Leo constellation: Facts, location, and stars of the lion

In the northern hemisphere, the constellation of Leo is easily seen during spring, particularly around the spring equinox during the months of March, April, and May. It can be seen soon after sunset and for most of the night. 

As spring progresses into summer Leo drifts progressively to the west, by late July or early August Leo fades into the sunset. 

Leo lies between the constellations Cancer to the west and Virgo to the east at 11 hours right ascension and 15° north declination. Its other non-zodiac constellation neighbors are Coma Berenices, Crater, Hydra, Leo Minor, Lynx, Sextans, and Ursa Major.

The constellation can be found by looking for the head of the lion, or the "sickle," starting at the Regulus (Alpha Leonis) star. Regulus, Al Jabbah, and Algieba, together with the fainter stars ζ Leo (Adhafera), μ Leo (Ras Elased Borealis), and ε Leo (Ras Elased Australis), constitute the sickle.

The brightest star in the curve of the sickle is Al Geiba, which means "the lion's mane." In January 2001, a large object eight times the size of Jupiter was discovered orbiting Al Geiba. A triangle of stars forms the lion's haunches. The brightest star of this trio is Denebola, which means "tail of the lion."

There are a number of luminous galaxies within Leo, including the Leo triplet of M66, M65 and NGC 3628. The Leo Ring, a cloud of hydrogen and helium gas, orbits of two dwarf galaxies.

Leo observing targets

light-years away, one an orangy red, the other yellowish in color. 

After spotting the lion's head, skywatchers may next want to trace its haunches and its tail, which are formed by a triangle of stars the brightest of which is Denebola, or the "tail of the lion."

Stars aren't the only astronomical body comprising Leo, the constellation is also made up of several bright galaxies. The most notable of these is the Leo triplet made up of the spiral galaxies Messier (M66), Messier 65 (M65), and NGC 3628.

space.

The constellation of Leo is also home to the radiant point, the point from which the sun. 

Of the mythological tales associated with the constellation of Leo, arguably the best known is Hercules' battle with the Nemean lion. A fierce monster of Greek mythology, Hercules or Heracles had to battle the beast as part of his first of 12 labors.

The Nemean lion was so feared because while its golden mane protected it from any assault, its claws were sharper than any weapon forged by humanity. Hercules defeated the lion when Athena instructed him to use the lion's own claw as a weapon against it. 

Leo was an important constellation to the ancient Egyptians who associated it with the flooding of the Nile. This event occurred during the hottest time of year, also when the sun entered Leo. The flooding of the Nile was a good omen as, according toAstroBackyard explains how to get a stunning image of this triad of galaxies.  

Bibliography

 Celestial Wonders in Leo, Night Sky Network, NASA, [Accessed 12/13/22], [https://www.eso.org/public/blog/heavy-elements-unveil-origin-of-leo-ring/]

Nile River, National Geographic, [https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/nile-river] 

Senior Writer

Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.’s Open University. Follow him on Twitter @sciencef1rst.