Orange giant · Lepus
ε Leporis
Also known as: ε Lep, HIP 23685
mag 3.2210 light-years
About
ε Leporis is an orange giant of magnitude 3.2 in Lepus, about 210 light-years away.
How to find it
- ε Leporis is in the constellation Lepus.
- Best evenings: around late January it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from south of 58° N.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesVisible from the suburbs on a clear night, but lost in bright city skies.
- Binoculars (10×50)A sharp point; binoculars bring out its colour and the fainter stars around it.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)Still a point of light at any magnification — stars are too far away to show a disc. Low in the sky, bright stars twinkle and flash colours.
Stars look the same in any instrument: brighter and sharper, but never bigger.
Facts
| Designation | ε Leporis (ε Lep) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 23685 |
| Type | Orange giant |
| Spectral type | K4III |
| Colour | OrangeB−V colour index 1.46 |
| Magnitude | 3.2The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 210 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1810. |
| Proper motion | 0.075″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Lepus |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 05h 05m 27.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | −22° 22′ 16″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →