Leo point by point. The constellation Leo is the main thing in the spring sky
And Cancer. Ursa Major, Lesser Lion, Chalice and Sextant also settled nearby. The location of the brightest stars in the cluster is indeed somewhat reminiscent of a recumbent animal. In ancient Greece, the lion personified strength and ferocity. At that distant time, there were a lot of these powerful predators on the Balkan Peninsula. Now almost all of them have been exterminated, and the miserable remains of Asiatic lions live only in the Girsky reserve (India). But then - not now.
One of these formidable predators was the Nemean lion. He lived in the mountains near the city of Nemea (Peloponnese) and terrified the surroundings. No one could defeat the beast, but then Hercules appeared. He fearlessly fought the lion and strangled him with his own hands. To perpetuate this feat, Zeus laid out the stars in the sky in the form of a lion's figure. Since those times, a cluster of stars has been shining on the celestial sphere, symbolizing the victory of the son of Zeus over the fierce animal.
The brightest star in the constellation is the blue-white star Regulus... She is also one of the brightest stars in the night sky. It's just a stone's throw from the Earth. The distance is only about 78 light years. The luminary consists of 4 stars, which are combined into 2 pairs. One contains a blue-white main sequence star and a white dwarf. In the second pair, 2 dim stars of the Main Sequence coexist in unison.
Regulus practically "lies" on the ecliptic, so it is often covered by the Moon and less often by such planets as Venus and Mercury. The main blue-white star, which makes this system as bright as possible, exceeds the solar mass by 3.5 times, and exceeds our luminary by 160 times in brightness. The shape of the star is flattened due to very fast rotation around its own axis. Regulus is translated from Latin as "little king", and the Arabs called the luminary "Heart of a lion".
At the back of the predator nestled in the night sky is star Denebola... The name is translated from Arabic as "lion's tail". The luminary is considered the third brightest in the constellation. It refers to the Main Sequence. Almost 2 times the mass of the Sun and 12 times brighter. It is 36 light years from Earth. Denebola is a Delta Shield type variable star. Its brightness changes slightly over several hours.
On the lion's mane, when he turns his head, there is a golden yellow algieba star... In translation, the name means "lion's mane". The luminary consists of 2 stars. The luminosity of the main component is 180 times that of the sun, and the diameter is 23 times larger. The second star shines 50 times brighter than the Sun, and its diameter is 10 times larger. They revolve around a common center with an orbital period of 500 years. They are 126 light-years distant from the blue planet.
There are also several other bright stars. Zeta Leo or Adhafera is in the thick lion's mane. It is a giant white luminary, which is 85 times brighter than the sun. It is 3 times heavier than the Sun, and its radius is 6 times larger. It is located at a distance of 274 light years from our planet.
Leo constellation diagram
One of the stars closest to Earth is Wolf (wolf) 359... It is a red dwarf. It is 7.8 light years distant from the blue planet. It belongs to the so-called flare variable stars. They are characterized by the fact that an unpredictable sharp increase in brightness can occur within a few minutes. The increase in brightness lies in the spectrum from X-rays to radio waves. Outbreaks usually occur at intervals of several days. The star is relatively young. Its age does not exceed 1 billion years, and its luminosity is 100 thousand times less than that of the Sun.
Of great interest is the star Kaffau or SDSS J102915 + 172927... Found her in a galactic halo. It is described in detail in the September 2011 American magazine "Nature". The fact is that this star is 13 billion years old. It is one of the oldest stars in the Milky Way. Its mass is 0.8 solar. This space body is deficient in carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and completely devoid of lithium.
As we all well know, oxygen and carbon play a decisive role in the formation of low-mass stars. Therefore, the very principles of the formation and existence of Kaffau are a mystery. The search for similar stars is currently underway. It is assumed that there can be from 5 to 50 of them in space.
