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Arneb (Alpha Leporis) Star Facts
Arneb, also known as Alpha Leporis is a very luminous supergiant star located in the constellation of Lepus, The Hare. Arneb is a major star and forms part of the constellation. Arneb is the traditional/proper name for the star, whilst Alpha Leporis is the Bayer Designation for the star. A list of additional names and identifications is in the facts list at the bottom of the page.
Based on the spectral type (F0Ib), Arneb colour is yellow - white.
Arneb temperature is in the range of between 6,000 and 7,500 Kelvin. Arneb effective temperature is 4,732 Kelvin which is cooler than the Sun's effective temperature which is 5,777 Kelvin. Arneb is the 1st brightest star in Lepus based on the Hipparcos 2007 apparent magnitude. Based on a parallax of 1.47, Arneb distance from Earth can be calculated at being 2,218.80 light years away or 393.70 parsecs.
Arneb is a naked-eye star, so you don't need a telescope or binoculars when you look up on a clear night. The lower the magnitude, the easier it will be to see it.
Location
The location of the Arneb in the night sky is determined by the right ascension (R.A.) and declination (Dec.). These are equivalent to the Longitude and Latitude on Earth. The Right Ascension (Longitude) is expressed in time (hh:mm:ss) and is how far the star is along Earth's celestial equator. If the R.A. is positive, then it's eastwards and vice versa.
The Declination (Latitude) is how far north or south the object is compared to the celestial equator and is expressed in degrees. If the value is positive, it is north of the celestial equator. For Arneb, the location is 05h 32m 43.81 and -17° 49` 20.3 .
Based on the location of Lepus, Arneb can be located in the southern hemisphere of the celestial sky. The celestial hemisphere is equivalent to the hemispheres on Earth. Arneb is south of the Ecliptic. The Ecliptic is the path that the Earth takes as it orbits the Sun. As the Earth is titled, we therefore have Celestial and Ecliptic hemispheres and they can be different for a star.
Map
Physical Properties
Arneb Luminosity
Luminosity is the amount of energy a star pumps out relative to the amount that our star, the Sun, gives out. Our star, the Sun's value is 1. Arneb Luminosity figure of 34,894.93 comes from the Vizier online catalogue. The star generates more energy than our star.
Iron Abundance
Arneb Iron Abundance is 0.08 with an error value of 9.99 Fe/H, with the Sun having a value of 1 to put it into context. The value comes from the Hipparcos Extended Catalog.
Magnitude (Apparent / Absolute / Visible)
A number represents a star’s magnitude, whether apparent/visual or absolute. The smaller the number, the brighter the star is. The Sun is the brightest star and therefore has the lowest of all magnitudes, -26.74. A faint star will have a high number.
Arneb apparent magnitude is 2.58, which is a measure of the star's brightness as seen from Earth. Apparent Magnitude is also known as Visual Magnitude.
If you use the 1997 parallax value, Arneb' absolute magnitude is -5.40. If you use the 2007 parallax value, Arneb' absolute magnitude is -6.58. Absolute Magnitude is the star's apparent magnitude from 10 parsecs or 32.6 light years. The magnitude assumes nothing is between the object and the viewer, such as dust clouds. To compare different stars' actual brightness, you would best use Absolute rather than Apparent Magnitude.
Arneb is visible from Earth without needing binoculars or a telescope. The lower the Apparent Magnitude of a star or other object is, the easier it is to see in the night sky. An object with a magnitude greater than 6.5 cannot be seen without a telescope or other device.
Radial Velocity and Proper Motion
In simplistic terms, all non-rogue stars, like planets, orbit around a central object, although that is actually not true. Where is the centre of the Solar System. For simplicity it's the central star, such as the Sun. In the case of a star, it's the galactic centre. The constellations we see today will be different than they were 50,000 years ago or 50,000 years from now.
Proper motion details the movements of these stars and is measured in milliarcseconds. Arneb is moving 1.18 ± 0.08 milliarcseconds/year towards the north and 3.56 ± 0.14 milliarcseconds/year east if we saw them in the horizon.
The radial velocity, the speed at which the Arneb is moving away from the Sun, is 25.10000 km/s with an error of about 0.10 km/s . When the value is negative, the star and the Sun are getting closer to one another; likewise, a positive number means that two stars are moving away. It's nothing to fear as the stars are so far apart they won't collide in our lifetime, if ever.
Arneb Fact List
The table is scrollable if you can't see everything, just swipe the table to see the hidden information.
Key Facts
Primary Name:
ArnebSpectral Type:
F0IbStar Type:
very luminous Supergiant StarColour:
yellow to whiteGalaxy:
Milky WayConstellation:
LepusCelestial Hemisphere:
SouthernMain Star
: YesVisual / Apparent Magnitude
: 2.58Visible From Earth
: YesAbsolute Magnitude
: -6.58Radial Velocity
: 25.10000 ± 0.1 km/sIron Abundance (Fe/H)
: 0.0800 ± 9.99Eccentricity:
0.03140Semi-Major Axis
: 8065.0000000Luminosity (Lsun)
: 34894.9300000Effective Temp. (Kelvin):
4,732Location/Coordinates
Right Ascension
: 05h 32m 43.81Declination
: -17° 49` 20.3Galactic Latitude
: -25.14136212 °Galactic Longitude
: 220.94712084 °Galacto-Centric Distance:
25,685.363 Light Years / 7,875 ParsecsDistance from Earth
Parallax
: 1.47000Light Years
: 2218.80Parsecs
: 680.27Astronomical Units (A.U.)
: 140,314,782.019Proper Motion
: (milliarcseconds/year)Declination
: 1.18000 ± 0.08000Right Ascension
: 3.56000 ± 0.14000Miscellaneous Facts
B-V Index
: 0.21Alternate Names
: Alpha Leporis, Alf Lep, Al-Arnab, HD 36673, TYC 5920-1685-1, HIP 25985, HR 1865, 11 Leporis, 11 Lep, BD -17 1166, 2MASS J5324381-1749198, IRAS 5305+1751Sources and Links
- Modified Date: 21st April 2024
- Published Date: Jan 2015
- SIMBAD Source: Hipparcos Catalogue & Simbad
- Source: Vizier
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