The Nautical Almanac # 28 --- Denebola, the Lion's Tail

Prior to the formal categorization of star names, a process which began in earnest in the 19th Century and continues today, many stars had the word "deneb" in their names. The word is Arabic, and it means "tail." Of the 88 modern constellations, 42 represent animals and several others represent mythological half-human half-animal creatures or humans holding animals, so the word "deneb" was quite common in star names. The star Diphda in the constellation Cetus The Whale is also known as "Deneb Kaitos" the Tail of The Whale; Aldhanab (Al-Deneb) in the constellation Grus The Crane represents the bird's tail. The star now simply known as Deneb (made famous by Star Trek) is the tail of Cygnus The Swan. There are others formerly called "Deneb ____________________ " and there is Denebola (Deneb al-Asad), The Tail of The (Lion) King, in Leo.

Denebola is the twenty eighth star in the Nautical Almanac and lies at the tail end (hence the name) of the Zodiacal constellation Leo The Lion. It is also called Beta Leonis, the second brightest star (after Regulus) in Leo.

In ancient days Denebola was called Denebalezeth or Deneb Alit. It is part of the asterisms of the Spring Triangle and the Great Diamond. It was associated with weather. It was also astrologically associated with disgrace and downfall, but due to one's own foibles rather than the actions of enemies --- "One should not twist the tail of the lion" as the old saw goes. 

Denebola is a Second Magnitude Main Sequence white star, burning at 18,000 degrees F. It is a young star, only 100 million years old. It may have a white dwarf companion. It is encircled by an accretion disk of gas and dust, so planetary formation is likely underway at Denebola. It has 175 times the radius of our Sun and about twice the mass, with 15 times the luminosity. It is a variable star, meaning that its brightness changes. It lies about 40 light years from the Earth, making it a relatively close stellar neighbor.