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Leo (constellation)

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Space (Astronomy)

                             Leo
   Leo
   click for larger image
        Abbreviation     Leo
          Genitive       Leonis
         Symbology       the Lion
      Right ascension    11 h
        Declination      15°
            Area         947 sq. deg.
                         Ranked 12th
      Number of stars    68
   Number of bright stars

   ( magnitude < 3)
                         3
   Number of nearby stars

   ( Distance < 100 ly)
                         4
       Brightest star    Regulus (α Leo)
                         ( App. magnitude 1.4)
        Nearest Star     Denebola (β Leo)
                         ( Distance: 36.2 ly)
       Meteor showers
                           * Leonids

         Bordering
   constellations
                           * Ursa Major
                           * Leo Minor
                           * Lynx (corner)
                           * Cancer
                           * Hydra
                           * Sextans
                           * Crater
                           * Virgo
                           * Coma Berenices

   Visible at latitudes between +90° and −65°
   Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of April

   Leo ( IPA: /ˈliəʊ/, Latin: lion, symbol , Unicode ♌) is a constellation
   of the zodiac. Leo lies between dim Cancer to the west and Virgo to the
   east.

Notable features

   This constellation contains many bright stars, such as Regulus (α
   Leonis), the lion's heart; Denebola (β Leonis); and γ^1 Leonis
   (Algieba). Many other fainter stars have been named as well, such as δ
   Leo (Zosma), θ Leo (Chort), κ Leo (Al Minliar al Asad ), λ Leo
   (Alterf), and ( ο Leo (Subra).

   Regulus, η Leonis, and γ Leonis, together with the fainter stars ζ Leo
   (Adhafera), μ Leo (Ras Elased Borealis), and ε Leo (Ras Elased
   Australis), make up the asterism known as the Sickle. These stars
   represent the head and the mane of the lion.

   A former asterism representing the tuft of the lion's tail was made its
   own constellation by Ptolemy III in 240 BC. It was given the name Coma
   Berenices.

   The star Wolf 359, one of the nearest stars to Earth (7.7 light-years),
   is in Leo. Gliese 436, a faint star in Leo about 33 light years away
   from the Sun, is orbited by one of the smallest extrasolar planets ever
   found.

   The carbon star CW Leo ( IRC +10216) is the brightest star in the night
   sky at the infrared N-band (10 μm wavelength).

Notable deep sky objects

   Leo contains many bright galaxies, of which the twins ( Spiral Galaxy
   M65, Spiral Galaxy M66) and ( Spiral Galaxy M95, Spiral Galaxy M96) are
   the most famous.

History

Etymology

   Early Hindu astronomers knew it as Asleha and as Sinha, the Tamil
   Simham but later, influenced by Greece and Rome, as Leya or Leyaya,
   from the word Leo, as the Romans commonly called it.

   Ovid wrote it as Herculeus Leo and Violentus Leo. Bacchi Sidus (Star of
   Bacchus) was another of its titles, the god always being identified
   with this animal, and its shape the one often adopted by him in his
   numerous transformations, while a lion's skin was his frequent dress.
   But Manilius had it Jovis et Junonis Sidus (Star of Jove and Juno), as
   being under the guardianship of these deities, perhaps appropriately
   considering its regal character, especially that of its lucida.

   The Persians called it Ser or Shir; the Turks, Artan; the Syrians,
   Aryo; the Jews, Arye; the Indians, "Sher"; and the Babylonians, Aru —
   all meaning a lion. In Euphratean astronomy it was additionally known
   as Gisbar-namru-sa-pan, variously translated, but by Bertin, as the
   Shining Disc which precedes Bel, "Bel" being our Ursa Major, or in some
   way intimately connected therewith.

Symbol

   Hevelius' drawing of Leo, 1690
   Enlarge
   Hevelius' drawing of Leo, 1690

   The adoption of this animal's form for the zodiac sign has been
   attributed to the fact that when the Sun was among its stars in
   midsummer the lions of the desert left their accustomed haunts for the
   banks of the Nile, where they could find relief from the heat in the
   waters of the inundation. Pliny wrote that the Egyptians worshipped the
   stars of Leo because the rise of their great river was coincident with
   the Sun's entrance among them. For the same reason the Sphinx is said
   to have been sculpted with Leo's body and the head of the adjacent
   Virgo, although Egyptologists maintain that this head represented one
   of the early kings, or the god Harmachis.

   Distinct reference is made to Leo in an inscription of the walls of the
   Ramesseum at Thebes, which, like the Nile temples generally, was
   adorned with the animal's bristles, while on the planisphere of Dendera
   its figure is shown standing on an outstretched serpent. The Egyptian
   stellar Lion, however, comprised only a part of ours, and in the
   earliest records some of its stars were shown as a knife, as they now
   are as a sickle. Kircher gave its title there as Πιμεντεκεων, Cubitus
   Nili.

