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Regulus, in astronomy

Regulus rĕgˈyələs [key], brightest star in the constellation Leo; Bayer designation Alpha Leonis; 1992 position R.A. 10h08m, Dec. +12°00′. A bluish-white main-sequence star of spectral class B7 V, its apparent magnitude of 1.35 makes it one of the 25 brightest stars in the sky. Its distance from the earth is about 85 light-years. Regulus is a visual triple star. Its name is Latin for “prince.”

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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