Star Hopping From Constellation Leo Leads to Coma Star Cluster

Summary: Star hopping from Constellation Leo leads to the Coma Star Cluster in Coma Berenices the Hair of Berenice constellation.

Star hopping from two diagonally sited stars in Leo, Regulus and Zosma, leads to Gamma Comae Berenices and the Coma Star Cluster, a cascade of celestial hair, in Comae Berenices the Hair of Berenice constellation: EarthSky @EarthSky, via Facebook April 24, 2017

Star hopping from Constellation Leo leads to the Coma Star Cluster, located in the northwestern part of Coma Berenices the Hair of Berenice constellation.

An imaginary line in Leo the Lion constellation, starting at Regulus and continuing through and beyond Zosma, leads to the Coma Star Cluster in constellation Coma Berenices. The star hop reaches Gamma Comae Berenices, from which Queen Berenice’s celestial hair cascades as the Coma Star Cluster.

Gamma Comae Berenices (γ Comae Berenices; Gamma Com, γ Com) has an apparent magnitude of 4.36. The fourth magnitude star shines as the third brightest star in Coma Berenices.

The Coma Star Cluster, which visualizes as Berenice’s Hair, is a grouping of stars. Star clusters are classified as globular clusters of densely packed, old stars or as open clusters of less densely populated, less tightly gravitationally bound, generally young stars. The Coma Star Cluster classifies as an open cluster in Coma Berenices constellation.

Constellation Coma Berenices lies in the Northern Celestial Hemisphere, the northern half of astronomy’s imaginary celestial sphere. Northern neighbors are Canes Venatici the Hunting Dogs constellation and Ursa Major the Greater Bear constellation. Equatorial constellation Virgo the Virgin lies to the south of Coma Berenices. Bootes the Herdsman borders Coma Berenices to the east. Leo the Lion constellation neighbors to the west.

Constellation Leo’s western region contains a recognizable pattern of stars known as an asterism (Ancient Greek: ἀστερισμός, asterismós, “group of stars”). Constellation Leo’s Sickle asterism also visualizes as a backward question mark. The six-star asterism represents Leo’s head, mane and shoulders, which face away from Coma Berenices in visualizations of Leo the Lion constellation.

Leo’s brightest star, Regulus, represents the tip of the Sickle asterism’s handle. In the punctuation mark visualization, Regulus ends or dots a backward question mark. Regulus (Alpha Leonis, α Leonis; Alpha Leo, α Leo) is actually a multiple star system comprising four stars. Regulus has an apparent visual magnitude (apparent scale of brightness) of 1.35.

The first magnitude star’s traditional name, Regulus, derives from Latin (Rēgulus) for “little king, prince.” The International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) approved Regulus as the star’s official proper name on June 30, 2016. Regulus is also known as Cor Leonis, a Latin translation of the star’s Arabic name (قلب الأسد qalb al-asad), which means “heart of the lion.”

A distinctive triangle is found in constellation Leo’s eastern region, toward the constellation’s border with Coma Berenices. The triangle captures Leo’s hind quarters and the tip of his tail.

Zosma (Delta Leonis, δ Leonis; Delta Leo, δ Leo) sits at the triangle’s northern vertex. The single star has an apparent magnitude of 2.56. University of Illinois Professor Emeritus James B. Kaler describes Zosma as “Near the bright end of third magnitude.”

The IAU WGSN approved Zosma July 20, 2016, as the star’s official proper name. The star’s traditional name transliterates a Greek word. Kaler notes that Greek for “girdle” has been transliterated instead of Greek for “back” or “hip.” American naturalist and amateur astronomer Richard Hinckley Allen (Aug. 4, 1838-Jan. 14, 1908) finds that “. . . its propriety as a stellar title is doubtful, for the star is on the Lion’s rump, near the tail.”

Theta Leonis (θ Leonis; Theta Leo, θ Leo) is placed at the triangle’s western vertex, south of Zosma.  Theta Leonis has an apparent magnitude of 3.34.

On July 20, 2016, the IAU WGSN approved Chertan as the third magnitude star’s official proper name. Kaler notes Chertan’s derivation from Arabic for “ribs,” with the word encompassing both Delta Leonis and Theta Leonis.

Denebola (Beta Leonis, β Leonis; Beta Leo, β Leo) associates with the triangle’s eastern vertex, south of Zosma. Denebola’s apparent magnitude measures 2.14. The second magnitude star’s traditional name derives from the Arabic phrase for “the lion’s tail.” The IAU WGSN approved Denebola as the star’s official proper name on June 30, 2016.

The star hop from constellation Leo to constellation Coma Berenices begins with Leo’s brightest star, Regulus, and ends with Coma Berenices’ third brightest star, Gamma Comae Berenices. The exit from Leo occurs at Zosma, which anchors a triangle featuring Leo’s third brightest star, Denebola, as the tip of Leo’s tail.

The takeaway for star hopping from Leo the Lion to the Coma Star Cluster in Coma Berenices the Hair of Berenice constellation is that extending an imaginary line diagonally from Leo’s brightest star, Regulus, through and beyond Leo’s Zosma leads to Coma Berenices constellation’s third brightest star, Gamma Comae Berenices, from which the open star cluster cascades as Berenice’s celestial hair.

easy star hop to Coma Berenices constellation’s cascade of starry hair, the Coma Star Cluster, via Regulus and Zosma in constellation Leo: EarthSky @EarthSky, via Facebook April 10, 2018

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Star hopping from two diagonally sited stars in Leo, Regulus and Zosma, leads to Gamma Comae Berenices and the Coma Star Cluster, a cascade of celestial hair, in Comae Berenices the Hair of Berenice constellation: EarthSky @EarthSky, via Facebook April 24, 2017, @ https://www.facebook.com/EarthSky/photos/a.61619521852/10154231975286853/

easy star hop to Coma Berenices constellation’s cascade of starry hair, the Coma Star Cluster, via Regulus and Zosma in constellation Leo: EarthSky @EarthSky, via Facebook April 10, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/EarthSky/photos/a.61619521852/10155076819706853/

For further information:

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Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/starnamesandthe00allegoog/

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Available @ https://www.facebook.com/EarthSky/photos/a.61619521852/10154231975286853/

EarthSky @EarthSky. “Tonight. Star-hop to the Coma star cluster. Photo by Zhean Peter Nacionales in the Philippines.” Facebook. April 10, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/EarthSky/photos/a.61619521852/10155076819706853/

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Available @ http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/betacom.html

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Available @ http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/chertan.html

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Available @ http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/denebola.html

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Available @ http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/zosma.html

Learn to Skywatch @Learntoskywatch. “Tonight’s Target: Can you find the constellation ‘Coma Berenices’? Hint: Use Leo and the Big Dipper to locate it.” Twitter. April 3, 2016.
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Marriner, Derdriu. “2019 January Comae Berenicids Shower Earth’s Skies Jan. 20 to Jan. 27.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019.
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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2019/05/star-hopping-from-big-dipper-asterism.html

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