Leo

Authors: Susanne M Hoffmann, Youla Azkarrula, Doris Vickers

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star chart

Leo star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg).

One of the 88 IAU constellations with Greco-Roman background. It has been developed from a Babylonian predecessor (UR.GU.LA)

Etymology and History

The Greek constellation ...

Kugel Globe: Cancer, Leo, Hydra, Virgo (drawing by SMH 2024)

Origin of Constellation

Leo and Virgo above the MUŠ-Dragon, two claytablet drawings from the Seleucid era (roughly 2nd century BCE), CC BY SMH based upon the drawings by E. Weidner (1967) and Thureau-Dangin (1922).

Greco-Roman

Aratos

Beneath the Bear’s head are the Twins, beneath her belly the Crab, and under her hind legs the Lion shines brightly. This is where the sun’s track is hottest, [150] and the fields are seen bereft o f their corn-ears when the sun first comes into conjunction with the Lion. This is the time when the whistling etesian winds sweep strongly across the broad sea, and it is no longer seasonable for ships to be under oars. Then let broad-beamed ships be my pleasure, [155] and let helmsmen hold their steering-oars into the wind. (Kidd 1997)

Hipparchus

Rising (Lib II Cap V §10)

The Rising of ...

	east		south
	lam1	lam2	lam1	lam2
star
duration	2 1/8 hours = 127.5 min = 31 7/8 degree

Setting (Lib II Cap VI §10)

	west		south
	lam1	lam2	lam1	lam2
star
duration	2 2/3 hours = 160 min = 40°

Stars Mentioned

	Greek	German	English	ident.	src		lam_culm
					Lib II Cap V §10	rising, east, first
					Lib II Cap V §10	rising, east, last
					Lib II Cap VI §2	setting CrB, south, last	Psc 13.5
					Lib II Cap VI §13	setting Aql, south, first	Ari 2
					Lib III Cap I §9	rising Ori, south, last	Psc 13

Hyginus, Astronomica

He is said to have been put among the stars because he is considered the king of beasts. Some writers add that Hercules' first Labor was with him and that he killed him, unarmed. Pisandrus and many others have written about this. Above his likeness in the sky nearest the Virgin are seven other stars near his tail, arranged in a triangle, which Conon, the mathematician, and Callimachus call the Lock of Berenice. When Ptolemy had married his sister Berenice, daughter of Ptolemy and Arsinoe, and after a few days had set out to attack Asia, Berenice vowed that if Ptolemy returned as victor she would clip off her hair. She placed the lock, consecrated by this vow, in the temple of Venus Arsinoe Zephyritis, but on the following day it couldn't be seen there. When the king was distressed by this, Conon the mathematician, whom we mentioned above, desiring to win the favor of the king, said that he had seen the lock among the constellations, and pointed out seven stars without definite configuration which he imagined were the lock. Some authors along with Callimachus have said that this Berenice raised horses, and used to send them to Olympia. Others add that once Ptolemy, Berenice's father, in panic at the number of the enemy, had sought safety in flight, but his daughter, an accomplished horsewoman, leaped on a horse, organized the remaining troops, killed many of the enemy, and put the rest to flight. For this even Callimachus calls her high-souled. Eratosthenes says that she ordered returned to the girls of Lesbos the dowry left to them by their parents, which no one had released, and she established among them right to bring action of recovery. (Mary Ward 1960)

Almagest Δέοντος.