Beyond the stars constellation Leo contains many bright galaxies... These are M65, M66, M95, M96, M105. M65 is a spiral galaxy. It is located at a distance of 35 million light years from Earth. It was discovered in 1780 by the French astronomer Charles Messier (1730-1817). She is part of the so-called Triplet Leo. These are three star formations - M65, M66, NGS 3628. From the Earth, the galaxy is visible as a small speck of elliptical shape with a bright core. Nearby is the less elongated M66, and to the side, the much fainter NGS 3628. These celestial formations are clearly visible in a small telescope.
M95 is a spiral galaxy, discovered in 1781 by the French astronomer Pierre Meshan (1744-1804). This star system is notable for the fact that there are ring-shaped regions of star formation near its core. The galaxy belongs to the Messier group of objects, which also includes M96 and M105. Its distance to the Earth is 38 million years. M95 and M96 are spiral galaxies, while M105 is elliptical. At the center of the latter is a supermassive black hole.
Our Sun, "moving" along the ecliptic, "enters" the constellation Leo on August 10, and "leaves" it on September 15. That is, it has been at the mercy of a formidable predator for more than a month. But the beast does nothing bad to him, and the luminary continues on its way, giving the earthlings life, light and warmth.
Quote post Leo Constellation in Astronomy, Astrology and Legends
From July 23 to August 22, Leo reigns in the zodiacal horizon. After all, the lion is really a regal animal, personifying strength and power, not tolerating competition.
Meanwhile, in astronomy, the Lions Constellations are two located side by side. On the celestial atlases, astronomers placed them side by side, since it was believed that the Little Lion in its influence should be similar to the Big Lion. In the Northern Hemisphere, you can almost always see them, although they are especially well visible in the spring - in February and March.
The close proximity of these constellations in the night sky does not give a reason to consider them under the general name "Constellation Lions". Most often they are mentioned separately.
Leo Minor Constellation Leo Minor is located between Ursa Major and Leo - it is a very small constellation that contains 34 stars. This constellation is not as remarkable as its older brother.
The Little Leo was discovered by Jan Hevelius in 1610. For the first time he placed the constellation in his atlas "Uranographia".
Drawing of the constellation Leo from the atlas of Jan Hevelius.
The Big Lion is better known. And for good reason. After all, the Big Lion has much more reason to boast. Its brightest star Regulus (translated from the Latin "king") is 160 times brighter than our Sun and about 3 times larger than it. It is sometimes also called the "Heart of the Lion" (Cor Leonis).
At the base of the "lion's head" is the brightest star Algieba (γ Leo), which means "lion's mane." In January 2001, a large object was discovered in Algieba's orbit, eight times the size of Jupiter.
The arrangement of the bright stars really resembles a recumbent lion, whose head and chest represent the famous "Sickle" asterism, which looks like a mirrored question mark.
The triangle of stars at the back of the Leo figure begins with the star Denebola (β Leo), which means "lion's tail." There are about 70 stars in its composition, but most of them are faintly visible.
There are a number of luminous galaxies within Leo, including the Lion Triplets M66, M65, and NGC 3628. Leo's ring is a cloud of hydrogen and helium, orbiting two dwarf galaxies. In mid-November, you can also observe the Leonids meteor shower, the maximum of which falls on November 17.
Leo constellation is one of the earliest recognized constellations... The people of Mesopotamia are known to have documented this constellation under the name "Lion". The Persians referred to it as "Ser" or "Shir"; Turks as Artan; Syrians as "Aryo"; Jewish nation as "Arye"; The Indians called this constellation "Simha". All these names are translated as "Lion".
Lysippos Great Greek sculptor of the early Hellenistic era (IV century BC)
The constellation Leo represents Nemean Leowho was killed by Hercules in the first of 12 of his exploits. This murder was a revenge for the murder of his family. According to Greek mythology, Leo lived in a mountain valley near the Argolid city of Nemea, raging throughout the area and killing residents. The lion was of enormous stature and remarkable strength, and his skin was so hard that no iron, bronze, or stone could pierce it.
