In this constellation we can see the tail of the lion, his head and mane clearly. From latin to english, Leo means lion. This constellation receive its name from greek mythology: the lion of Nemea, placed in the sky after being killed by Hercules (it was the first Hercules’s victory).
Leo is a Northern Spring constellation, that means that it can be seen from the northern hemisphere during the spring. The best time to see it is at 21:00 in April.
Use the Big Dipper to guide you to Leo. When you find it, follow the pointers up and you’ll come to the North Star Polaris. Follow them down and you’ll see Leo is between Cancer and Virgo in the zodiac. Search for the Sickle. The Sickle is an asterism within Leo that forms the lion's head and mane. It is a backwards question mark in the sky made up of enough bright stars to be easily recognizable. The Sickle is dotted underneath by the first magnitude star Regulus. The name means "little king" and it is actually a double star system that can be seen with your binoculars. Look behind him for the tail. The back half of Leo is composed of a triangle of stars that form his haunches. The brightest star of this trio is Denebola, which means "tail of the lion."
