At 947 square degrees, Leo is the 12th-largest constellation in terms of size. It can be visible from latitudes between +90 and -65 in the northern hemisphere’s second quadrant (NQ2). Cancer, Coma Berenices, Crater, Hydra, Leo Minor, Lynx, Sextans, Ursa Major, and Virgo are the nearby constellations.
Messier 65 (M65, NGC 3623), Messier 66 (M66, NGC 3627), Messier 95 (M95, NGC 3351), Messier 96 (M96, NGC 3368), and Messier 105 are among the five Messier objects in Leo (M105, NGC 3379). 11 of its stars have identified planets.
Along with Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquarius, and Pisces, Leo is a member of the Zodiac family of constellations.
Regulus, Alpha Leonis, the brightest star in Leo, has an apparent magnitude of 1.35.
One of the fifteen equatorial constellations is Leo. There are 13 identified stars there. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has officially authorized the names Adhafera, Algieba, Alterf, Chertan, Denebola, Dingolay, Formosa, Moriah, Rasalas, Regulus, Sagarmatha, Subra, and Zosma for stars.
The constellation is connected to two meteor showers. The Leonids typically reach their annual peak on November 1718 and have a radiant close to the brilliant star Gamma Leonis. A brief shower called the January Leonids peaks between January 1 and January 7.
In This Article...
What prominent stars make up the constellation of Leo?
Numerous bright stars can be seen in this constellation, including 1 Leonis, Regulus (Leonis), the lion’s heart, and Denebola (Leonis) (Algieba). Numerous additional, more dimly lit stars have also been given names, including Leo (Zosma), Leo (Chort), Leo (Al Minliar al Asad), Leo (Alterf), and (Leo (Subra).
What constellation is Leo made up of?
- 11 hours of right ascension
- 15 degrees of declination
- Visible between 90 and -65 degrees latitude
- Best viewed about 9 p.m. in April.
To locate the constellation, start at the Regulus (Alpha Leonis) star and seek for the “sickle,” or the head of the lion. The sickle is made up of the stars Regulus, Al Jabbah, and Algieba as well as the fainter stars Leo (Adhafera), Leo (Ras Elased Borealis), and Leo (Ras Elased Australis).
Regulus Leonis (Alpha Leonis)
The brightest star in Leo and the 22nd brightest star in the entire sky is Regulus, Alpha Leonis. It is roughly 77 light years away and has an apparent magnitude of 1.35.
A four-star system made up of two pairs of stars is known as Regulus. A spectroscopic binary system called Regulus A is made up of a blue-white main sequence star of the spectral class B7 V and an unresolved companion star that is thought to be a white dwarf. Every 40 days or thereabouts, the two stars complete an orbit around their shared mass.
The correct motions of Regulus B and Regulus C are similar. They are 177 arc seconds away from Regulus A in angular terms. They have apparent magnitudes of 8.14 and 13.5 and are main sequence stars that are fainter. The companion of Regulus B, a K2V star, is thought to be a red dwarf with the spectral class M4V. The distance between the two stars is approximately 100 astronomical units, and their orbital period is 2,000 years.
Regulus A’s main star is a young star that is only a few million years old and is 3.5 times as massive as the Sun. With a revolution period of about 15.9 hours, the star rotates incredibly quickly. Its form is oblate as a result. The centripetal force produced by the star’s gravity would not be sufficient to hold the star together if it were rotating 16 percent more quickly.
The bright star that is closest to the ecliptic is Alpha Leonis. It is so frequently obscured by the Moon and infrequently by Mercury and Venus.
Regulus is most visible in the northern hemisphere in the evenings of late winter and early spring. The star can only be seen for a month on each side of August 22 since it is too close to the Sun throughout the rest of the year.
Regulus, the name of the star, is Latin for “small king” or “prince.” The meaning of the star’s Greek name, Basiliscos, was the same. The star’s Arabic name, Qalb al-Asad, translates to “the heart of the lion.”
Denebola Leonis (Beta Leonis)
The 61st brightest star in the sky, Denebola is the second-brightest star in the constellation of Leo. It belongs to the stellar classification A3 V and is a main sequence star. It is 35.9 light years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 2.113. Without binoculars, you can see the star clearly.
Denebola is 12 times more bright, has 173 percent of the solar radius, and has 75% more mass than the Sun. It is categorized as a Delta Scuti variable, which indicates that over the course of a few hours, its brightness changes slightly. About ten times every day, Denebola displays changes in luminosity of 0.025 magnitudes.
The star Beta Leonis is still fairly new. It is thought to be younger than 400 million years. Denebola, like Regulus, rotates quickly, giving it an oblate shape with a bulge near the equator. The estimated rotational speed of the star is 128 km/s.
