Lepus Constellation: The Ultimate Guide

In the ancient culture of the Inca empire, the constellation Lepus appears as part of the constellation of what we know today as "Orion."

It is thought that Lepus was associated with the figure of a mountain rabbit in this culture. As Lepus is near the equator, explorers might have used it to avoid getting lost in the mountains.

In Greek mythology, there is a myth associated with the constellation; according to the writer Hyginus, it was a hare that fled from Orion's dog and was so fast that it was impossible to catch.

The astronomer Eratosthenes added that the Olympian god Hermes put Lepus among the constellations because of his incredible speed as an example of a small but unattainable creature and symbol of speed.

During the nineteenth century, Lepus was designated as one of the 88 official night sky constellations by the International Astronomical Union. The boundaries between this constellation and the belt of Orion were marked.

Despite being much brighter than other constellations, Lepus did not acquire greater fame because it was overshadowed by being right next to Canis Major. This constellation contains Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, of which there are many stories and myths.

Currently, Lepus remains one of the official constellations and occupies an area of 290 square degrees in the night sky, which places it in 51st place in size among the 88 constellations that exist.

It is also known that deep-sky objects have been found significant for modern astronomy and the study of the universe within the constellation's boundaries.

Lepus resides in the second quadrant of the Southern Hemisphere (SQ2) at latitudes between 63° N and 90° S, which means we can see the constellation in the night sky from every country in the world.

The constellation Lepus is visible in America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica.

Lepus is not visible in areas above 63° N latitude, such as northern Canada, northern Greenland, Siberia, and the Arctic Circle.

Lepus is a constellation close to the celestial equator, so it is visible almost all year round for the southern hemisphere; however, the best month to visualize it is January.

Lepus is mostly visible during the winter in the northern hemisphere since it remains more timely in the sky during this season. In the northern hemisphere, it ceases to be visible in summer.

Lepus is essentially close to the celestial equator, so you will have to direct your gaze to the south in the northern hemisphere.

One way to locate the Lepus constellation is by finding its brightest star Arneb, which is in the central part of the constellation.

You can look for the constellation Orion to find Lepus since both constellations are very close.

The easiest way to locate the constellation Lepus is by drawing an imaginary straight line from the constellation of Orion to the constellation Columba; in the middle of the two, you will find the constellation Lepus.

Lepus's constellations are Orion, Monoceros, Canis Major, Columba, Caelum, and Eridanus.

In addition, Lepus belongs to the Orion family of constellations, including Canis Major, Canis Minor, Monoceros, and Orion.

The constellation Lepus officially contains 73 stars, of which 11 form the central figure of the constellation; these are Arneb, Nihal, Sasin, Neshmet, Theta Leporus, Zeta Leporus, Gamma Leporus, Eta Leporus, Delta Leporus, Lambda Leporus, and Kappa Leporus.

With an apparent magnitude of +2.58, Arneb is the brightest star in the constellation Lepus. Arneb is a yellow supergiant about 1300 light-years from the Solar System.

It is one of the most intrinsically luminous stars that can be observed with the naked eye, its luminosity being equivalent to 13,000 suns. Its diameter is also huge, 75 times larger than the Sun. It has a surface temperature of 7000 K.

Nihal is the second brightest star in the constellation Lepus, second only in brightness to Arneb (α Leporis). With an apparent magnitude of +2.81, it is located 159 light-years from the Solar System.

Nihal is a luminous yellow giant of spectral type G5II, whose surface temperature of 5209 K is somewhat lower than the Sun.

Also known as Sasin, it is the third most brilliant star in the constellation Lepus with an apparent magnitude of +3.19. It is located 213 light-years away from the Solar System.

It is a star of spectral type K4III, Epsilon Leporis, which has an effective temperature of 4131 K, and its radius is 40 times more grande than the radius of the sun.

Lepus is also known as home to several deep-sky objects. Deep-sky objects often mean star clusters, nebulae (interstellar cloud bodies), or galaxies.

In the case of Lepus, it has very few deep sky objects since it is a tiny constellation.

M79 is the most notable deep sky object in the constellation Lepus, consisting of a globular cumulus with a magnitude of +8.56.

Pierre Méchain discovered it in 1780. M79 is at a distance of about 41,000 light-years from Earth and 60,000 light-years from the galactic center.

• IC 418 is a planetary nebula of magnitude 11, whose central star has magnitude 11. Informally it is known as the "Spirograph Nebula." Its current diameter is 0.3 light-years.
• NGC 1964 is a barred spiral galaxy; it is the brightest galaxy in the constellation with 10.8.

• In some cultures of the southern hemisphere, such as the Aborigines of Australia, the constellation Lepus is represented with a kangaroo due to the abundance of these animals in the region.
• Lepus is not considered an independent constellation in other cultures such as China but is part of other more prominent constellations such as Orion or Canis Major.

• Lepus is a constellation located primarily in the southern hemisphere; the constellation's name comes from Latin and means Hare.
• Lepus is a small constellation, so very few myths are associated.
• The best month to see the Lepus constellation is in January, between the latitudes of 63° N and 90° S.
• The easiest way to locate the constellation Lepus is by drawing an imaginary straight line from the constellation of Orion to the constellation Columba; in the middle of the two, you will find the constellation Lepus.
• The brightest star in Lepus is Arneb (α Leporis / α Lep / 11 Leporis) which has an apparent magnitude of +2.58.
• The most notable deep-sky body of the constellation Lepus is Messier 79 (M79 or NGC 1904), a globular cluster of magnitude +8.56.

1. https://www.universeguide.com/constellation/lepus
2. http://www.seasky.org/constellations/constellation-lepus.html
3. https://www.constell ation-guide.com/constellation-list/lepus-constellation/
4. https://earthsky.org/constellations/lepus-the-hare-globular-cluster-m79/