Leo, the Lion, is a zodiac constellation of the northern spring sky, its mane traced by a backward question mark of stars called the Sickle, with Regulus at the base.
At a glance
| stars in the figure | 13 |
|---|---|
| nearest star of the figure | Denebola, 35.9 light-years (11 pc) |
| farthest star of the figure | Eta Leonis, 1,270 light-years (389 pc) |
| depth | the farthest is 35 × farther than the nearest |
| zodiac | ♌ the ecliptic runs through it |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Leo
Leo is the lion of Greek myth killed by Heracles, and it really does look like a crouching lion. The Sickle forms its head and mane, ending in Regulus, a hot, fast-spinning blue-white star at the lion’s heart. A triangle of stars makes the hindquarters, with Denebola at the tail. Algieba, in the mane, is a fine pair of golden giants in a telescope.
Regulus lies almost exactly on the ecliptic, so the Moon regularly passes in front of it. Behind the lion, far beyond its stars, lie bright galaxies within reach of a small telescope, and the dwarf galaxy Leo I, a satellite of the Milky Way. The Leonid meteors seem to stream out of the Sickle. Leo dominates northern spring evenings.
What you see in the piece
Flown out to, the lion’s tail star Denebola sits close to the Sun, while Eta Leonis, beside Regulus in the Sickle, lies far behind, and the figure stretches into a long scatter.
Questions
What is the brightest star in Leo?
Regulus, the lion’s heart, a hot blue-white star that lies almost on the ecliptic.
How far away are the stars of Leo?
They range from Denebola, 35.9 light-years (11 pc), to Eta Leonis, 1,270 light-years (389 pc): the farthest is 35 × farther than the nearest.