Additionally, Denebola displays a high infrared excess, indicating the possibility of a circumstellar dust disk in its orbit.
The star is a member of the stellar association known as the IC 2391 supercluster, whose stars all move through space in a similar manner but are not gravitationally connected. The stars in the open cluster IC 2391, also called the Omicron Velorum Cluster and located in the constellation Vela, as well as Alpha Pictoris in the constellation Pictor, Beta Canis Minoris in the constellation Canis Minor, and other stars all belong to this association.
The Arabic word anab al-asad, which means “the lion’s tail,” is where the name Denebola originates.
Algieba Leonis (Gamma Leonis)
A double star in Leo is called Gamma Leonis. Algieba or Al Gieba, its traditional name, is derived from the Arabic word al-Jabhah, which means “the forehead. Juba, the star’s Latin name, is also occasionally used.
A huge star with the spectral type K1-IIIbCN0.5 plus a fainter companion star with the spectral type G7IIICN-I make up Algieba. The brighter giant has an apparent magnitude of 2.28 and is 180 times as luminous than the Sun. The G7 class star is 50 times brighter than the Sun, has a visual magnitude of 3.51 and is 10 times as massive as the Sun. The two stars’ 500-year-long orbits around one another. In November 2009, a planet was found in the main star’s orbit.
The Gamma Leonis system is 130 light years away from the Sun and has a total apparent magnitude of 1.98. Under ideal viewing conditions, it is simple to observe through a small telescope and appears as a bright double star with components that are orange red and greenish yellow.
Zosma Leonis (Delta Leonis)
Another quick rotator in Leo is Zosma, Delta Leonis, which has a predicted spinning speed of 180 km/s. Zosma has an equatorial bulge and an oblate form, just like Regulus and Denebola.
The distance between Earth and Zosma, a white main sequence star of the spectral type A4 V, is 58.4 light years. It is 2.56 visible magnitudes in size.
A little bigger and hotter than the Sun is Delta Leonis. It is roughly 15 times as luminous than the Sun and has a radius that is 214 percent that of the Sun. It will develop into a red behemoth in around 600 million years.
The majority of Ursa Major’s brightest stars belong to the Ursa Major Moving Group, a collection of stars that are thought to have a common origin and travel through space.
The traditional name for the star, Zosma, is derived from the Greek language and means “the girdle.” The hip of the lion is where Zosma is.
Chort Leonis (Theta Leonis)
Another white main sequence star is Theta Leonis. Its mass is 2.5 times that of the Sun and it falls under the star classification A2 V. The naked eye can make out the star. It is 165 light years away from our solar system and has an apparent magnitude of 3.324.
Theta Leonis is substantially more recent than the Sun, with an estimated age of 550 million years. It displays an excessive infrared emission, which points to the presence of a circumstellar dust disk. The star’s predicted rotational velocity is 23 km/s, which is comparatively fast.
The star is occasionally referred to by its traditional names, Chort, Coxa, and Chertan. Chort is derived from the Arabic word al-khart, which means “little rib.” Coxa is a Latin word for “hip” (from the Arabic al-khartn, meaning “two small ribs).
Al Minliar Leonis (Kappa Leonis)
With an apparent magnitude of 4.46, Kappa Leonis is a binary star that is 210 light years away from our solar system. Al Minliar, its traditional name, is derived from the Arabic phrase Minkhir al-Asad, which means “the lion’s muzzle.” The star is classified as K2III stellar.
Alterf Leonis (Lambda Leonis)
K5-class Lambda Leonis is a star that is 336 light years away from the Sun. The apparent magnitude of it is 4.32. The Arabic word a-arf, which means “the vision,” is where the star’s traditional name Alterf originates (of the lion).
Subra Leonis (Omicron Leonis)
A double star in Leo is Omicron Leonis. Approximately 135 light years separate us from it. It occasionally goes by the traditional name Subra.
The Omicron Leonis system’s two components are members of the spectral classes F9III (a giant) and A5mV. (a main sequence star). Their total apparent magnitude is 3.53.
Al Jabbah Leonis (Eta Leonis)
White supergiant Eta Leonis belongs to the spectral class A0 Ib. It is about 2,000 light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 3.511. The star has an absolute magnitude of -5.60 and is 5,600 times more luminous than the Sun, yet seeming very faint to the unassisted eye. The star may be a partner in a binary system.
Adhafera Leonis (Zeta Leonis)
The big star Zeta Leonis is in the spectral class F0 III. The Arabic word al-afrah, which means “the curl or the braid,” is whence the traditional name Adhafera is derived.
Zeta Leonis is located 274 light years away from the solar system and has a visual magnitude of 3.33. It has 85 times the brightness of the Sun.
