle of stars which also belongs to Leo. Two of these stars mark the hindquarters, while at the eastern point of this triangle you will find another bright star whose name is Denebola, the "tail" of the Lion. Nemean Lion and House of the Sun Leo is among the most ancient of the constellations and is often thought to be representative of the rampaging Nemean Lion , which was the largest and fiercest lion in the world. It had such a thick and tough skin that no arrow could penetrate it. The first of the 12 labors of Hercules was to somehow kill this seemingly invincible beast.

Hercules chose to grasp the lion by the throat and after a terrific struggle ultimately strangled the lion to death. He then wore the lion's skin as a cloak for his own defense in his other exploits. The Lion was placed in the sky by the Egyptians to represent the fierce heat of the sun in midsummer. To them, Leo was the House of the Sun. Some 5,000 years ago, when the course followed by the sun among the stars was first charted with remarkable accuracy by ancient stargazers, it was found that in Leo were the stars among which the sun was to be found at the summer solstice . They thus coincided with the heat of summer, when the sun was at its strongest. So both Leo and the Dog Star (Sirius) were believed to contribute to the heat and storms of summer. Regal Regulus Regulus is about 79 light-years from Earth, has an actual luminosity of about 160 times that of the sun and has an estimated diameter of about five times that of our home star.

Because the ecliptic — which marks the path of the sun against the star background in the night sky — passes just a half degree south of Regulus, the sun almost runs directly over Regulus each year on Aug. 23 on the way south to its crossing of the equator at the beginning of autumn. The moon also passes close beside Regulus every month, sometimes even hiding (occulting) it from view. Thus, Regulus serves as a landmark of sorts in the sky. [ March Night Sky: See Stars, Planets and More (Video) ] In addition, Regulus is not only one of the 21 brightest stars in the sky , but it possesses much practical importance as one of the principal stars having been used by sailors ever since the beginning of navigation to determine their place at sea. COSMOS FirstScope Telescope, Celestron Newtonian reflector optical system features a spherical mirror with a generous 76 mm of aperture. Buy Here Credit: Space.com Store From the remotest times it has been known as the "royal star" par excellence; one of the four royal stars regarded by the ancient Persian monarchy which were supposed long ago to rule over the four quarters of the heavens.

In Babylon they knew it as Sharru, the King, in India as Maghā, the Mighty, in Persia as Miyan, the Center and in Latin Rex, from which Copernicus constructed the name we use today: Regulus, The Little King. The three other seasonal "royal stars" are Antares (summer), Fomalhaut (autumn) and Aldebaran (winter). But the royal star of spring, Regulus, has always been in a certain way, their chief. For about 5,000 years it has been believed, traditionally, to control the affairs of heaven, and the astrologers have seized upon this idea by making it the natal star of kings, and those destined to kingly achievements and rule. Thursday, March 20, 2:07 a.m. Asteroid 163 Erigone will pass in front of the first magnitude star Regulus, causing it to blink out of sight for a few seconds. This will be visible only on a narrow path starting over Long Island, New York, through Kingston, Ontario, Algonquin Provincial Park, and the western part of Hudson’s Bay.

A map of the predicted path is shown here . Erigone itself will be 11th magnitude, not visible to the naked eye.

Question: The star Regulus is in which constellation?
Answer: Leo