id	Greek (Heiberg 1898)	English (Toomer 1984)	ident.
	Λέουτος ἀστεριῦμόρ.	Constellatian of Leo
1	ὁ ἐπ’ ἄκρου τοῦ μοκτῆρος.	The star on the tip of 'the nostrils'	kap Leo
2	ὁ ἐν τῷ χάσματι	The star in the gaping Jaws	lam Leo
3	τῶν ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ β ὁ βορειότερος.	The northernmost of the twa stars in the head	mu Leo
4	ὁ νοτιώτερος αὐτῶν.	The southernmost of these	eps Leo
5	τῶν ἐν τῷ τραχήλῳ ἡ’ ὁ βόρειος	The northernmost of the 3 stars in the neck	zet Leo
6	ὁ ἐχόμευος καὶ μέσος τῶν τριῶν.	The one close to this, the middle one of the three	gam Leo
7	ὁ φότιος αὐτῶν	The southernmost of them	eta Leo
8	ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς καρδίας καλούμευος Βασιλίσκος.	The star on the heart, called 'Regulus'	alf Leo
9	ὁ φοτιώτερος αὐτοῦ καὶ ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ στήθους	The one south of this, about an the chest	31 Leo
10	ὁ μικρῷ προηγούμευος τοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς καρδίας.	The star a little in advance of the star on the heart	nu Leo
11	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ χόνατος	The star on the right knee	psi Leo
12	ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐμπροσθίας δεξιᾶς δρακός	The star on the right front claw--clutch	xi Leo
13	ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐμπροσθίας καὶ ἀριστερᾶς δρακός.	The star: an the left front claw-clutch	omi Leo
14	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ γόρατος.	The star-an the left [front] knee	pi Leo
15	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ γόρατος.	The Star an the left armpit	rho Leo
16	τῶν ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ τριῶν ὁ προηγούμενος.	The most advanced of the three stars in the belly	46 Leo
17	τῶν λοιπῶν καὶ ἐπομένων β’ ὁ βόρειος.	The northernmost of the other, rearmost 2	52 Leo
18	ὁ νοτιώτερος αὐτῶν.	The southernmost af these [ two ]	53 Leo
19	τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς ὀσφύος β ὁ προηγούμενος.	The nlore advanced of the two stars on the rump	60 Leo
20	ὁ ἑπόμενος αὐτῶν	The rearmast of them	del Leo
21	τῶν ἐκ τοῦς χλουτοῖς β’ ὁ βορειότερος.	The northernmost of the 2 stars in the buttocks	81 Leo
22	ὁ νοτιώτερος αὐτῶν	The southernmost of them	tet Leo
23	ὁ ἐν τοῖς ὀπισθομήροις..	The star in the hind thighs	iot Leo
24	ὁ ἐν ταῖς ὀπισθίαις ἀγκύλαις	The star in the hind leg-bends	sig Leo
25	ὁ τούτου νοτιώτερος ὡς ἐ» τοῦς πήχεσι	The one south of this, about in the lower legs	tau Leo
26	ὁ ἐπὶ τῶν ὀπισθύων δρακῶν.	The star on the hind claw-clutches	ups Leo
27	ὁ ἐπ’ ἄκρας τῆς οὐρᾶς	The star on the end of the tail	bet Leo
	ἀστέρες κξ, ὧν αἱ μεγέθους β, β’ β, γ’ς, δ’η, ε' ε, ς' ὅ.	27 stars, 2 of the first magnitude, 2 of the second, 6 of the third, 8 of the fourth, 5 of the fifth, 4 of the sixth
	Οἱ περὶ τὸν Λέουτα ἀμόρφωτοι.	Stars around Leo outside the constellation:
28	ὁ τῶν ὑπὲρ τὸν νῶτον β ὁ προηγούμευος	The more advanced of the 2 over the back	41 LMi
29	ὁ ἐπόμευος αὐτῶν	The rearmost of them	54 Leo
30	τῶν ὑπὸ τὴν λαγόνα τ’ ὁ βόρειος.	The northernmost of the 3 under the flank	chi Leo
31	ὁ μέσος αὐτῶν.	The middle one of these	59 Leo
32	ὁ νότιος αὐτῶν	The southernmost of them	58 Leo
33	τῆς μεταξὺ τῶν ἄκρων τοῦ Λέουτος καὶ τῆς Ἄρκτου κεφελοειδοῦς σοστροφῆς καλουμένου Πλοκάμου τὸ βορειότατον	The northernmost part of the nebulous mass between the edges of Leo and Ursa [Major], called Coma [Berenices]	15 Com
34	τῶν νοτίων τοῦ Πλοκάμου ἐξοχῶν ἡ προηγουμένη	The most advanced of the southern outrunners of Coma	7 Com
35	ἡ ἐπομένη αὐτῶν ἐν σχήματι φύλλου κισσίνου	The rearmost of them, shaped like an ivy leaf	23 Com
	ἀστέρες ἐ, ὧν δ’ μεγέθους ἂ, ε’ ὃ, καὶ ὁ Πλόκαμος.

