Leo Constellation
Leo Constellation
The Sun is the ruling power of the people born under the period of Leo Constellation. The association of enchanting mythological tales makes Leo Constellation significant in Astrological research. According to astronomical estimation, Leo is a well-recognized zodiac constellation between Cancer & Virgo Constellation in the Northern sky.
Leo Constellation exists throughout 947 square degrees in the Northern Hemisphere in the 2nd quadrant of the whole hemisphere. Between +90 degree and -65 degree latitudes, Leo Constellation sparkles in the night sky. The celestial figure of the Lion represents the Leo constellation. The honourable Greek Astronomer Ptolemy introduced Leo Constellation in the second century.
Significant Facts About Leo Constellation:
Mythological Interlink:
While Hercules was assigned twelve incredible tasks by Eurystheus, the 1st task was to kill the powerful Nemean Lion, a descendant of the God Zeus and the Moon Goddess - Selene. The Lion used to devour the Nemean villagers and move into its cave. While Hercules made full efforts to end the Lion with arrows, he faced a tough challenge as his arrows bounced off the impenetrable golden fur of the Lion. Then Hercules chased the Lion to the cave and blocked one of the entrances of the cave. In the end, Hercules used his powerful arms to strangle the Nemean Lion as it failed to use claws as a weapon. Thus, the Gods of Heaven placed the legend Nemean Lion in the sky as the Leo Zodiac Constellation.
The Brightest Star:
In the Leo zodiac constellation, RegulusRegulus is considered the prominent star with a high brightness level. Regulus looks like the dot, which creates the question mark pattern at the bottom of the rear side. This pattern is termed as ‘Sickle’. So, the sickle-shaped brightest star variant - Regulus, is counted as one of the triple stars, which all form Asterism. The Asterism in Leo Constellation is termed a Spring Triangle. In early April, Regulus becomes bright in the night sky in the South-East corner after sunset. In early July, the brightest figure of RegulusRegulus becomes low in the West corner after sunset. In the Leo constellation, the blue-white Regulus star is almost 79 light years away from the Earth.
Regulus, also called Alpha Leonis, has a 1.35 apparent visual magnitude.
Prominent Meteor Showers:
The Leonid Meteor shower becomes active from November 3rd to December 2nd. The radiations of the Leonid Meteor shower are produced. At the same time, Earth passes through the leftovers of Comet 55P temple-Tuttle (icy balls of the trail of frozen gases, rock dust & other remnants of the solar system). According to reports from Nasa, the Leonid Meteor shower is one of the fastest meteors in the sky, which crosses 44 miles per second.
Major Stars of Leo Constellation:
Denebola or Beta Leonis:
In the Leo zodiac Constellation, Beta Leonis is considered the second-brightest star. Beta Leonis is an A-type primary sequence star variant, which contains 75% more load of mass than our Sun, and in terms of luminosity, Beta Leonis is 15 times brighter than the Sun. Beta Leonis is an A3Va-type spectral star in the Leo constellation. The surface temperature of Denebola is 8,500K. Beta Leonis is 35.88 light years away from our Earth. The 2.14 visual magnitude makes Denebola the 62nd brightest star in the night sky.
Algieba or Eta Leonis:
Eta Leonis has spectroscopic patterned components as a white supergiant star in the Leo constellation. This F3IV-type spectral star in the Leo Constellation has a moderate range of luminosity with a 3.52 visual magnitude. Eta Leonis is located near the celestial equator, and it is easily visible from the Northern & Southern hemisphere.
Rasalas or Mu Leonis:
In the Leo zodiac constellation, Mu Leonis has a 3.88 visual magnitude. As a K-type giant star, Rasalas looks like an Orange to Red sequence star in the constellation. Rasalas is almost 124.11 light years away from our planet Earth. KOI type of spectral features defines the colour combination of Mu Leonis. The surface temperature of Rasalas is 4474 kelvin. Based on the estimated radius Mu Leonis is 11.04 times larger than our Sun.
Chertan or Theta Leonis:
The apparent magnitude of Chertan is +3.325. A whitish glow creates a distinct look in Theta Leonis. The surface temperature of Chertan is 9350 Kelvin. The A2V type spectral star - Chertan is 165 light years away from the Earth.
Zosma or Delta Leonis:
The 4th brightest star in the Leo constellation is Delta Leonis. White-coloured subgiant type star has a 2.56 apparent range of visual magnitude. The distance between the Earth and Delta Leonis is 58.41 light years. A4V spectral type star Delta Leonis is one of the hottest stars in the Leo Constellation with 8296 K surface temperature.
How To Find Leo Constellation Easily In The Night Sky?
In April & May, every early evening, you can chase the sequences of Leo Constellation in the Northern Hemisphere. So, the night sky in Spring can be the best way to find the deep-sky objects of the Leo Constellation. Besides, Saucepan is a specific Asterism that is bright in the night sky. So, it would help if you chased the Saucepan Asterism first to trace the Leo Constellation easily.
What Does Leo Constellation Represent In Astrology?
The association of ancient Greek tales play pivotal roles in defining the core astrological traits of Leo people. According to Greek mythology, the Lion represents the Leo zodiac constellation. So, in simple terms, Lions naturally carry indomitable spirits in their body. So, the people, born from July 23rd to August 22nd, under Leo's constellation, carry a high spirit level like a leader. Besides, Leo people always react with a fiercely protective attitude, like a royal lion in the jungle. Moreover, Leo individuals also have generous hearts, like the king of the jungle Lion.
Conclusion:
All the discussed points on the core celestial features of Leo Constellation ease us to understand the astrological references for Leo people.