Leo Minor, the Lesser Lion, is a faint northern constellation squeezed between Leo and the Great Bear, so faint that it has no star labelled Alpha.
At a glance
| stars in the figure | 5 |
|---|---|
| nearest star of the figure | 21 Leonis Minoris, 92.1 light-years (28.2 pc) |
| farthest star of the figure | 30 Leonis Minoris, 233 light-years (71.5 pc) |
| depth | the farthest is 2.5 × farther than the nearest |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Leo Minor
Leo Minor was introduced by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius, who drew a small lion above the great one from the faint stars between Leo and Ursa Major. When Greek letters were later assigned to its stars, the brightest was overlooked, so the constellation has a Beta but no Alpha.
That brightest star is Praecipua, an orange giant whose Latin name means the chief. The figure is a short chain of faint stars that needs a dark sky to trace. Leo Minor is best seen on spring evenings in the northern hemisphere, high in the sky above the sickle of Leo.
What you see in the piece
This is one of the shallower figures: the farthest of its stars is not so much farther than the nearest. Even so, flown out to, the little lion loses its shape as the stars separate in depth.
Questions
Why does Leo Minor have no Alpha star?
When the stars of Leo Minor were given Greek letters, its brightest star, Praecipua, was left without one, so the lettering starts at Beta.
How far away are the stars of Leo Minor?
The nearest star of the figure is 21 Leonis Minoris, 92.1 light-years (28.2 pc) away, and the farthest is 30 Leonis Minoris, 233 light-years (71.5 pc), 2.5 × farther.