Leo, the lion is an amazing constellation. Unlike most other constellations, Leo actually bears a resemblance to the figure it represents- a crouching lion ready to leap towards the western hemisphere. It contains many different and interesting things. Double stars, spiral galaxies and an annual meteor shower called the Leonid Shower are all included on this list. Leo also has a very interesting story.

Perhaps the most distinctive part of Leo is the Sickle of Leo. This is an arc of six stars in the shape of a backwards question mark. The most major stars in the sickle are Adhafera, Algieba and Regulus. Algieba is a double star- two stars which revolve as a unit. Although there are two separate names for the two stars,most people refer to them as one- Algieba.

Like most constellations, Leo’s major stars are named for the parts they represent. A few of these are: Denebola- the Lion’s tail, Algieba-mane, Al Ashfar- eyebrows, Zosma- girdle, and Alterf- right hand side of the mouth. Although Al Ashfar consists of two stars, it is not a double star. It is called by one name because there are two eyebrows and these two stars are close together and near to the eyebrows.

There are many stories associated with Leo that are interesting. One of these is that since Leo is a zodiac, the sun passes through it every year. At this time in olden days, people felt it unsafe to take medicine or to bathe. The myth of Leo is that Hercules had a series of quests and this was the first- to kill the lion terrorizing the people of a city. Hercules strangled the lion and the locals were very grateful. They say that the lion ascended to the heavens and that is how Leo got up in the sky.

Two more interesting tid-bits about Leo ae that not all cultures see Leo as a lion. Many see it as a dragon or a horse and chariot. People say that the Great Sphinx in Egypt was fashioned after Leo. Another story is that one night in June of 2 B.C., Venus and Jupiter came so close together in the constellation of Leo that they seemed like one. This produced an extremely brilliant “star” in the sky. Astronomers think that his event could explain the Star of Bethlehem that foreshadowed the birth of Jesus.