Regulus
Where is Regulus?
Look east, about 20° up at 05:17 in Leo. It rises at 03:06 and climbs through the night.
- Rises
- 03:06
- Highest
- 10:10
- Sets
- 17:17
- Best after dark
- 05:17 · 20°
Can I see Regulus tonight?
From London tonight, Regulus is above the horizon after dark. It’s highest just before dawn, around 05:17, in the east at 20°.
At magnitude 1.4 it is one of the brighter points in the sky, easy to see by eye when it’s clear.
This is position and timing only: clouds, haze and light pollution aren’t included.
What does Regulus look like?
Regulus looks blue-white to the eye. Its spectral type is B8IVn: hot blue-white subgiant (much hotter than the Sun).
Eyes
A bright blue-white star at the base of a backward question mark.
Binoculars
A bright point with the Sickle’s stars curving above it.
Telescope
A small telescope at low power shows a faint companion star some distance away.
About Regulus
Regulus is the brightest star in Leo, the Lion, and marks the bottom of a backward question mark of stars known as the Sickle. Its name means “little king”.
It is a hot blue-white star about 79 light-years away that spins extremely fast, completing a turn in under a day and flattening its shape.
Regulus sits almost exactly on the ecliptic, so the Moon often passes in front of it, and planets pass close by.
Regulus is a little under four times the mass of the Sun and a few hundred times as luminous. Its fast spin makes its equator about a third wider than its poles.
It has a close white-dwarf companion, detected in 2020, and a wider pair of fainter stars.
In ancient Persia, Regulus was one of four “royal stars” that marked the seasons, along with Aldebaran, Antares and Fomalhaut. It is the faintest of the sky’s brightest stars, which are usually counted as first magnitude.
Regulus in Leo
Questions
What is the Sickle of Leo?
Does the Moon pass in front of Regulus?
Sources: SkyMate; Wikidata (CC0). Positions computed for your place and time with astronomy-engine. Data & Licences