The Zodiac - Leo

The Stars

Regulus, the Lion's Heart, described as 'white flushed ultramarine' in colour, has been the ruler of the heavens in many parts of Europe and Asia since around 4000 Be. One of the ancient Persians' Four Guardians of the Heavens, it was the star of riches, glory and power.

Denebola, the Lion's Tail, was as unlucky as Regulus was lucky, bringing-disgrace and misfortune.

The Leonids

The shower of shooting stars known as the Leonids, reach their peak around 17th November, when they stream towards us from the direction of the constellation of Leo. These can, occasionally, turn into a meteor storm, falling at the rate of 100,000 every hour.

Leo Minor - The Little Lion

The Little Lion is a new invention, created in the seventeenth century. It has no real myths attached to it, although this part of the sky was thought, in ancient Egypt, to be sacred to Ptah, the great creator god, who first conceived the world as Thought.

To Locate

Leo, the King of Beasts, now accompanied by the Little Lion, was one of the Four Guardians of the ancient Heavens. Lying between Cancer and Virgo, it has always been associated with the sun and with the heat of summer.

The famous 'question mark' of Leo dominates the southern sky in spring in the northern hemisphere, and the northern sky in autumn south of the equator.