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Leo (abbr. Leo, gen. Leonis)
The Lion. Leo is a large, prominent constellation, the fifth of the zodiac, which dominates the northern spring sky. It lies between Virgo and Cancer and to the south of Leo Minor and Ursa Major; the Sickle asterism, formed by the stars Alpha (Regulus), Eta, Gamma (Algieba), Zeta (Adhafera), Mu, and Epsilon Leo, outlines the Lion's head. See below for details of the constellation's brightest stars and interesting deep sky objects.
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| Leo. © 2003 Torsten Bronger.
Copied here under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License |
| Stars brighter than magnitude 4.0 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star | Visual mag. |
Abs. mag. |
Spectral type |
Distance (lt-yr) |
R.A. (h m s) | Dec. ( ° ' '' ) |
| Alpha (Regulus) | 1.36 | -0.52 | B7V | 77 | 10 08 22 | +11 58 02 |
| Gamma (Algieba) | 2.01 | -0.92 | K1IIIbCN+G7IIICN | 126 | 10 19 58 | +19 50 30 |
| Beta (Denebola) | 2.14 | 1.91 | A3V | 36 | 11 49 04 | +14 34 19 |
| Delta (Zosma) | 2.56 | 1.32 | A4V | 58 | 11 14 06 | +20 31 25 |
| Epsilon (Asad Australis) | 2.97 | -1.46 | G0II | 251 | 09 45 51 | +23 46 27 |
| Theta (Chort) | 3.33 | -0.35 | A2V | 178 | 11 14 14 | +15 25 46 |
| Zeta (Adhafera) | 3.43 | 1.02 | F0III | 99 | 10 16 41 | +23 25 02 |
| Eta | 3.48 | -5.60 | A0Ib | 2,130 | 10 07 20 | +16 45 45 |
| Omicron (Subra) | 3.52 | 0.43 | A5V+F6II | 135 | 09 41 09 | +09 53 32 |
| Rho | 3.84 | -7.38 | B1Ib | 5,720 | 10 32 49 | +09 18 24 |
| Mu (Rassalas) | 3.88 | 0.83 | K0IIIbCNCaBa | 133 | 09 52 46 | +26 00 25 |
| Iota (TszE Tseang) | 4.00 | 2.08 | F2IV | 79 | 11 23 55 | +10 31 45 |
| Other objects of interest | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Type of Object | Notes |
| M65 (NGC 3623) | galaxy | An edge-on type Sb spiral that forms a conspicuous triple with M66 and NGC 3628. Magnitude 9.3; angular size 10.0' × 3.3'; distance: 35 million light-years; R.A. 11h 18.9m, Dec. +13° 05' |
| M66 (NGC 3627) | galaxy | A physical partner of M65 and another edge-on Sb spiral. Magnitude 9.0; angular size 8.7' × 4.4'; R.A 11h 20.2m, Dec. +12° 59' |
| M95 (NGC 3351) | galaxy | A face-on type SBb barred spiral that forms a pair with M96 (see Leo I). Magnitude 9.7; angular size 7.4' × 5.1'; R.A. 10h 44.0m, Dec. +11° 42' |
| M96 (NGC 3368) | galaxy | An Sb galaxy in partnership with M95. Like all the
above galaxies, it is visible with a small telescope. Magnitude 9.2; angular size 7.1' × 5.1'; R.A. 10h 46.8, Dec. +11° 49' |
| M105 (NGC 3379) | galaxy | A type E1 elliptical. Magnitude 9.3; angular size
4.5' × 4.0'; R.A. 10h 47.8m, Dec. +12° 35' |
| Leo I, Leo II, Leo III | galaxies | See separate entries |
| Constellations |
| Andromeda | Antlia | Apus | Aquarius | Aquila | Ara | Aries | Auriga | Bootes | Caelum | Camelopardalis | Cancer | Canes Venatici | Canis Major | Canis Minor | Capricornus | Carina | Cassiopeia | Centaurus | Cepheus | Cetus | Chamaeleon | Circinus | Columba | Coma Berenices | Corona Austrina | 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 |
Related categories
• NOTABLE STARS• NEBULAE AND STAR CLUSTERS
• GALAXIES
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