
Star profile
Ras Elased Australis
Epsilon Leonis · Leo
What is Ras Elased Australis
Ras Elased Australis marks the southern jaw of Leo, drawn from the Arabic «raʾs al-asad», «the lion's head». It is a yellow star of the same spectral type as the Sun, yet vastly older and larger: a giant that has long since left its prime. Its light takes some 247 years to reach us — a quiet reminder that every constellation is a tableau stitched together from many different epochs.
Where it is and when to see it
Ras Elased Australis lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is February, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 62° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 73° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 32° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 66° S.
It ranks no. 5 in brightness among the 80 stars of Leo in our catalogue. To find it, start from Regulus, the brightest: it lies about 13° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 250 years ago.
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A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.
Astronomical data for Ras Elased Australis
- Constellation
- Leo
- Apparent magnitude
- 2.97
- Distance
- 246.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 146.463° · Dec 23.774°
- Catalogue
- HIP 47908 · HD 84441
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Leo
Leo has 80 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- RegulusAlpha Leonis1.36
- AlgiebaGamma 1 Leonis2.01
- DenebolaBeta Leonis2.14
- ZosmaDelta Leonis2.56
- ChertanTheta Leonis3.33
- AdhaferaZeta Leonis3.43
- Eta Leonis3.48
- SubraOmicron Leonis3.52