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Leo, the Lion ⬅︎

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The constellation Leo is one of the few constellations that actually looks like what it is named for, a Lion. The asterism known as the Sickle forms the lion's head and front. Denebola forms the tail. Most of the other bright stars form the body.

The brightest star is Regulus, which is latin for little king. It shines brightly at magnitude +1.4 making it one of the brightest stars of spring.

Leo is a constellation of the zodiac which means the planets appear to travel through it coming from Cancer and exiting into Virgo along the path known as the ecliptic.

Leo is easy to find using the the pointer stars, Merak and Dubhe, of the Big Dipper in Ursa Major. Although these stars are typically used to find Polaris, by going in the opposite direction, they lead to bright Regulus. From there is it easy to find the other bright stars of Leo.

Within Leo are numerous galaxies waiting as targets for stargazers with binoculars and telescopes. See the link below for the famous Trio in Leo group of galaxies.
Viewing Leo, the Lion
LevelEasyRatingBest ViewingMid-February to early May
FindFind Merak and Dubhe, the two pointer stars of the Big Dipper in Ursa Major. Go down from them in a sweeping arc to find the bright star Regulus. Use the Constellations of Spring link below for more help.
Find the main stars of Leo. Look for the asterism (unofficial grouping of stars) known as the Sickle. Try drawing the constellation with stars, lines and labels.
With binoculars many more stars will be visible. Although there are galaxies scattered through Leo, most will be too dim to view even under dark skies. Take time to explore.
Explore the Trio in Leo group of galaxies. See the link below.
▶︎ Constellations of Spring  ▶︎ Leo  ▶︎ Trio in Leo