Composed of mostly molecular hydrogen, the Leo Ring is so vast it is six times wider than the Milky Way. Discovered in 1983 and resembling nothing astronomers had ever discovered before, this cloud has been named the Leo Ring. The three galaxies don't just appear close together in the night sky, they are actually gravitational bound dwelling around 35 million light-years from Earth.Īlso within the Leo constellation is a giant primordial cloud of gas that is large enough to form a galaxy. Acknowledgement: OmegaCen/Astro-WISE/Kapteyn Institute) The image hints at the power of the VST and OmegaCAM for surveying the extragalactic Universe and for mapping the low-brightness objects of the galactic halo. Triplet of bright galaxies in the constellation of Leo (The Lion), together with a multitude of fainter objects: distant background galaxies and much closer Milky Way stars. The most notable of these is the Leo triplet made up of the spiral galaxies Messier (M66), Messier 65 (M65), and NGC 3628. Stars aren't the only astronomical body comprising Leo, the constellation is also made up of several bright galaxies. Looking at the sickle star Algeiba, also known as Gamma Leonis, with a telescope reveals that it is actually composed of two bright stars located around 130 light-years away, one an orangy red, the other yellowish in color.Īfter spotting the lion's head, skywatchers may next want to trace its haunches and its tail, which are formed by a triangle of stars the brightest of which is Denebola, or the "tail of the lion." The rest of the sickle of Leo, visible to the southeast after sunset, is made up of the fainter stars ζ Leo (Adhafera), μ Leo (Ras Elased Borealis), and ε Leo (Ras Elased Australis). Leo is one of the easiest constellations to spot and the best way to start is by looking for its bright blue-white star Regulus or "Alpha Leonis." Located at the bottom of Leo's backward question-marked sickle from Regulus skywatchers can trace out the head of Leo by spotting its second brightest star and the brightest in the curve of the sickle, Algeiba, which means "the lion's mane."
(Image credit: MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images) Principle stars within the constellation Leo. The Leo Ring, a cloud of hydrogen and helium gas, orbits of two dwarf galaxies. There are a number of luminous galaxies within Leo, including the Leo triplet of M66, M65 and NGC 3628. The brightest star of this trio is Denebola, which means "tail of the lion." A triangle of stars forms the lion's haunches. The brightest star in the curve of the sickle is Al Geiba, which means "the lion's mane." In January 2001, a large object eight times the size of Jupiter was discovered orbiting Al Geiba. Regulus, Al Jabbah, and Algieba, together with the fainter stars ζ Leo (Adhafera), μ Leo (Ras Elased Borealis), and ε Leo (Ras Elased Australis), constitute the sickle. The constellation can be found by looking for the head of the lion, or the "sickle," starting at the Regulus (Alpha Leonis) star.
Its other non-zodiac constellation neighbors are Coma Berenices, Crater, Hydra, Leo Minor, Lynx, Sextans, and Ursa Major. Leo lies between the constellations Cancer to the west and Virgo to the east at 11 hours right ascension and 15° north declination.
It can be seen soon after sunset and for most of the night.Īs spring progresses into summer Leo drifts progressively to the west, by late July or early August Leo fades into the sunset. In the northern hemisphere, the constellation of Leo is easily seen during spring, particularly around the spring equinox during the months of March, April, and May. As result constellations like Leo are visible from most locations on Earth, but only at specific times of the year. The lion is also one of the 15 "equatorial constellations," constellations intersect the celestial equator, the great circle of the celestial sphere which is on the same plane as the equator of Earth. The constellation is visible at latitudes between +90⁰nd -6⁵⁰ according to the skywatching website "Constellation Guide". Leo is the 12th largest of all the constellations and in terms of the night sky, taking up up an area of around 947 square degrees. Visible between latitudes: 90 and minus 65 degrees
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