A fresco in Pompeii depicting Hercules fighting the Nemean lion
On the way to Nemea, Hercules stopped at the farmer Molorch. They agreed that if the hero does not return in 30 days, Molorkh will sacrifice his last ram to the masters of Hades. If Hercules has time to return, then the ram will be sacrificed to Zeus. It took the hero just 30 days to find the cave where the Nemean lion lived. He filled up one of the entrances to it with stones, hid near the other and waited for the monster to appear. At sunset he saw a lion and shot three arrows in a row at him, but none of them pierced the skin. The lion rushed at Hercules, but he hit him with a club made of ash, cut down in the Nemean grove, and then strangled the beast stunned by the blow. And then he ascended to Heaven as one of his conquests.
Relief of the front wall of a marble sarcophagus
A very long time ago, about 4.5 thousand years ago, in the constellation Leo was the point of the summer solstice, in the southern countries at this time the strongest heat reigned, therefore, among many peoples, Leo became a symbol of fire. The Assyrians called it the "Great Fire".
In Egypt, during this period of the summer solstice, the flood of the Nile began. Therefore, the gates of the sluices that directed the waters of this river through the canals to the fields were made in the form of a lion's head. And now, in the fountains, a stream of water pours out of the lion's mouth, and where does this tradition come from - no one even thinks about it ... 
Astrology is not a science, but according to its laws, Leo is the fifth constellation of the Zodiac, corresponding to the ecliptic sector from 120 ° to 150 °, counting from the vernal equinox.
In Western astrology, the Sun is believed to be in Leo from approximately July 23rd to August 21st. The sign of Leo should not be confused with the constellation Leo, in which the Sun is located from August 10 to September 15.
Leo symbol:
Sign Type: Fire
Leo Planet: Sun
Lucky Color: Gold, Orange, White, Red
Leo Flowers: Sunflower
Lion Stone: Chrysolite
Leo is considered a masculine sign, an extrovert. Every Leo is born with good luck in his hands, as love conquers all adversity.
Lions are divided into two groups. The first is those who like status more than money, and the second is the opposite. But if Leo is ruled by the heart, then he is able to overcome any difficulties in life.
Leos, like all natural born leaders, do not know rest. Both in the spiritual realm and in the material realm, those born under the zodiac sign Leo are constantly striving to create something new. In order to achieve the goal, Leo will spend large amounts of money, time and knowledge, practically not caring about himself.
Leo is very attracted to the opposite sex, but excessive gullibility ruins them. Leo can often become a victim of deception, because he trusts other people as himself.
Lions don't change. If they find out that their second half is sinning, then a disappointed Leo can forget about love. Lions hate it when they openly lie. If a person born under this Sign finds out that you lied to him, you can say goodbye to him forever. Respect for Leo you will never return in this case.
Lions will stand up as a mountain for their friends or loved ones. They will not be afraid of anyone or anything, fearlessly rushing at the offender, tearing him into small pieces. In part, this is because Leos think that you are property, but the root cause is not even known to them. It's just that they have something going on inside at such moments, whereby they become stronger and bolder.
Lions are very impudent and very dynamic, but, despite this, they suffer less mutilation and injury than others. This also applies to driving - Lions are the least statistically involved in accidents. Experts say that the confidence and composure of their character is to blame.
Leos remain calm even in the most unusual situations. When everyone is running and yelling with their hands up, these people calmly solve the problem. Well ... or they try, at least. Only human stupidity ... or a long wait can bring them out of balance.
Leos hate waiting. This zodiac sign is smaller than others can sit in line. If Leo sits in line with you, then he may be simply unbearable. This is perhaps the only situation that should be avoided when near Leo.