   The astrological symbol has been supposed to portray the animal's mane,
   but it also might be the animal's tail. Gaius Julius Hyginus's writing
   published in 1488 and Albumasar's in 1489 showing this latter member of
   extraordinary length, twisting between the hind legs and over the back,
   Hyginus's manuscript properly locating the star Denebola in the end.
   But the International Dictionary says that this symbol is a corruption
   of the initial letter of Λεων (Leon). Félix Lajard's Cultes de Mithra
   mentions the hieroglyph of Leo as among the symbols of Mithraic
   worship, but how their Lion agreed, if at all, with ours is not known.

Mythology

   In Greek mythology, it was identified as the Nemean Lion (and may have
   been a source of the tale) which was killed by Heracles during one of
   his twelve labours, and subsequently put into the sky.

Astrology

   The Western astrological sign Leo of the tropical zodiac ( July 23 –
   August 23) differs from the astronomical constellation and the Hindu
   astrological sign of the sidereal zodiac ( August 10 – September 15).

   In some cosmologies, Leo is associated with the classical element Fire,
   and thus called a Fire Sign (with Aries and Sagittarius). Leo is also
   one of the Fixed signs (along with Taurus, Scorpio, and Aquarius).

   It is the domicile of the Sun. The Egyptian pharaoh Nechepso, and his
   priest Petosiris, taught that at the creation of the world the Sun rose
   here near Denebola, and hence Leo was Domicilium Solis, the emblem of
   fire and heat, and the "House of the Sun".

   Each astrological sign is assigned a part of the body, viewed as the
   seat of its power. Leo rules the heart and spine.

Alchemy

   In the symbolism of alchemy, Leo denoted the absorption or assimilation
   of one substance by another.

Graphic visualization

   Diagram of an alternate way to connect the stars of the constellation
   Leo. The lion is shown walking.
   Enlarge
   Diagram of an alternate way to connect the stars of the constellation
   Leo. The lion is shown walking.

   The stars of the constellation Leo can be connected in an alternative
   way, which graphically shows a lion walking.

   The stars delta Leonis, gamma Leonis, eta Leonis, and theta Leonis form
   the body of the lion, with gamma Leonis being of the second magnitude
   and delta Leonis and theta Leonis being of the third magnitude.

   The stars gamma Leonis, zeta Leonis, mu Leonis, epsilon Leonis, and eta
   Leonis form the lion's neck, with epsilon Leonis being of the third
   magnitude.

   The stars mu Leonis, kappa Leonis, lambda Leonis, and epsilon Leonis
   form the head of the lion.

   The stars delta Leonis and beta Leonis form the lion's tail: beta
   Leonis, also known as Denebola, is the bright tip of the tail with a
   magnitude of two.

   The stars theta Leonis, iota Leonis, and sigma Leonis form the left
   hind leg of the lion, with sigma Leonis being the foot. The stars theta
   Leonis and rho Leonis form the right hind leg, with rho Leonis being
   the foot.

   The stars eta Leonis and alpha Leonis form the left front foot, with
   alpha Leonis, also known as Regulus, being the bright foot of magnitude
   one. The stars eta Leonis and omicron Leonis form the right front foot
   of the Lion.

In popular culture

     * Leo was one of four constellations depicted in a United States
       Postal Service commemorative stamp issue of October 2005 entitled
       "Constellations".
     * Leo is the insignia of the US Navy fighter squadron VF-213 Black
       Lions.

Stars

          Stars with proper names:

          + Regulus or Cor Leonis or Qalb [Kabelaced, Qalb al-Asad] or Rex
            (32/α Leo) 1.36

                      < rēgulus The prince
                      < cor leōnis The heart of the lion
                      < قلب الأسد Qalb ul-Āsad The heart of the lion

          + (94/β Leo) 2.14 Denebola [Deneb Alased, Deneb Aleet]

                      < ذنب الأسد Ðanab ul-Āsad The tail of the lion

          + ( 41/γ^1 Leo) 2.01 Algieba [Al Gieba, Algeiba]

                      < الجبهة al-jabha[h] The forehead
                      (or much less likely from Arabicized Latin juba The
                      mane)

          + ( 68/δ Leo) 2.56 Zosma [Zozma, Zozca, Zosca, Zubra] or Duhr
            [Dhur]

          + ( 17/ε Leo) 2.97 Ras Elased [Ras Elased Australis] or Algenubi

                      < رأس الأسد الجنوبي Rās al-Āsad al-Janūbii The
                      southern one of the lion head

          + ( 36/ζ Leo) 3.43 Adhafera [Aldhafera, Aldhafara]

                      < الضفيرة Al-Ðafīrah The braid/curl (of the mane)

          + ( 30/η Leo) 3.48 Al Jabhah

                      < الجبهة al-jabha[h] The Front or The Forehead

          + ( 70/θ Leo) 3.33 Chertan [Chort] or Coxa

                      < ? al-xarat The rib (two small ribs?)
                      < cōxa The hip

          + ( 78/ι Leo) 4.00 Tsze Tseang

                      < 次將 (Mandarin cìjiàŋ) The vice-general

          + ( 1/κ Leo) 4.47 Al Minliar al Asad

                      < Muzzle (or Nose) of the Lion

          + ( 4/λ Leo) 4.32 Alterf or Al Terf

                      < الطرف AŢ-Ţarf The eye, the glance (of the lion)

