Denebola
 Location of β Leonis (circled) |
|
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 |
|
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Right ascension | 11h 49m 03.57834s |
| Declination | +14° 34′ 19.4090″ |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 2.113 |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | A3Vvar |
| U−B color index | +0.153 |
| B−V color index | +0.107 |
| Variable type | suspected δ Sct |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | –0.2 km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) |
RA: –497.68 mas/yr Dec.: –114.67 mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 90.91 ± 0.52mas |
| Distance | 35.9 ± 0.2 ly (11.00 ± 0.06 pc) |
| Details | |
| Mass | 1.78 M☉ |
| Radius | 1.728 R☉ |
| Luminosity | 15 L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 4.0 cgs |
| Temperature | 8,500 K |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | +0.00 dex |
| Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 128 km/s |
| Age | 100–380 Myr |
| Other designations | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
Denebola, also designated Beta Leonis (β Leonis, abbreviated Beta Leo, β Leo) is the third-brightest star in the zodiac constellation of Leo. It is an A-type main sequence star with 75% more mass than the Sun and fifteen times the Sun's luminosity. Based on parallax measurements from the Hipparcos astrometry satellite, the star is at a distance of about 36 light-years (11 parsecs) from the Sun. Its apparent visual magnitude is 2.14, making it readily visible to the naked eye. Denebola is a suspected Delta Scuti type variable star, meaning its luminosity varies very slightly over a period of a few hours.
β Leonis (Latinised to Beta Leonis) is the star's Bayer designation. In Johann Bayer's Uranometria (1603), it was designated β (Beta) as the second-brightest star in the constellation. It also bears the Flamsteed designation of 94 Leonis (assigned on the basis of increasing right ascension rather than luminosity) and additional designations followed as the star was recorded in subsequent star catalogues.
The traditional name Denebola is shortened from Deneb Alased, from the Arabic phrase ذنب الاسد ðanab al-asad 'tail of the lion', as it represents the lion's tail, the star's position in the Leo constellation. (Deneb in Cygnus has a similar name origin.) In the Alphonsine Tables it was recorded as Denebalezeth. On R. A. Proctor's 1871 star chart of the Northern Hemisphere it was designated Deneb Aleet. In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN's first bulletin of July 2016 included a table of the first two batches of names approved by the WGSN; which included Denebola for this star. It is now so entered in the IAU Catalog of Star Names.
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