Rasalas

Its story

Rasalas is an orange giant in Leo, 124 light-years away, set near the head of the mythological cat. Its full name, from the Arabic «raʾs al-asad al-shamālī», means «the northern head of the lion», a celestial place-name as literal as it is elegant. Its warm light arrives after a century and a quarter of travel, enough time to have crossed two world wars and the invention of radio.