Convex Hull for the stars inside Leon (CC BY Youla Azkarrula).

Stars within the Constellation Area

id	Label	IAU design.	description	Vmag
1	Regulus	HIP 49669	Constellation lines	1.4
2	Algieba	HIP 50583	Constellation lines	1.98
3	Denebola	HIP 57632	Constellation lines (Vertex)	2.13
4	Zosma	HIP 54872	Constellation lines (Vertex)	2.53
5	ϵ Leonis	HIP 47908	Constellation lines	2.98
6	Chertan	HIP 54879	Constellation lines	3.35
7	η Leonis	HIP 49583	Constellation lines	3.41
8	Adhafera	HIP 50335	Constellation lines	3.41
9	Subra	HIP 47508	Constellation lines (Vertex)	3.52
10	Shaomin	HIP 51624	Inside the hull	3.87
11	Rasalas	HIP 48455	Constellation lines (Vertex)	3.88
12	ι Leonis	HIP 55642	Constellation lines	4.01
13	σ Leonis	HIP 55434	Constellation lines (Vertex)	4.04
14	Alterf	HIP 46750	Constellation lines	4.31
15	Yunü	HIP 49637	Inside the hull	4.38
16	60 Leo	HIP 53954	Inside the hull	4.398
17	κ Leonis	HIP 46146	Constellation lines (Vertex)	4.46
18	χ Leonis	HIP 54182	Inside the hull	4.62
19	π Leonis	HIP 49029	Constellation lines (Vertex)	4.7
20	-	HIP 50564	Inside the hull	4.76
21	ν Leonis	HIP 48883	Inside the hull	5.26
22	-	HIP 48390	Inside the hull	5.28
23	53 Leo	HIP 52911	Inside the hull	5.312
24	73 Leo	HIP 55016	Inside the hull	5.32
25	ψ Leonis	HIP 47723	Inside the hull	5.35
26	37 Leo	HIP 50333	Inside the hull	5.41
27	46 Leo	HIP 51585	Inside the hull	5.46
28	52 Leo	HIP 52689	Inside the hull	5.478
29	51 Leo	HIP 52686	Inside the hull	5.492
30	81 Leo	HIP 55765	Inside the hull	5.572
31	44 Leo	HIP 51008	Inside the hull	5.61
32	18 Leo	HIP 47959	Inside the hull	5.644
33	EO Leo	HIP 49220	Inside the hull	5.663
34	8 Leo	HIP 47189	Inside the hull	5.732
35	85 Leo	HIP 56080	Inside the hull	5.734
36	-	HIP 55716	Inside the hull	5.788
37	* 49 Leo A	HIP 51802	Inside the hull	5.79
38	36 G. Leo	HIP 54863	Inside the hull	5.793
39	39 Leo	HIP 50384	Inside the hull	5.82
40	10 Sex	HIP 48734	Inside the hull	5.848
41	90 Leo	HIP 56473	Inside the hull	5.94
42	-	HIP 50319	Inside the hull	5.96
43	-	HIP 50174	Inside the hull	6.02
44	11 Sex	HIP 48876	Inside the hull	6.033
45	45 Leo	HIP 51213	Inside the hull	6.04
46	20 Leo	HIP 48218	Inside the hull	6.077
47	-	HIP 51161	Inside the hull	6.132
48	42 Leo	HIP 50755	Inside the hull	6.163
49	13 Leo	HIP 47550	Inside the hull	6.249
50	-	HIP 46938	Inside the hull	6.25
51	-	HIP 56242	Inside the hull	6.26
52	-	HIP 52513	Inside the hull	6.266
53	-	HIP 54688	Inside the hull	6.295
54	-	HIP 49445	Inside the hull	6.36
55	-	HIP 54319	Inside the hull	6.392
56	34 Leo	HIP 49929	Inside the hull	6.427
57	19 Leo	HIP 48029	Inside the hull	6.445
58	23 Leo	HIP 48324	Inside the hull	6.45
59	-	HIP 47779	Inside the hull	6.47
60	-	HIP 48023	Inside the hull	6.49
61	-	HIP 52484	Inside the hull	6.5
62	-	HIP 53737	Inside the hull	6.52

References

• References (general)
• References (Babylonian)
• References (ancient Greco-Roman)
• References (medieval)