Lepus, the Hare, is a small constellation located directly beneath Orion, the Hunter. Covering 290 square degrees, it is the 51st-largest of the 88 recognized constellations and is visible from latitudes between approximately 63°N and 90°S. Its brightest star, Arneb, shines at magnitude +2.6, making Lepus relatively easy to locate under dark skies despite its modest size.
Although Lepus has no major mythology of its own, it is traditionally depicted as a hare being pursued by Orion’s hunting dogs, represented by Canis Major and Canis Minor. The constellation also contains several interesting objects, including the unusually red variable star Hind’s Crimson Star, the globular cluster Messier 79, and the intricate Spirograph Nebula.
Orion Family of Constellations
Lepus belongs to the Orion family of constellations, alongside Orion, Canis Major, Canis Minor, and Monoceros. It borders Orion to the north, Eridanus to the west, and Caelum and Columba to the south.
Notable Stars
- Arneb (Alpha Leporis) is the brightest star in Lepus, shining at magnitude +2.6 from approximately 2,200 light-years away. It is a luminous yellow-white supergiant, considerably larger and more massive than the Sun. Its name derives from the Arabic word for “hare.” As an evolved massive star, Arneb is approaching the later stages of its life, although its ultimate fate and timing remain uncertain.
- Nihal (Beta Leporis) is the constellation’s second-brightest star, a yellow giant approximately 160 light-years away with an apparent magnitude of +2.8. It is several times more massive than the Sun and has expanded considerably as it evolves beyond the main sequence.
- Epsilon Leporis is an orange giant about 210 light-years away, shining at magnitude +3.2. Its relatively bright appearance makes it one of the constellation’s principal naked-eye stars.
- Zeta Leporis is a young, rapidly rotating white star approximately 70 light-years away. It is particularly interesting because infrared observations have revealed a warm debris disk surrounding it, containing dust thought to originate from collisions between rocky bodies. The system offers astronomers an opportunity to study processes resembling those that shaped the early Solar System’s asteroid belt.
Image Credit: Hind’s Crimson Star by NASA Hind’s Crimson Star (R Leporis) is a remarkable carbon-rich giant approximately 1,300 light-years away. Its deep red appearance results from carbon compounds in its outer atmosphere absorbing much of the blue and green light it emits. The star was discovered by the English astronomer J. R. Hind in 1845, who famously compared its appearance to a drop of blood against the dark sky. R Leporis is also a Mira-type variable star, changing dramatically in brightness over a cycle of approximately 430 days. It can become faint enough to require a telescope, while at brighter phases it is visible through binoculars. Its striking color is often most noticeable when the star is relatively faint.
Notable Deep-Sky Objects
Lepus contains one Messier object, the globular cluster M79, along with the distinctive Spirograph Nebula.
Image Credit: NASA Goddard Spirograph Nebula (IC 418) is a planetary nebula approximately 3,600 light-years away, formed when an aging star expelled its outer layers into space. The nebula takes its name from the intricate patterns visible in Hubble Space Telescope images, which resemble designs produced by a Spirograph drawing toy. Its complex structure includes ripples and filaments of glowing gas whose formation is not yet fully understood. At around magnitude +9.6, it is a challenging but rewarding target for amateur telescopes.
- Messier 79 (M79, NGC 1904) is a globular cluster located approximately 41,000 light-years away. It contains tens of thousands of ancient stars packed into a roughly spherical region and shines at magnitude +7.7, making it visible through binoculars under favorable conditions. M79 is unusual because it lies in a part of the sky opposite the Milky Way’s galactic center, where relatively few globular clusters are found. Some studies have suggested that it may have originated in a smaller galaxy later absorbed by the Milky Way, although its precise history remains uncertain.