Alpha Leporis
Encyclopedia
Alpha Leporis is the brightest star
in the constellation
Lepus. It has the traditional name Arneb, from the Arabic أرنب ’arnab "hare".
Alpha Leporis is an older, dying star that may have already passed through a supergiant
phase and is now contracting and heating up in the latter phases of stellar evolution
, or perhaps is still expanding into the supergiant phase. With a probable mass of less than 10 times that of the Sun
, it is expected to end its life as a hot white dwarf
, although if it is at the heavier end of its estimated mass it may end in a spectacular stellar explosion known as a supernova
.
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
Lepus. It has the traditional name Arneb, from the Arabic أرنب ’arnab "hare".
Alpha Leporis is an older, dying star that may have already passed through a supergiant
Supergiant
Supergiants are among the most massive stars. They occupy the top region of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. In the Yerkes spectral classification, supergiants are class Ia or Ib . They typically have bolometric absolute magnitudes between -5 and -12...
phase and is now contracting and heating up in the latter phases of stellar evolution
Stellar evolution
Stellar evolution is the process by which a star undergoes a sequence of radical changes during its lifetime. Depending on the mass of the star, this lifetime ranges from only a few million years to trillions of years .Stellar evolution is not studied by observing the life of a single...
, or perhaps is still expanding into the supergiant phase. With a probable mass of less than 10 times that of the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
, it is expected to end its life as a hot white dwarf
White dwarf
A white dwarf, also called a degenerate dwarf, is a small star composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. They are very dense; a white dwarf's mass is comparable to that of the Sun and its volume is comparable to that of the Earth. Its faint luminosity comes from the emission of stored...
, although if it is at the heavier end of its estimated mass it may end in a spectacular stellar explosion known as a supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
.