Visible at latitudes between +63° and −90°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of January.
Lepus is a constellation lying just south of the celestial equator. Its name is Latin for hare. It is located below—immediately south—of Orion (the hunter), and is sometimes represented as a hare being chased by Orion or by Orion's hunting dogs.[2]
Although the hare does not represent any particular figure in Greek mythology, Lepus was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations.
Lepus is most often represented as a hare being hunted by Orion, whose hunting dogs (Canis Major and Canis Minor) pursue it. The constellation is also associated with the Moon rabbit.[3]
Four stars of this constellation (α, β, γ, δ Lep) form a quadrilateral and are known as ‘Arsh al-Jawzā', "the Throne of Jawzā'" or Kursiyy al-Jawzā' al-Mu'akhkhar, "the Hindmost Chair of Jawzā'" and al-Nihāl, "the Camels Quenching Their Thirst" in Arabic.
The constellation Lepus as it can be seen by the naked eye
There are a fair number of bright stars, both single and double, in Lepus. Alpha Leporis, the brightest star of Lepus, is a white supergiant of magnitude 2.6, 1300 light-years from Earth. Its traditional name, Arneb (أرنب’arnab), means "hare" in Arabic.[4]Beta Leporis, traditionally known as Nihal (Arabic for "quenching their thirst"),[4] is a yellow giant of magnitude 2.8, 159 light-years from Earth. Gamma Leporis is a double star divisible in binoculars. The primary is a yellow star of magnitude 3.6, 29 light-years from Earth. The secondary is an orange star of magnitude 6.2. Delta Leporis is a yellow giant of magnitude 3.8, 112 light-years from Earth. Epsilon Leporis is an orange giant of magnitude 3.2,[5] 227 light-years from Earth. Kappa Leporis is a double star divisible in medium aperture amateur telescopes, 560 light-years from Earth. The primary is a blue-white star of magnitude 4.4 and the secondary is a star of magnitude 7.4.[3]
There are several variable stars in Lepus. R Leporis is a Mira variable star. It is also called "Hind's Crimson Star" for its striking red color and because it was named for John Russell Hind. It varies in magnitude from a minimum of 9.8 to a maximum of 7.3, with a period of 420 days. R Leporis is at a distance of 1500 light-years. The color intensifies as the star brightens.[6] It can be as dim as magnitude 12 and as bright as magnitude 5.5.[3] T Leporis is also a Mira variable observed in detail by ESO's Very Large TelescopeInterferometer.[7]RX Leporis is a semi-regularred giant that has a period of 2 months. It has a minimum magnitude of 7.4 and a maximum magnitude of 5.0.[8]
^Gutierrez-Moreno, Adelina; et al. (1966). "A System of photometric standards". Publicaciones Universidad de Chile. 1: 1–17. Bibcode:1966PDAUC...1....1G.
"Lepus". The Constellations. International Astronomical Union.
Allen, R. H. (1899). Star-names and Their Meanings. New York: G. E. Stechart.
Kunitzsch, P.; Smart T. (2006). A Dictionary of Modern Star Names: A Short Guide to 254 Star Names and Their Derivations. Cambridge (USA): Sky Publishing Corp.
