Star Regulus

The star Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo. Together with the stars Arcturus and Spica, Regulus forms the Spring Triangle.

Facts about Regulus

With an apparent brightness of 1.35mag Regulus is one of the brightest stars in the sky. Moreover, its distance is 77 light-years. Regulus belongs to spectral class B7, and thus is a very hot and luminous star. Also the light of Regulus’ is distinctly bluish. The diameter of Regulus is about 3.25 times as big as the sun as well as it has 3.5 times as much mass as the sun. Additionally its surface temperature is 13,000 Kelvin. The age of Regulus is estimated to be about 50 million years. Once the hydrogen of Regulus is depleted, the fusion of helium into carbon will begin and Regulus will inflate into a red giant. Incidentally, Regulus is a quadruple star system orbited by a white dwarf, though it is not directly observable. In addition, 4,200 AU away from the main star Regulus A, is the pair of stars Regulus B and Regulus C.