Leos adore luxury that emphasizes their status, but this is not necessarily manifested in everything. There is something so important for them that they will never give up. Someone loves to eat in a restaurant, someone loves to drive an expensive car, someone loves chic clothes. For this they are able to sacrifice anything.
Leos always have a fairly high opinion of themselves. Their weakness is their pride, such people melt from flattery and this is probably the easiest way to their hearts, but the slightest criticism will close the opportunity for peaceful coexistence.
These are Leos.
There are three levels of soul development for people born under the sign of Leo. The highest is represented by the Sphinx - this is not a wise weather, a mythical creature, a great teacher and mentor. The second is Leo, the king of the jungle, who rules over the Leo's ego, but always speaks out to protect and support those he loves. And the last level is a Leo cub, an immature, unformed, frightened by all new baby.
The arrangement of the bright stars really resembles a recumbent lion, whose head and chest represent the famous "Sickle" asterism, which looks like a mirrored question mark.
The “dot” at the bottom of this sign is the bright blue-white star Regulus (α Leo), which in Latin means “king”. It is sometimes also called the "Heart of the Lion" (Cor Leonis). The luminosity of Regulus is 160 times higher than that of the Sun, and the high apparent brightness (1.36 magnitude) is explained by its relative proximity to us (85 light years). Among the stars of the first magnitude, Regulus is closer than others to the ecliptic, therefore it is often covered by the Moon.
In the back of the figure of the beast is the star Denebola (β Leo), translated from Arabic - "lion's tail". It has a magnitude of 2.14 and is only 43 sv. of the year.
At the base of the "lion's head" is the golden yellow Algieba (γ Leo), which means "lion's mane." It is a close visual binary of magnitude 2.0.
R Leo is one of the brightest long-period variables, varying from magnitude 5 to 10. The very faint red dwarf Wolf 359 (apparent brightness 13.45) is the third among the nearest stars (distance 7.80 light years); its luminosity is 100,000 times less than that of the sun. If this star took the place of our Sun, then at noon on Earth it would be slightly brighter than it is now at the full moon.
Among the distant objects in this constellation, spiral galaxies M 65, M 66, M 95 and M 96, as well as the elliptical galaxy M 105, lying near the last two spiral galaxies, are interesting. Their apparent brightness is from 8.4 to 10.4 magnitude.
Asterism "Sickle"
Asterism Sickle consists of six constellation stars - α (Regulus), η, γ (Algieba), ζ, μ and ε (Algenubi). The shape resembles a sickle or a mirrored question mark.
Observation
Typically, the Sun is in the constellation from August 10 to September 15. The best observation conditions are in February and March.
In the constellation Leo lies the radiant of the Leonids meteor shower, formed from the decay of comet Tempel-Tuttle and observed in mid-November.
History
The constellation was known to the Sumerians 5000 years ago. Included in the catalog of the starry sky "Almagest". The classical myth connects Leo with a slain Nemean monster. One of the earliest mentions of the constellation in Russian - in the XI century manuscript, published by A. Budilovich under the title "XIII words of Gregory the Theologian in the Old Slavic translation ...".
Leo (zodiac sign)
Leo is the fifth sign of the zodiac, corresponding to the sector of the ecliptic from 120 ° to 150 °, counting from the vernal equinox; constant sign of the trigon Fire.
In Western astrology, it is believed that the Sun is in the sign of Leo from approximately July 23 to August 23 or 22, in Vedic - from August 15 to September 15. The sign of Leo should not be confused with the constellation Leo, in which the Sun is located from August 10 to September 15.
