Delta Leonis
Encyclopedia
Delta Leonis (δ Leo, δ Leonis) is a star
in the constellation
of Leo
. It has the traditional names Zosma (or Zozma) and Duhr. Rare spellings include Zozca, Zosca, Zubra, and Dhur. The name Zosma means girdle in ancient Greek
, referring to the star's location in its constellation, on the hip of the lion
.
star, although it is somewhat larger and hotter than the Sun
. It is a fairly well-studied star, allowing relatively accurate measurements of its age and size. Having a larger mass than the Sun it will have a shorter lifespan, and in another 600 million years or so will swell into an orange or red giant
star before decaying quietly into a white dwarf
. The absolute magnitude
of Zosma is 1.29 while its apparent magnitude
is 2.56.
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....
of Leo
Leo (constellation)
Leo is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for lion. Its symbol is . Leo lies between dim Cancer to the west and Virgo to the east.-Stars:...
. It has the traditional names Zosma (or Zozma) and Duhr. Rare spellings include Zozca, Zosca, Zubra, and Dhur. The name Zosma means girdle in ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
, referring to the star's location in its constellation, on the hip of the lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
.
Properties
Zosma is a relatively ordinary main sequenceMain sequence
The main sequence is a continuous and distinctive band of stars that appears on plots of stellar color versus brightness. These color-magnitude plots are known as Hertzsprung–Russell diagrams after their co-developers, Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Norris Russell...
star, although it is somewhat larger and hotter than 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 a fairly well-studied star, allowing relatively accurate measurements of its age and size. Having a larger mass than the Sun it will have a shorter lifespan, and in another 600 million years or so will swell into an orange or red giant
Red giant
A red giant is a luminous giant star of low or intermediate mass in a late phase of stellar evolution. The outer atmosphere is inflated and tenuous, making the radius immense and the surface temperature low, somewhere from 5,000 K and lower...
star before decaying quietly into a 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...
. The absolute magnitude
Absolute magnitude
Absolute magnitude is the measure of a celestial object's intrinsic brightness. it is also the apparent magnitude a star would have if it were 32.6 light years away from Earth...
of Zosma is 1.29 while its apparent magnitude
Apparent magnitude
The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
is 2.56.
See also
- Lists of stars in the constellation Leo
- Class A Stars
- Delta Scuti Variable Stars
External links
- Jim Kaler's Stars, University of Illinois: ZOSMA (Delta Leonis)
- Star Names, Their Lore and Legend, Richard Hinckley Allen, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Dover, various dates