35 Leonis, the star’s optical companion, has an apparent magnitude of 5.90. 35 Leonis is simply a line-of-sight companion because it is barely 100 light years away from Earth and is located 325.9 arc seconds from Adhafera.
Ras Elased Borealis Leonis (Mu Leonis)
Mu Leonis is a member of the K3 spectral class. It is 133 light years away from Earth and has a visual magnitude of 4.1. The Arabic phrase ra’s al-‘asad a-aml, which translates to “the northern (star) of the lion’s head,” is the source of the traditional names for the star, Rasalas (or Ras Elad Borealis), and Alshemali.
Ras Elased Australis Leonis (Epsilon Leonis)
A brilliant giant of the spectral class G1 II is Epsilon Leonis. It is the sixth brightest star in the constellation Leo with a visual magnitude of 2.98. It is thought to be 162 million years old. The distance between Earth and the star is roughly 247 light years.
Ras Elased (Australis), Asad Australis, and Algenubi are the traditional names for the stars. The Arabic phrase rs al-‘asad al-janb, which translates to “the southern star of the lion’s head,” is the source of these names.
Epsilon Leonis has 21 times the solar radius, is 4 times as massive, and is 288 times more bright than the Sun. It is categorized as a Cepheid variable and changes every few days by an amplitude of 0.3 magnitude. Cepheid variables are extremely bright stars with a direct correlation between their luminosity and pulsation period, making them crucial standard candles for determining distance scales. They are named after Delta Cephei in the Cepheus constellation.
Leonis (Rho Leonis)
Another binary star in Leo is Rho Leonis. It is about 5,000 light years away and has a visual magnitude of 3.856.
Rho Leonis has attained the supergiant stage of its evolution because it bears the stellar classification B1 lab. It is around 295,000 times more luminous and 21 times the mass of the Sun. It also has a radius that is 37 times larger.
Runaway star Rho Leonis has an odd velocity of 30 km/s as compared to the surrounding stars, which is unusual. The blue supergiant, the main component of the system, has a companion at a distance of 0.11 arc seconds from it. The companion star is 4.8 times brighter than the sun.
Leonis (Iota Leonis)
A spectroscopic double star with the stellar designation F3 V, Iota Leonis. It is roughly 79 light years away from the Sun and has a visual magnitude of 4.
It is impossible to discern the system’s components using a telescope because they are too close together.
Leonis (Sigma Leonis)
The blue-white star Sigma Leonis is in the spectral class B9.5Vs. It is roughly 210 light years away and has an apparent magnitude of 4.044.
Wolf 359
Red dwarf Wolf 359 has the stellar designation M6.5Ve. It is only 7.78 light years away and has an apparent magnitude of 13.54. Wolf 359 is so close to the Sun that it can only be seen with a very large telescope. It is one of the weakest stars ever found and one of the lowest mass stars. It possesses only 16 percent of the Sun’s radius, 8 percent of the Sun’s mass, and emits only around 0.1 percent of the Sun’s energy. The star is thought to be less than a billion years old. Its appropriate motion is fairly high.
Due of the magnetic activity on its surface, Wolf 359 is categorized as a flare star, which can experience huge surges in light for several minutes. Gamma and X-ray flares from the star produce powerful blasts of radiation.
One of the stars closest to the Sun is Wolf 359. Only Barnard’s Star in Ophiuchus and Alpha Centauri in the constellation Centaurus are closer. The star is frequently mentioned in stories because of how close it is to Earth. The Battle of Wolf 359, in which the Borg, under the command of the assimilated Captain Picard, destroyed the Starfleet ships, left only a few survivors, including Benjamin Sisko, the future captain of Deep Space Nine, and is well known to Star Trek fans, took place there. Additionally, the celebrity was famously highlighted in a The Outer Limits episode.
Icarus (MACS J1149 Lensed Star 1)
Only Earendel (WHL0137-LS) in the constellation Cetus is further away than Icarus, the second-most distant solitary star identified to date. Icarus is a spectrally class B blue supergiant that is 14.4 billion light-years away from the Earth. With a distance of 28 billion light-years, Earendel is almost twice as far away.
Gliese 436
Another red dwarf that can be seen somewhat near to the Sun is Gliese 436. It is 33.1 light years away and has a visual magnitude of 10.67. It is in the M2.5 V spectral class.
Gliese 436b, an extrasolar planet, was found in the star’s orbit in 2004, and UCF-1.01’s existence was verified in 2012.
CW Leonis (IRC + 10216)
A carbon star called CW Leonis is encased in a substantial layer of dust. From the Sun, it is located between 390 and 490 light years away. American astrophysicist Eric Brecklin and his team of astronomers made the initial discovery of the star in 1969.
