* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download The Constellation Lepus, the Hare
Geocentric model wikipedia , lookup
Rare Earth hypothesis wikipedia , lookup
Comparative planetary science wikipedia , lookup
Extraterrestrial life wikipedia , lookup
Extraterrestrial skies wikipedia , lookup
Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems wikipedia , lookup
Constellation wikipedia , lookup
Corona Borealis wikipedia , lookup
Auriga (constellation) wikipedia , lookup
Corona Australis wikipedia , lookup
Timeline of astronomy wikipedia , lookup
Canis Minor wikipedia , lookup
Orion (constellation) wikipedia , lookup
Aries (constellation) wikipedia , lookup
Cassiopeia (constellation) wikipedia , lookup
Perseus (constellation) wikipedia , lookup
Cygnus (constellation) wikipedia , lookup
Canis Major wikipedia , lookup
Constellations of the Southern Sky, Lepus - the Hare Lepus is a constellation lying just south of the celestial equator, immediately south of Orion. Its name is Latin for hare. 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. It is located below the constellation Orion (the hunter), and is sometimes represented as a hare being chased by Orion or, alternatively, by Orion's hunting dogs Canis Major and Canis Minor. Crouching low on the horizon, the Hare tries to remain unnoticed as it endlessly attempts to escape Orion's attention and attack This constellation should not be confused with Lupus, the wolf. Four stars of this constellation (α, ß, γ, δ) form a quadrilateral and are known as ‘Arsh al-Jawza', "the Throne of Jawza' (Orion)" or al-Nihal, "Camels quenching their thirst" in Arabic. Alpha Leporis, the brightest star of Lepus, is a white supergiant of magnitude 2.6, 1300 light-years from Earth. Its traditional name, Arneb, means "hare". Beta Leporis, called Nihal, 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 2.2, 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. There are several variable stars in Lepus. R Leporis is a Mira variable star also called "Hind's Crimson Star" for its striking red color. 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 colour intensifies as the star brightens. It was named for John Russell Hind and has been reputed to be the most beautiful star in the sky. There is one Messier Object in Lepus, M79, discovered in 1780 by Pierre Méchain. It is a globular cluster of magnitude 8.0, 42,000 light-years from Earth. One of the few globular clusters visible in the Northern Hemisphere winter, it is a Shapley class V cluster, which means that it has an intermediate concentration towards its centre. It is often described as having a "starfish" shape. MYTHOLOGY Lepus the hare has a number of origins. According to one story, Orion the famous hunter (and the constellation right above Lepus) loved to hunt hares, and so Lepus was placed John Russell Hind (1823- in the sky for Orion's benefit. In another story, Lepus 1895) a civil engineer, but represents the hare so often associated with the moon. through help of Charles While we tend to see a man in the moon, many other cultures have seen a hare, and have W heatstone accepted a many stories to tell about it. The Arabs believed that the four brightest stars in Lepus position at the Royal represented four camels drinking from the river Eridanus, another nearby constellation. Greenwich Observatory The early Egyptians believed Lepus to be the boat of Osiris. under George Biddell Airy. In 1853 Hind In a medieval legend Lepus was seen as "Cain driven from the face of the Earth arrived became Superintendent of at the Moon and eternally settled there with nothing but a bundle of twigs. An example the Nautical Almanac. He of this belief can be found in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy ?Inferno” where the is well-known for the expression "Cain and the twigs" is used as a synonym of "moon". In a variation of this a discovering of asteroids man travelling on Sunday with a bundle of sticks on his back was asked by a fairy why and variable stars. he worked on the Sabbath. He replied : "Sunday on Earth or Monday in heaven, it is all the same to me." The fairy answered ?as you have no regard for Sunday on Earth, take your perpetual Monday to the Moon and carry your bundle forever". And there he still remains. AK