The Leo character ♌ (may not display in some browsers) is in Unicode decimal 9804 or hex 264C and can be entered in HTML as ♌ or ♌.
click on the image to enlarge it
| Lat. name | Leo |
|---|---|
| Reduction | Leo |
| Symbol | |
| Right ascension | from 9 h 15 m to 11 h 52 m |
| Declination | from -6 ° 00 'to + 33 ° 30' |
| Square | 947 sq. degrees |
| The brightest stars (value< 3 m) |
|
| Meteor showers | |
| Nearby constellations |
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| The constellation is visible in latitudes from + 84 ° to -56 °. The best time to watch is February, March. |
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Constellation Leo from Atlas "Uranographia" by Jan Hevelius (1690)
Constellation Leo from Atlas "Uranographia" J. E. Bode (Berlin 1801)
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Constellation Leo from the Atlas "Urania's Mirror" (London, 1825)
Mythology
Nemean lion of the first feat of Hercules. Short, right?
However, it may be that Zeus placed him in heaven simply as the king of beasts. But this is some kind of boring version.
The constellation Leo has been known to people for a long time. The name was given to him by the Egyptians in ancient times. They associated it not with legends or mythology, but with recurring seasonal phenomena.
In ancient Egypt, when at night in March and April high above the horizon, almost at the very zenith, the stars of the constellation Leo began to shine, a period of terrible heat began. Even the fertile Nile Valley was drying up, the soil cracked from the unbearable heat. At this time, at night, the terrible roar of lions was heard, wandering in the desert in search of prey. Nobody dared to go out there. The desert was turning into a kingdom of lions. This was repeated from year to year, and therefore the ancient Egyptians named that part of the starry sky, which they saw at that time, the name of Leo. So the king of beasts, Leo, appeared in the starry sky.
According to legends, great kings were to be born under the sign of this constellation. Therefore, the brightest star in the constellation Leo was named Regulus (from the Latin rex - king).
Greek mythology connects the constellation Leo with the monstrous Nemean lion and with one of the exploits of Hercules.
Having defeated the titans, Zeus cast them into the gloomy Tartarus. At the huge gates of Tartarus, the hundred-armed hecaton-heirs vigilantly guarded the terrible enemies. The Titans have lost their hold on the world forever. But Zeus's struggle for power over Heaven and Earth did not end there. He still had to defeat the last enemy - Typhon, who instilled terror in everyone and was the cause of many calamities on Earth.
When Gaia (Earth) learned how cruelly Zeus had dealt with her children - the titans, she married the gloomy Tartarus and gave birth to the terrible hundred-headed monster Typhon - a creature with a hundred dragon heads, continuously spewing out tongues of flame in all directions. As soon as Typhon rose from the bowels of the Earth, the whole Earth shuddered from its weight. The deafening roar of angry bulls and lions, dog barking and terrifying serpentine hiss spread far across the Earth, and the flames spewed out by the dragon's heads burned everything around. Horror gripped people and animals, and even the gods were frightened. The earth burned and everything melted from the hellish heat. A stormy flame swirled around Typhon. Only Zeus was not afraid. He boldly opposed Typhon, showered him with lightning and deafened him with peals of thunder. The Earth and the Sky merged into a continuous fire, it seemed that even the air was burning. Zeus's lightning bolts turned everything to ash. Zeus incinerated all one hundred heads of Typhon, and he collapsed to Earth like a huge rock. Such heat emanated from his body that everything around melted, and the Earth itself almost turned into a fiery river. Wasting no time, Zeus grabbed the huge body of Typhon and threw him into the depths of the gloomy Tartarus, who gave birth to this monster. Typhon remained there forever. But even in Tartarus, Typhon threatens the gods and strikes terror into people, causing terrible hurricanes that sweep away everything in its path. The fire of Typhon passes through the thickness of the mountains, and then fiery rivers flow along their slopes. But the worst thing happened when Typhon married Echidna. They gave birth to terrible monsters - the two-headed dog Orfo, the three-headed dog Cerberus with a serpentine tail, the Lernean hydra, the Nemean lion, etc. Some monsters ascended to Earth and caused people terrible disasters and terrible suffering.
