Leo

Origin

Leo is among the easier constellations to identify, given the distinctive asterism shaped like a sickle, or a backwards question-mark, on its western side. The bright stars Regulus and Denebola mark the ends of the classical Greek constellation’s outline with the sickle on one end and a nearly perfect right triangle on the other. As a northern hemisphere constellation, Leo is best seen from northern latitudes, but is visible from the southern hemisphere as well, although not from extreme southern latitudes. Known as a springtime constellation, Leo is visible late at night during northern hemisphere winters (summers in the southern hemisphere), and visible in the early evening in the northern hemisphere spring (autumn in the southern hemisphere).

Bright Stars

Leo is easy to see even in moderately bright skies because of the large number of bright stars. Regulus (Alpha Leonis) shines at magnitude 1.34 and lies about 78 light-years from Earth. Denebola (Beta Leonis) shines at magnitude 2.23 and lies a mere 36 light-years away. Algieba (Gamma Leonis) is a binary star consisting of a magnitude-2.6 primary and a magnitude-3.6 secondary star 126 light-years from Earth. 40 Leonis lies nearby, giving it the appearance of a triple star system. Algieba is a pleasing sight in small telescopes. Zosma (Delta Leonis) is a magnitude-2.58 star 58 light-years from Earth.