          + ( 24/μ Leo) 3.88 Rasalas [Ras Elased Borealis, Ras al Asad al
            Shamaliyy] or Alshemali

                      < رأس الأسد الشمالي Ra's ul-Āsad il-Šamālii The
                      northern one of the lion head

          + ( 14/ο Leo) — double 3.52, 3.7 Subra

          Stars with Bayer designations:

          + ( 47/ρ Leo) 3.84 Shir or Ser

                      < shir Persian for "lion"

          + ( 77/σ Leo) 4.05 Shishimai

                      < 獅子舞 shishimai Lion Dance

                41/γ^2 Leo 3.80; 27/ν Leo 5.26; 5/ξ Leo 4.99; 29/π Leo
                4.68; 84/τ Leo 4.95; 91/υ Leo 4.30; 63/χ Leo 4.62; 74/φ
                Leo 4.45; 16/ψ Leo 5.36; 2/ω Leo 5.40

          Stars with Flamsteed designations:

                3 Leo 5.72; 7 Leo 6.32; 8 Leo 5.73; 9 Leo 6.61; 10 Leo
                5.00; 11 Leo 6.63; 13 Leo 6.26; 18 Leo 5.67; 19 Leo 6.44;
                20 Leo 6.10; 23 Leo 6.45; 34 Leo 6.43; 35 Leo 5.95; 37 Leo
                5.42; 39 Leo 5.81; 40 Leo 4.78; 42 Leo 6.16; 43 Leo 6.06;
                44 Leo 5.61; 45 Leo 6.01; 46 Leo 5.43; 48 Leo 5.07; 49 Leo
                5.67; 54 Leo – double 4.30, 6.30; 55 Leo 5.91; 56 Leo
                5.91; 64 Leo 6.48; 67 Leo 5.70; 71 Leo 7.31; 72 Leo 4.56;
                75 Leo 5.18; 76 Leo 5.90; 79 Leo 5.39; 80 Leo 6.35; 81 Leo
                5.58; 83 Leo – double 6.49, 7.57; comp. B has a planet; 85
                Leo 5.74; 86 Leo 5.54; 88 Leo 6.27; 89 Leo 5.76; 90 Leo
                5.95; 92 Leo 5.26; 93 Leo 4.50

          Other notable stars:

          + Wolf 359 13.45 — flare star; 3rd closest star
          + GJ 436 10.68 — nearby; has a planet
          + HD 88133 8.06 — has a planet
          + CW Leonis is the brightest star at N-band (10 μm wavelength)

            Astronomy | Constellations of the Zodiac | Astrology
        Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo Libra Scorpius Ophiuchus
                   Sagittarius Capricornus Aquarius Pisces

   The 48 Constellations listed by Ptolemy
   Andromeda • Aquarius • Aquila • Ara • Argo Navis • Aries • Auriga •
   Boötes • Cancer • Canis Major • Canis Minor • Capricornus •
   Cassiopeia • Centaurus • Cepheus • Cetus • Corona Australis •
   Corona Borealis • Corvus • Crater • Cygnus • Delphinus • Draco •
   Equuleus • Eridanus • Gemini • Hercules • Hydra • Leo • Lepus • Libra •
   Lupus • Lyra • Ophiuchus • Orion • Pegasus • Perseus • Pisces •
   Piscis Austrinus • Sagitta • Sagittarius • Scorpius • Serpens •
   Taurus • Triangulum • Ursa Major • Ursa Minor • Virgo

     Constellations changed by Johann Bayer in the 1603 text Uranometria
                  Centaurus | split into | Centaurus | Crux
                   Leo | split into | Leo | Coma Berenices
           Piscis Austrinus | split into | Piscis Austrinus | Grus
          Sagittarius | split into | Sagittarius | Corona Australis

   The 88 modern Constellations
   Andromeda • Antlia • Apus • Aquarius • Aquila • Ara • Aries • Auriga •
   Boötes • Caelum • Camelopardalis • Cancer • Canes Venatici •
   Canis Major • Canis Minor • Capricornus • Carina • Cassiopeia •
   Centaurus • Cepheus • Cetus • Chamaeleon • Circinus • Columba •
   Coma Berenices • Corona Australis • Corona Borealis • Corvus • Crater •
   Crux • Cygnus • Delphinus • Dorado • Draco • Equuleus • Eridanus •
   Fornax • Gemini • Grus • Hercules • Horologium • Hydra • Hydrus •
   Indus • Lacerta • Leo • Leo Minor • Lepus • Libra • Lupus • Lynx •
   Lyra • Mensa • Microscopium • Monoceros • Musca • Norma • Octans •
   Ophiuchus • Orion • Pavo • Pegasus • Perseus • Phoenix • Pictor •
   Pisces • Piscis Austrinus • Puppis • Pyxis • Reticulum • Sagitta •
   Sagittarius • Scorpius • Sculptor • Scutum • Serpens • Sextans •
   Taurus • Telescopium • Triangulum • Triangulum Australe • Tucana •
   Ursa Major • Ursa Minor • Vela • Virgo • Volans • Vulpecula
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_%28constellation%29"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
