Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS)
Constellation
Lepus
Right ascension
04h 59m 36.3487s[1]
Declination
−14° 48′ 22.518″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)
5.5 to 11.7[2]
Characteristics
Spectral type
C7,6e(N6e)[2]
B−V color index
+5.74[3]
R−I color index
+1.47[3]
Variable type
Mira[2]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)
32.4 ± 2[1] km/s
Proper motion (μ)
RA: 7.51[1] mas/yr Dec.: −4.27[1] mas/yr
Parallax (π)
2.42 ± 1.02 mas[1]
Distance
418[4] pc
Details
Radius
400 ± 90[5]R☉
Luminosity
5,149[4]L☉
Temperature
2,290[6] K
Other designations
R Lep, AAVSO 0455-14, BD−15 915, GC 6093, HD 31996, HIP 23203, HR 1607, IRC -10080, PPM 215123, RAFGL 667, SAO 150058.[1]
Database references
SIMBAD
data
R Leporis (R Lep), sometimes called Hind's Crimson Star,[7] is a well-known variable star in the constellation Lepus, near its border with Eridanus. It is designated "R" in the chart to the right.[1]
It is a carbon star which appears distinctly red. It is named after famous British astronomer J. R. Hind, who observed it in 1845. Its apparent magnitude varies from +5.5 to +11.7 with a period of 418–441 days; recent measurements give a period of 427.07 days. There may be a secondary period of 40 years.[3] R Leporis is too far from earth for its parallax to be measured effectively; Guandalini and Cristallo calculated the luminosity of Mira variables based on their periods. Using a period of 427.07 days, they calculated the bolometric luminosity to be 13,200 L☉.[8] It was estimated to be around 1,350 light-years distant in a 2012 paper, shining with a luminosity approximately 6,689 times that of the Sun and has a surface temperature of 2,980 K.[9]
R Leporis has often been reported as an intense smoky red color, although this is not pronounced when the star is near its maximum brightness. It is reddest when it is dimmest, which occurs every 14.5 months. During these periods it is a candidate for the most-visible reddest star, but this claim is questionable. The red coloration may be caused by carbon in the star's outer atmosphere filtering out the blue part of its visible light spectrum. The star's discoverer, Hind, reported that it appeared "like a drop of blood on a black field."[7]
R Leporis as imaged by ALMA[10]
An image of the carbon star R Leporis as seen in binoculars. R Leporis is the red star right of centre. The bright star in the lower left corner is Mu Leporis.
The light curve of R Leporis from AAVSO V band data[11]
^ abcdefghV* R Lep -- Variable Star of Mira Cet type, database entry, SIMBAD. Accessed on line November 19, 2009.
^ abcR Lep, database entry, The combined table of GCVS Vols I-III and NL 67-78 with improved coordinates, General Catalogue of Variable Stars Archived 2017-06-20 at the Wayback Machine, Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow, Russia. Accessed on line November 19, 2009.
^ abcHR 1607, database entry, The Bright Star Catalogue, 5th Revised Ed. (Preliminary Version), D. Hoffleit and W. H. Warren, Jr., CDS ID V/50. Accessed on line November 19, 2009.
^ abMcDonald, I.; De Beck, E.; Zijlstra, A. A.; Lagadec, E. (2018). "Pulsation-triggered dust production by asymptotic giant branch stars". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 481 (4): 4984. arXiv:1809.07965. Bibcode:2018MNRAS.481.4984M. doi:10.1093/mnras/sty2607. S2CID 118969263.
^Hofmann, K.-H.; Eberhardt, M.; Driebe, T.; Schertl, D.; Scholz, M.; Schoeller, M.; Weigelt, G.; Wittkowski, M.; Woodruff, H. C. (2005). "Interferometric observations of the Mira star o Ceti with the VLTI/VINCI instrument in the near-infrared". Proceedings of the 13th Cambridge Workshop on Cool Stars. 560: 651. Bibcode:2005ESASP.560..651H.
^Lombaert, R.; Decin, L.; Royer, P.; De Koter, A.; Cox, N. L. J.; González-Alfonso, E.; Neufeld, D.; De Ridder, J.; Agúndez, M.; Blommaert, J. A. D. L.; Khouri, T.; Groenewegen, M. A. T.; Kerschbaum, F.; Cernicharo, J.; Vandenbussche, B.; Waelkens, C. (2016). "Constraints on the H2O formation mechanism in the wind of carbon-rich AGB stars". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 588: A124. arXiv:1601.07017. Bibcode:2016A&A...588A.124L. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201527049. S2CID 62787287.
^ abRichard Hinckley Allen (1899). Star-names and Their Meanings. New York: G.E. Stechert. p. 269.
^Guandalini, R.; Cristallo, S. (2013). "Luminosities of carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch stars in the Milky Way". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 555: 7. arXiv:1305.4203. Bibcode:2013A&A...555A.120G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201321225. S2CID 54918450. A120.
^McDonald, I.; Zijlstra, A. A.; Boyer, M. L. (2012). "Fundamental Parameters and Infrared Excesses of Hipparcos Stars". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 427 (1): 343–57. arXiv:1208.2037. Bibcode:2012MNRAS.427..343M. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21873.x. S2CID 118665352.
