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| Leo | |
| Abbreviation | Leo |
| Genitive | Leonis |
| Meaning in English | the Lion |
| Right ascension | 11 h |
| Declination | 15° |
| Visible to latitude | Between 90° and −65° |
| Best visible | April |
| Area - Total | Ranked 12th 947 sq. deg. |
| Number of stars with apparent magnitude < 3 | 3 |
| Brightest star - Apparent magnitude | Regulus (α Leo) 1.4 |
| Meteor showers | Leonids |
| Bordering constellations |
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Leo (the lion) is a constellationOrion is a remarkable constellation, visible from most places on the globe (but not always the whole year long). A constellation is a group of stars visibly related to each other in a particular configuration. In three-dimensional space, most of the stars of the zodiacThis article is about the astrological concept. For other uses, see zodiac (disambiguation The zodiac (from Greek zoon "animal") is an imaginary belt in the heavens extending approximately 8 degrees on either side of the Sun's apparent path (the ecliptic). Leo lies between dim Cancer to the west and VirgoThis article is about the constellation and astrological sign Virgo. For VIRGO, the French-Italian project in physics analogous to LIGO, see VIRGO (physics). Virgo (the virgin) is a constellation of the zodiac. Lying between Leo to the west and the Libra to the east.
This constellation contains many bright stars, such as Regulus (α Leonis), the lion's heart; DenebolaDenebola or Beta Leonis, is the second-brightest star in the constellation of Leo. Its name is from the Arabic meaning tail, as it represents the lion's tail ( Deneb in Cygnus has the same name origin). Denebola is an A-type star, with a surface temperatu (β Leonis); and Algieba (γ1 Leonis). Many other fainter stars have been named has well, such as Zosma (δ Leonis), Chort (θ Leonis), Al Minliar al Asad (κ Leonis), Alterf (λ Leonis), and Subra (ο Leonis).
Regulus, η Leonis, and Algieba, together with the fainter stars Adhafera (ζ Leonis), Ras Elased Borealis (μ Leonis), and Ras Elased Australis (ε Leonis), 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 has since become its own constellation, Coma Berenices.
The star Wolf 359, one of the nearest stars to Earth's solar system (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. [1]