Northern spring is the perfect time to see the constellation of Leo, the lion. Being a zodiacal constellation, it sits in the plane of the ecliptic, which marks the path followed by the sun throughout the year. It is bordered to the west by Cancer, the crab, and to the east by Virgo, the virgin.
Leo is a highly recognisable constellation because of its size and the number of bright stars it contains. The lion’s head is marked by the star Algenubi, and together with the stars that represent the mane and chest, forms an asterism known as “the sickle” because of its shape. The lion’s body is marked by four stars, Regulus, Algieba, Zosma, Denebola; the last star is named after the Arabic phrase meaning lion’s tail.
The grouping of stars was recognised by the Mesopotamians as early as 4000BC, and was very quickly associated with a great lion. In the second century AD, Ptolemy included it in his list of 48 constellations, from which the modern constellations are derived.
The chart shows the view looking up into the southern sky from London. The constellation is also visible from the southern hemisphere, where it will appear upside down in the northern sky.
