[Contents], [Among the stars]
Leo
Leo, the lion, is one of the few constellations
whose appearance actually fits its name. In the sickle on the
western side you can imagine the mane of a lion, and the bright
star Denebola ("the lion's tail") at the other end marks
its tail.
Locate the constellation by finding the two
stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper closest to the handle. Then
follow their line to the sickle in Leo. You can hardly miss it.
- Regulus is bluish-white and is the brightest
star in Leo. Its name is derived from the word for "the
king" because this star was thought by the ancients to rule
the heaven.
- Gamma Leonis, the second brightest star in
the sickle, is a beautiful double star in a small telescope.
- On November 17 each year, a stream of meteors
appears to radiate from Leo.
- Leo is far from the Milky Way on the sky.
With a good pair of binoculars and a dark sky, you can glimpse
several spiral galaxies in the hinid quarters of the lion.
The paths of the sun, moon, and planets (the
ecliptic) pass through Leo, making it one of the zodiacal constellations.