Regulus

Star

Apparent magnitude

1.4 mag

Parallax

41.13 mas → about 79.3 light-years away

Spectral type

B7V

Right ascension

152.093°

Declination

11.9672°

Designation

HR 3982

Bayer designation

α Leo

HIP number

49669

IAU name adopted

2016-06-30

Name language

Latin

Name origin (IAU)

The name is a Latin translation of the ancient Greek name for this star: βασιλίσκος, "the (little) King" or "the Kingly One", which is a translation of the Sumerian name of the star: LUGAL (The King). The Romans, following the Greeks, called the star stella regia, "the Royal Star". Later, the Medieval Latin Almagest, translating from the Arabic (where in one version the original Greek diminutive had been lost), had rex, "the King". The form "Regulus" (again, the [little] King") first appears in 1522, obviously formed by some Early Modern scholar after the Greek diminutive name.

Source:IAU Working Group on Star Names · checked 2026-11-02 ↗ESA Hipparcos Catalogue (ESA Gaia Archive) · checked 2026-11-03 ↗