^"ALMA achieves its highest resolution observations". www.eso.org. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
^Cite error: The named reference aavso was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
RLeporis (R Lep), sometimes called Hind's Crimson Star, is a well-known variable star in the constellation Lepus, near its border with Eridanus. It is...
Leporis (α Leporis, abbreviated Alpha Lep, α Lep), formally named Arneb /ˈɑːrnɛb/, is the brightest star in the constellation of Lepus. Alpha Leporis...
T Leporis (T Lep / HD 32803 / HIP 23636) is a variable star in the constellation of Lepus, the Hare. It is located half a degree from ε Leporis in the...
Star is an alternative name of the deep orange-red variable star RLeporis In George R.R. Martin's series A Song of Ice and Fire, crimson is the family...
Beta Leporis (β Leporis, abbreviated Beta Lep, β Lep), formally named Nihal /ˈnaɪ.æl/, is the second brightest star in the constellation of Lepus. Beta...
the lowest B−V indices at −0.41, while the red giant and carbon star RLeporis has one of the largest, at +5.74. To measure the index, one observes the...
discoverers of asteroids. He also discovered and observed the variable stars RLeporis (also known as Hind's Crimson Star), U Geminorum, and T Tauri (also called...
variables may be oxygen-rich or carbon-rich. Carbon-rich stars such as RLeporis arise from a narrow set of conditions that override the normal tendency...
Gamma Leporis, Latinized from γ Leporis, is a star in the south central part of the constellation Lepus, southeast of Beta Leporis and southwest of Delta...
(which include Ixodes, Rhipicephalus turanicus, R. leporis, R. rossicus, R. sanguineus, R. pumilio, R. schulzei, Hyalomma anatolicum, H. scupense and...
Zeta Leporis, Latinized from ζ Leporis, is a star approximately 70.5 light-years (21.6 parsecs) away in the southern constellation of Lepus. It has an...
Aspergillus leporis produces leporin A and leporin B. It has also been reported to produce antibiotic Y, kojic acid, and pseurotin. A. leporis has been cultivated...
known exoplanet. In 2023, a gas giant exoplanet, AF Leporis b, was discovered in orbit around AF Leporis by direct imaging using the NIRC2 instrument at the...
Herschel. Herschel's Wonder Star is Beta Monocerotis. Hind's Crimson Star is RLeporis, a long-period variable star, named after the discoverer John Russell...
Eta Leporis, Latinised from η Leporis, is a single, yellow-white-hued star in the southern constellation of Lepus, the hare. It is visible to the naked...
Epsilon Leporis, Latinized from ε Leporis, is a third-magnitude star in the southern constellation Lepus. The apparent visual magnitude of +3.166 places...
Delta Leporis (δ Leporis) is a solitary, orange-hued star in the southern constellation of Lepus. It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual...
separate with the naked eye even under the best conditions. Both Gamma Leporis and AK Leporis are members of the Ursa Major Moving Group of stars that share a...
4 degrees south of Rigel and is located next to Iota Leporis. List of variable stars "RX Leporis". SIMBAD Astronomical Database. Retrieved 2012-08-31...
faint star. The variable star designation for this system is SS Leporis, while 17 Leporis is the Flamsteed designation. Parallax measurements yield a distance...
Mu Leporis, Latinized from μ Leporis, is a star in the southern constellation of Lepus. The apparent visual magnitude is 3.259, making the star visible...
Kappa Leporis, Latinized from κ Leporis, is a binary star system in the southern constellation of Lepus. The pair have apparent visual magnitudes of 4...
Theta Leporis, Latinized from θ Leporis, is a solitary, white-hued star in the southern constellation of Lepus. It has an apparent visual magnitude of...
confront Cesare Lepori, the grocer who Morisi said had both suggested the baptism and shown her how to perform it. Based on Morisi's story, Lepori had already...
Lambda Leporis, which is the Latinized form of λ Leporis, is a solitary, blue-white hued star in the southern constellation of Lepus. It is visible to...
Merand, T. Verhoelst, Pre-maximum spectro-imaging of the Mira star T Leporis with AMBER/VLTI, Astronomy and Astrophysics Volume 496, Number 1, March...
Global Information
![R Leporis as imaged by ALMA[10]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/R_Leporis_as_imaged_by_ALMA.tif/lossy-page1-240px-R_Leporis_as_imaged_by_ALMA.tif.jpg)
R Leporis as imaged by ALMA[10]
An image of the carbon star R Leporis as seen in binoculars. R Leporis is the red star right of centre. The bright star in the lower left corner is Mu Leporis.![The light curve of R Leporis from AAVSO V band data[11]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/RLepLightCurve.png/369px-RLepLightCurve.png)
The light curve of R Leporis from AAVSO V band data[11]![R Leporis as imaged by ALMA[10]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/R_Leporis_as_imaged_by_ALMA.tif/lossy-page1-240px-R_Leporis_as_imaged_by_ALMA.tif.jpg)
![The light curve of R Leporis from AAVSO V band data[11]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/RLepLightCurve.png/369px-RLepLightCurve.png)