dipper@utastro.UUCP (Debbie Byrd) (03/21/85)
Star names like Regulus and Denebola often have a meaning. We'll talk about it -- after this. March 21 Star Names Some stars were named for a reason. For example, two of the stars in the constellation Leo the Lion were named for their special positions within the constellation. The brightest star in Leo is Regulus. This star is pretty easy to find, even without a star chart. It's now in the evening sky, at the tip of a pattern of stars that makes the shape of a backwards question mark. The backwards question mark pattern in Leo represents the Lion's head and shoulders. Regulus, at the tip of the question mark, represents the Lion's heart. The name Regulus comes from the Latin word Rex, which means king. The star Regulus got its name because the lion's heart was considered the heart of a king. Leo's second-brightest star is Denebola. This star is harder to find -- it's not located in the prominent backwards question mark pattern. Instead, Denebola lies in the easternmost part of Leo. It's the tip of a triangle of stars that represents the lion's back haunches. The name Denebola means "tail of the lion," and the star Denebola represents the lion's tail. When you hear the word "deneb" in a star name, you might remember that it always means "tail." Deneb Algiedi is the tail of the seagoat in the constellation Capricornus. Deneb Kaitos is the tail of the whale in the constellation Cetus. Finally, there's just plain Deneb, the tail of the swan in the constellation Cygnus. Script by Deborah Byrd. (c) Copyright 1984, 1985 McDonald Observatory, University of Texas at Austin