Lepus, the Hare, is one of the original 48 constellations listed by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. While it’s not a particularly large or bright constellation, it’s easily found to the south of Orion and is visible from the northern hemisphere throughout the winter months.

It’s also a little devoid of bright deep sky objects, with Messier 79 being the best of the bunch. However, stellar observers will enjoy Gamma Leporis, a double star comprising of cream and orange components, and R Leporis, aka Hind’s Crimson Star, one of the reddest stars in the sky.

Lepus – Key Data

Name

Latin	English	Pronunciation	Genitive	Abbreviation
Lepus	The Hare	LEEP-us	Leporis	Lep

Location

Hemisphere	Best Seen	R.A.	Declination
Southern	Mid December to Late January	05h 31m 03s	-17° 58’ 51”

Features

Area	Size Rank	# of Messier Objects	# of Stars Brighter than Mag 4	Brightest Star
290 sq. Deg.	51st	1	8	Alpha (Arneb) Mag 2.6

Top Lepus Facts

1. One of the original 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy in the 2nd century.
2. Easily found below Orion, the Hunter.
3. Gamma Leporis is a double that can be split with binoculars.
4. R Leporis is said to be one of the reddest stars in the night sky.
5. Contains the most southerly Messier object, M79.

Lepus in Mythology

There are no Greek myths associated with Lepus, although it seems fitting that the hare should appear close to Orion, the Hunter.

In atlases, Orion is typically depicted raising his shield against Taurus the Bull, while his quarry, the fleet-footed hare, apparently takes advantage of his distraction and flees, chased by Orion’s hounds.

Another explanation for the location of Lepus is that hares were once thought to detest the sound of ravens. The constellation Corvus, the Crow (arguably the closest thing to a raven in the sky) rises as Lepus sets, thereby placing the hare eternally out of the bird’s reach.

Lepus in History

Richard Hinckley Allen, in his book, Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning, notes that Sicily was once overrun with hares and that the ancient Greek inhabitants were probably the ones to place the hare in the heavens.

The Arabs knew the four brightest stars as the Chair of the Giant and the Throne of the Jauzah (ie, Orion).

Similarly, the Egyptians saw Orion as their god Osiris (the sun-god of rebirth and afterlife) and the stars of Lepus as his sacred boat. Indeed, you can reportedly find this interpretation on a star map in the Tomb of Montemhet at Luxor.

The Chinese also had their own unique interpretation of the constitution and identified it as a shed.

When & How to See Lepus

Although Lepus lies in the southern celestial hemisphere, it’s still easily visible from Earth’s northern hemisphere, where it is visible throughout the winter months.

It’s best seen in the evening from mid December to late January; it remains visible throughout February, but will already be high over the southern horizon by the time the skies become truly dark.

Lepus isn’t a particularly bright constellation, but thanks to its position below Orion, it’s still very easily found. First find Rigel and Saiph, the two stars that mark the knees of Orion.

A little less than eight and a half degrees separate the two stars; look midway between the two and then another eight and a half degrees to the south and you should see Arneb, the brightest star in Lepus, with Nihal, the second brightest star, about three degrees further south.

Lepus’ Notable Stars

Bayer/Flamsteed Designation	Name (s)	Mag	R.A.	Dec.	Distance (LY)	Notes
Alpha / 11	Arneb	2.6	05h 33m 47s	-17° 48’ 17”	2,200	Brightest star. White supergiant.
Beta / 9	Nihal	2.8	05h 29m 16s	-20° 44’ 21”	160	2nd brightest star. Possible binary.
Gamma / 13	N/A	3.6	05h 45m 28s	-22° 26’ 15”	29	Multiple star for binoculars and telescopes
HR 1771	N/A	5.1	05h 22m 45s	-24° 44’ 57”	350	Multiple star for telescopes. Separation: 3.5″
R	Hind’s Crimson Star	8.1	05h 00m 42s	-14° 46’ 12”	1,300	Notable carbon star

Alpha Leporis (Arneb)

Arneb, the brightest star in the constellation, derives its name from the Arabic name for the constellation as a whole, Al Arnab.

It’s a solitary F0 Ib white supergiant, with an estimated mass roughly equal to 14 times that of the Sun, and a radius 129 times that of the Sun. Now passing into the latter stages of its life, Arneb is expected to eventually explode as a supernova.

Beta Leporis (Nihal)

The second brightest star in Lepus is Nihal. Its name is derived from the Arabic name for the constellation’s four brightest stars that now form the hare’s head: Alpha (Arneb), Beta (Nihal), Mu and Epsilon.

As noted by the 10th century Persian astronomer Al Sufi, these four stars represented four thirsty camels, with the nearby Milky Way representing the river.

Nihal is a G5 II giant star, roughly 3.5 times the mass of the Sun and roughly 240 million years old. A possible binary star, the companion is suspected to be variable.

Gamma Leporis

A wide double, it’s possible to split this pair with 10×50 binoculars – if you hold the binoculars steady or mount them on a tripod. The primary appears a creamy-white and about twice as bright as the orange secondary.

This is thought to be a true binary system, with about 864 AUs (one AU being the distance of the Earth from the Sun) separating the pair and the two stars taking about 18,000 years to orbit one another.

The primary component is a sun-like star, just a little larger and more massive than our own Sun, and with an estimated age of 1.3 billion years. As such, it was a high-priority target for NASA’s proposed Terrestrial Planet Finder program. Unfortunately, that program was canceled in 2011 and any planets orbiting the star remain undiscovered.