Typhon and Echidna (half-woman, half-snake) left their offspring - a huge lion - in the mountains, not far from the city of Nemea (hence its name - Nemean lion). With a terrible roar, he raged in the vicinity of the city and devastated everything around. Horror gripped people and animals when they heard this roar. The people did not dare to leave their homes, famine set in, diseases began. Weeping and groaning was heard in Nemea. No one could save people from the unbearable calamity that all Greece was talking about.
King Eurystheus instructed Hercules to kill the Nemean lion and bring his corpse to Mycenae.
Hercules set off at once. In Nemea, he saw a desolate, scorched earth. All living things hid in their homes. No one could even tell him where the lair of the terrible lion was.
All day Hercules wandered along the wooded slopes of the mountains, but nowhere could he find the monstrous lion. The sun was already setting and it was getting dark. And then Hercules heard the terrifying roar of a lion, which woke up and waited in complete darkness to start hunting ...
In several giant leaps Hercules reached the lion's den, which was a huge cave with two exits. In front of one of the exits, Hercules piled up huge stones, and he hid at the second exit and prepared a bow and arrows. Some time passed, and a giant lion roared out of the cave. Hercules showered him with arrows, but none of them even wounded the monster - the arrows bounced off the lion, whose skin was harder than iron. Hercules did not know that the Nemean lion was invulnerable to weapons. When Hercules saw that the arrows were bouncing off the lion, he threw away the bow and pounced on the lion with the club. With one powerful blow to the head, Hercules stunned him, then grabbed his neck with his powerful hands and squeezed so hard that he strangled the lion.
Placing a huge beast on his shoulders, Hercules went to Nemea. There he sacrificed to Zeus and instituted the Nemean Games in memory of his first feat, during which wars ended throughout Greece and world peace reigned.
Hercules took the lion to Mycenae. When Eurystheus saw the monster, he was so afraid of the strength and power of Hercules that he forbade him to approach Mycenae, and ordered to show evidence of the fulfillment of his further orders at the city walls.
The great thunderer Zeus turned the Nemean lion into a constellation and left it shine in the sky to remind people of the feat of his son Hercules, who saved people from this terrible disaster.
Most of the constellations are not at all like what their names indicate. In the constellation Pegasus, for example, it is difficult to recognize the legendary winged horse, and in the constellation Lynx - a forest predator.
Another thing is Leo. You just need a little imagination to find and recognize the king of beasts in the drawing of its brightest stars. The figure of this constellation is so simple and expressive that it is instantly remembered. Therefore, Leo is often used to search for neighboring constellations, which are far from so expressive.
But how to find the constellation Leo in the starry sky?
First, let's agree when we will look for it. Let's search in the evening, because it's easier to do it in the evening than at night or early in the morning (we usually sleep at night, and in the morning we rush to school or work).
In the evenings, the constellation Leo can be observed starting in February. At this time, Leo rises in the east immediately after dusk, and late in the evening it is observed in the southeast.
On February evenings, the constellation Leo rises late at night in the east. Pattern: Stellarium
A special sign by which you immediately distinguish Leo from other constellations is large trapezoid of four stars... In terms of its size, it is almost equal to the Big Dipper's bucket, and the brightness of the stars of these two celestial figures is quite comparable. The brightest star of Trapezium Leo is in its lower right corner. it Regulus, the main star of the constellation and the twentieth brightest star in the entire night sky.
You don't need any special reference points in order to find a trapezoid - it will immediately catch your eye, you just have to look in the right direction! As I said, in February, the trapezoid is visible in the evenings in the east and southeast, but - pay attention! - in a tilted position.
The constellation Leo in the evening sky in March is in the southeast. Pattern: Stellarium
The most convenient time to observe the constellation Leo is spring, especially its first half. In March, with the onset of dusk, the constellation Leo appears in the southeast, being quite high in the sky - halfway between the horizon and the zenith.
