Lepus Constellation | Constellations In The Southern Hemisphere
LEPUS CONSTELLATION – In this topic, we are going to know and learn about the southern constellation Lepus, the Hare.
It is the constellation in the southern sky. It means “the Hare” in Latin and is not associated with any myth.
However, the term is depicted as a hare being chased by the mythical hunter Orion or by his hunting dogs, represented by both Canis Major and Canis Minor.
The brightest star, Alpha Leporis or Arneb, also means “the hare” in Arabic. Its ears are delineated by the stars Kappa, Iota, Lambda and Nu Leporis.
It is home to the Hind’s Crimson Star, Messier 79, the irregular galaxy NGC 1821, and the Spirograph Nebula.
It is the 51st largest constellation in the night sky and occupies an area of about 290 square degrees. It lies in SQ1, the first quadrant of the southern hemisphere.
Lepus belongs to the Orion family, along with Canis Major, Canis Minor, Monoceros and Orion.
Stars
Among the stars include:
- Arneb | Alpha Leporis
- Nihal
- Epsilon Leporis
- Mu Leporis
- Zeta Leporis
- Gamma Leporis
- SS Leporis
- Eta Leporis
- Delta Leporis
- RX Leporis
- Hind’s Crimson Star
- Gliese 229
- T Leporis
- the Throne of Jawza asterism
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