HR 1771

To be fair, HR 1771 is no Albireo, but if you like multiple stars, you might still find it of interest. It’s easily located, just a little more than four degrees to the southwest of Beta Leporis (Nihal), placing it within the same binocular field of view.

It’s an easy split for almost any scope at low power (around 35x), and while the primary shows a creamy color, the difference in magnitude between the two components (mags 5.1 and 6.6) make it difficult to see color in the secondary.

This is a true multiple star system, roughly 350 light-years away. The primary is a yellow giant, with about 378 AUs between the two components.

R Leporis

R Leporis was discovered 1845 by John Russell Hind, who described it as being “like a drop of blood on a black field.” As such, it’s one of the reddest stars in the sky and a favorite with observers across the world, who now know it as Hind’s Crimson Star.

It’s a long period variable, with a magnitude ranging from 5.5 to 11.7 over a period of 427-432 days. At its brightest, it can be easily seen with binoculars, but with an average magnitude of 8.1, you’ll most likely need a scope to spot it.

It’s located three and a half degrees northwest of Mu Leporis, on the border with Eridanus. Once you’ve found it, try defocusing the image to allow the star to appear larger and for its light to be spread across a wider area. This, in turn, will help to make its color easier to see. Its color is most noticeable at minima.

Lepus’ Deep Sky Objects

Object	Name(s)	Type	Mag	R.A.	Dec.	Distance (LY)	Min. Equipment
NGC 2017	N/A	Open Star Cluster	6.8	05h 40m 20s	-17° 49’ 10”	3,700	Binoculars
M79	N/A	Globular Star Cluster	7.7	05h 25m 10s	-24° 30’ 08”	42,000	Binoculars
IC 418	The Spirograph Nebula	Planetary Nebula	9.3	05h 28m 35s	-12° 40’ 34”	3,400	Telescopes
NGC 2196	N/A	Galaxy	11.0	06h 13m 10s	-21° 48’ 40”	100 Mil.	Telescopes

Nebulae

IC 418 – The Spirograph Nebula (Planetary Nebula)

As planetary nebulae go, IC 418 is relatively bright, but it lies in the barren northern region of Lepus, close to the border with Orion, thereby making it tricky to locate.

Starting with Mu Leporis, look for Lambda, the star that marks the tip of one of the hare’s ears. A degree and a quarter to the southeast is the magnitude 5 star, 8 Leporis. Now look about the same distance again to the northeast and you’ll be in the approximate vicinity of IC 418.

You can spot this with a small telescope, but it’ll look like a regular star. However, larger scopes (250mm, or 10″) and a magnification of 150x or more, can show its tiny disc.

Here’s where it gets interesting; while many observers report the nebula has a blue-green tint, others have noticed a reddish hue, giving rise to an alternate name – the Raspberry Nebula. (Incidentally, it’s now commonly known as the Spirograph Nebula thanks to a Hubble image from September 2000.)

Star Clusters

NGC 2017 (Open Star Cluster)

Besides M79 (see below) Lepus is surprisingly barren when it comes to bright deep sky objects, especially considering the abundance to be found in neighboring Orion.

NGC 2017 is the constellation’s only notable open star cluster, and while it’s relatively bright, you’ll find it to be sparse – so much so that it also holds a designation as a multiple star. It’s therefore something of a curiosity that telescopic observers might consider checking out.

It’s very conveniently located just a degree and a half due east of Alpha Leporis (Arneb.) A low magnification will show four bright stars that form a Y-shape, with a coppery star at the tip of the easternmost branch of the Y and two fainter stars just to the Y’s east.

M79 (Globular Star Cluster)

Officially discovered by Pierre Mechain on October 26th, 1780, there’s a chance this cluster may have been discovered by Giovanni Hodierna in 1654.

It’s bright enough to be detected with binoculars, but the chances are you’ll need relatively dark skies to spot it, as it will most likely be invisible from suburbia. However, it’s still relatively easily found.

You’ll first need to locate Beta Leporis (Nihal) and then look about four and a quarter degrees to the southwest for the magnitude 5 double, HR 1771. M79 lies half a degree to the northeast of that star – well within the same low-powered field of view.

Telescopically, smaller scopes show the cluster as a small, hazy star at low power, while larger scopes will show a large, dense bright core. Regardless of your scope’s aperture, the core itself will remain unresolved, but the individual stars of the halo should be readily apparent at a magnification of around 200x or more.

M79 is interesting for a number of reasons. Firstly, it’s the most southerly object in Messier’s catalog. Secondly, it lies in an odd position – the vast majority of globular clusters are visible in the late spring or summer sky, as they form a halo around the Milky Way’s core.

However, M79 lies in the opposite direction. It’s now believed to be part of the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, which is slowly being consumed by the Milky Way.

 

Galaxies

NGC 2196

Lepus is a winter constellation, and there aren’t too many galaxies visible at that time of year.

However, if you have a 250mm (10″) scope or larger, you could try your luck with NGC 2196. It’s located at the eastern end of the constellation, on the border with Canis Major, four and a half degrees to the southwest of Beta Canis Majoris (Murzim) and five degrees east of Delta Leporis.

You’ll need dark skies and a magnification of around 150x to spot it. Look for a small, faint, circular patch with a tiny core. Beyond that, you won’t see much else, but if you’re a galaxy hunter, you might still enjoy the challenge.