Even higher, the constellation Leo is observed on April evenings. At this time, it is observed in the south and is the full owner of the spring sky, since the constellations surrounding it are very dim. Only two stars - Arcturus and Spica - are brighter than Regulus in the spring sky. But the constellations of these stars - Bootes and Virgo - are rather indistinct. The trapezoid of Leo in April is visible in a horizontal position, so it is quite easy to find it in the sky.
By the way, if you still doubt that you can independently detect the constellation Leo in the sky, keep the landmark: Leo is under the Big Dipper's dipper! With this in mind, you will quickly find the Leo constellation at any time of the day or year, as long as it is above the horizon at that moment.
In spring, the Big Dipper is almost at its zenith, and the constellation Leo is below it in the southern side of the sky. Pattern: Stellarium
It gets dark late in May; the constellation Leo appears in the southwest in the evenings and spends only a few hours in the sky, after which it goes beyond the horizon.
And here you can ask: why was the constellation Leo named after the king of beasts, and not just the Trapezium?
When you find the constellation Leo in the sky, take a closer look at it. Above the right edge of the trapezoid, you will probably notice three more stars, which, together with Regulus and the star of Algieba (upper right in the trapezoid), form a figure that looks like a question mark looking in the other direction. This drawing has long been popularly called the Sickle for its resemblance to an old peasant instrument.
Leo Sickle asterism. The handle of the sickle is marked by Regulus, and the stars Algieba, Adhafera, Rasalas and epsilon Leo mark the sickle itself. On old maps, the front legs, chest and head of a lying predator were depicted here. Pattern: Stellarium
But also in this figure you can see both the chest and the head of the Lion! It seems that the predator lies with its head raised and looking somewhere in the distance to the west.
By the way, on a dark and transparent night in the sky you can see and lion tail... But we'll talk about this stellar drawing later.
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In the night sky, even with the naked eye, you can see the constellation Lions. The Big and Small Leo located nearby have long been the subject of study by astronomers, in no way inferior in this sense to other constellations. Where and when can you see them in the sky? What luminaries are included in these constellations? This is what we will try to find out further.
Both constellations are located in the Northern Hemisphere. Of these, of course, the Big Lion is better known. Its prototype was the one with which the hero of Greek mythology Hercules fought desperately. Lesser Leo is located between the Big Dipper and Leo. The close proximity of these constellations in the night sky does not give a reason to consider them under the general name "Constellation Lions". Most often they are mentioned separately.
And for good reason. After all, the Big Lion has much more reason to boast. Its Regulus (translated from the Latin "king") is 160 times brighter than our Sun and about 3 times larger than it. Other brightest stars in the constellation Leo are Denebola, Algieba, Zosma and Algenubi.
It is located next to such constellations as Virgo, Cancer, Sextant, Chalice. In total, there are about 70 stars in its composition, but most of them are faintly visible.
In shape, the constellation looks like an irregular hexagon, on one side of which there is a curl in the shape of an inverted question mark. This curl is the supposed mane of the lion, and its six stars form the famous Sickle asterism.
There are a lot of interesting objects in the constellation Leo: galaxies, binary and variable stars, which can only be viewed through a powerful telescope.
The constellation is best seen in February and March, and in mid-November you can also observe the Leonids meteor shower, the maximum of which falls on November 17.
Leo Minor Constellation
Lesser Leo is a very small constellation that contains 34 stars. It is best seen in the spring and summer. not as remarkable as the older brother. No interesting objects are observed in it, and its brightest stars do not form a clear geometric figure.
The Little Leo was discovered by Jan Hevelius in 1610. For the first time he placed the constellation in his atlas "Uranographia". Later, the astronomer Francis Bailey, pointing out the bright stars of Little Leo, noted only the second brightest, completely forgetting about the first.
Conclusion
The constellation Leo is two constellations located side by side. In the Northern Hemisphere, you can almost always see them, although they are especially visible in the spring. On the celestial atlases, astronomers placed them side by side, since it was believed that the Little Lion in its influence should be similar to the Big Lion.
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