CW Leonis is blowing off its outer layer at a late point in its growth and will eventually turn into a white dwarf. The star is shedding a significant amount of mass every year, and the carbon-rich gaseous envelope is about 69,000 years old. At least 1.4 solar masses of ejected debris are thought to be present in its expanded envelope.
Over a period of 649 days, the brightness of the star fluctuates. Its luminance is nominally 11,300 times more than that of the Sun, although it can range from 6,250 to 15,800 times greater throughout the length of a pulsation cycle. As a result, its apparent magnitude changes as well, falling between 1.19 and 10.96.
R Leonis
Red giant star R Leonis has the spectral class M8IIIe. It is a Mira variable with a visible magnitude range of 4.4 to 11.3 with a period of 312 days. Mira variables are pulsating variable stars with pulsation durations longer than 100 days, a highly red color, and an advanced stage of evolution. Within a few million years, they expel their outer envelopes to create planetary nebulae and turn into white dwarfs.
About 370 light years separate the solar system from R Leonis. Without binoculars, it can be seen when it is at its brightest, and a 7 cm or larger telescope is required to see it when it is at its dimmest. Radius of R Leonis is 320350 times that of the sun.
Leo is what Greek deity?
Leo (Ancient Greek: lion) was a prince of Arcadia in Greek mythology, one of the 50 children born to King Lycaon by either the naiad Cyllene, Nonacris, or an unidentified woman.
Why is a lion the symbol for Leo?
Typically, Leos are bursting with creative, raw energy. This symbol represents the fire that burns within each of us.
The sun, who rules Leo, imparts the following wisdom on this flamboyant sign: The sun is a symbol for the energy, force, and vital life force that propels the other planets in astrology. The sun beams upon everything, whereas the moon merely lights a little portion of the world, giving us life and light in the process.
Leo is known for its attentiveness, visibility, fearlessness, generosity, and creative impulses because, like the sun that dominates it, it wants to see and be seen.
Lions are the monarchs of the jungle and are recognized for their strong courage and inherent regality, making them an apt emblem for Leo. For this zodiac sign, it’s all about receiving and giving light and vitality.
Check out our yearly astrology forecast to find out more about what Leo might expect in 2022.
What star in Leo is the brightest?
The brightest star, Regulus (Latin for “little king; also known as Alpha Leonis), has a magnitude of 1.35. The radiant, or point of apparent origin, of the November meteor shower known as the Leonids is in Leo. The Sickle is an asterism formed by many of the stars in Leo.
What is the Leo constellation’s farthest star?
These stars come with a warning because they are listed in this website’s inventory. Please let me know in the comments if you are aware of a star that is closer or farther than those listed, and I’ll add it to the website. The listed stars are either from the Hipparcos database or have been added due to their unique status.
XZ Leonis, Leo’s Furthest Star
XZ Leonis, which is the furthest star in the constellation, is 108721.1 light years from Earth. The farthest figure is drawn from the Hipparcos star catalogue parallax figure from either 1997 or 2007, and it has been known to give inaccurate distances.
Leonis, Leo’s Dimmest Visible Star
35 Leonis is the dimmest star that may be seen in Leo with the unaided eye. The faint star is 5.95 apparent magnitude. According to the table in the reference, the dimmest star that a human can see with their naked eye is 6.0 magnitude. University of Michigan is cited.
Algieba
A planet is orbiting a twin star system called Algieba. This might resemble Tatooine from Star Wars, a desert planet with two stars. The bad news about Algieba is that there is no likelihood of intelligent extraterrestrial life existing there because the planet is a massive gas planet. There are other stars in the constellation besides Algieba with planets in orbit; one of them is Rasalas, which has a planet but is tragically still uninhabitable.
Caffau’s Star
Elisabetta Caffau, who oversaw a study of the star, is honored by the name of Caffau’s Star. It shouldn’t be possible for Caffau’s Star to exist. According to chemical analysis, the star is a metal-poor star that mostly contains hydrogen and helium with little to no other metals. According to estimates, the star is roughly 13 billion years old, making it one of the oldest and most ancient stars in the galaxy.
CW Leonis, Largest star in Leo
One of the biggest stars in the night sky is CW Leonis. It is a carbon star that has passed through the stages of hydrogen and helium and is currently entering the period of death. It makes for a fascinating research because the star is one of the biggest carbon stars.
Regulus, Brightest Star in Leo
Regulus, which is often referred to as Alpha Leonis, is the brightest star in the constellation. The star is part of a multiple star system that consists of four other stars, including the big blue star. It is one of several well-known big stars with an oval (egg) shape. Achernar and Vega are the other two. Regulus’ shape may probably be explained by the fact that it is surrounded by stars, whereas Vega is a lone star.
